Former Bath City player Alex Fletcher believes any action from the Football Association (FA) will be “too little too late” following the “preventable” death of Billy Vigar.
Chichester forward Vigar, 21, sustained a fatal head injury after colliding with a concrete wall during his team’s Isthmian League Premier Division match at Wingate and Finchley on Saturday 20 September.
Fletcher was seriously injured in a similar incident in November 2022, suffering a fractured skull after colliding with an advertising board reinforced with concrete blocks.
The 26-year-old, who briefly resumed his career with Weston-super-Mare but retired in 2024, accused the FA of ignoring calls for change after being contacted by the Government and the Professional Footballers’ Association in the aftermath of his accident and fears more footballers will be killed by perimeter walls if the FA does not take serious action.
The FA said last week it plans to conduct an immediate safety review of perimeter walls at football grounds in the National League system.
“I think it’s too little too late,” Fletcher told BBC Breakfast. “I think if you ask Billy’s family, they would say that that isn’t going to bring their son back, unfortunately.
“It’s something that needs to happen urgently because there are hundreds of football matches being played across the country at all levels where this kind of incident could occur again and where it’s billed as a freak accident – it’s an accident waiting to happen, quite frankly.
“The FA need to get hold of it quickly to ensure that another incident such as this doesn’t happen again.”
Vigar graduated from Arsenal’s academy – leaving the club in 2024 – and also had spells at Derby, Eastbourne Borough and Hastings United.
He collided with the wall as he tried to keep the ball in play and was taken to hospital and placed in an induced coma.
Fletcher, who spent 10 days in a coma and is now permanently deaf in his left ear, in addition to suffering vertigo, said: “This, I think, was an entirely preventable situation.
“What’s happened to Billy is absolutely tragic and I can only imagine the pain and suffering that it has caused those associated with Chichester City and his family.
“I know firsthand the pain and suffering that my family went through following my incident, made even more painful by the fact that it could have been prevented.
“The overriding emotion that I have is frustration that the calls for change haven’t been listened to by the FA. I’m afraid this isn’t going to be the last, if serious action isn’t taken.”
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was among those to pay tribute to Vigar.
Fletcher called for perimeter walls to be knocked down, rebuilt with “more suitable material” or, as a last resort, covered in padding.
The Independent have contacted the FA for comment.
Additional reporting from PA
