Player safety remains a priority across all levels of the game. Tragic incidents accelerate long-standing calls for stronger protective measures. Governing bodies respond by introducing new regulations designed to reduce avoidable risks.
Young players who progress through elite academies continue their careers in non-league football. Collisions with solid structures beside the pitch have previously caused serious injuries. Collaborative funding helps clubs implement necessary changes without undue delay.
The Football Association has banned solid brick, breeze-block and concrete perimeter walls around pitches at hundreds of grounds following the death of former Arsenal academy forward Billy Vigar. The new rules apply from the 2026/27 season to clubs in levels one to six of the men’s National League System and tiers three and four of the Women’s National League.
Clubs have been instructed to remove the structures as soon as reasonably practicable or install appropriate padding where removal is not possible. The FA and the Premier League will contribute towards the cost of the required work.
Vigar died at the age of 21 after sustaining a significant brain injury during Chichester City’s match away to Wingate & Finchley in September 2025. He passed away five days after the incident. The tragedy intensified a debate on player safety that had gained momentum after Bath City’s Alex Fletcher suffered a serious head injury in a similar collision in 2022.
The 21-year-old joined Arsenal on schoolboy terms at 14 and became a full-time scholar. He progressed through the academy alongside several well-known prospects and featured once in the EFL Trophy, with loan spells at Derby County’s under-21s and Eastbourne Borough. After leaving Arsenal in 2024 he played for Hastings United before joining Chichester City, where he scored twice in his first three league appearances.
A petition launched after Vigar’s death attracted more than 4,000 signatures. The FA’s decision does not cover every level of English football but makes clear that unprotected solid structures immediately beside the playing area are now regarded as an avoidable risk at the specified levels.
Clubs may continue to stage matches while assessing their grounds and completing the necessary work, provided ongoing safety assessments are carried out. The changes represent a significant step towards improving player protection in the non-league game.