Daily Star Sunday has launched a ‘balls to walls’ campaign after the tragic death of ex-Arsenal Billy Vigar after the 21-year-old collided with a brick wall at pitchside
The Daily Star Sunday today spearheads a campaign to end the danger of brick walls around football pitches in the UK.
The Balls To Walls crusade bids to force the FA to make every playing area a safe place for players. It comes after the tragic death of former Arsenal footballer Billy Vigar who is believed to have died after colliding with a brick structure during a match.
He was just 21. Former Arsenal academy striker Vigar sustained a “significant brain injury” during an away match at Wingate and Finchley FC while playing for Chichester City FC.
He died after several days in an induced coma. After the match a statement from Wingate and Finchley stated they would install rubber safety padding around the ground.
Today we team up with friends of Billy, who have launched a petition to demand action is taken to prevent any further tragedies. The campaign demands the FA to ban brick walls around or football pitches or introduce measures to make them safe.
So far a Change starts here petition has garnered 16,000 signatures. Petition starter and footballer Jack Mison launched the petition as he said: “We owe it to Billy’s memory to make sure that no one else suffers such a needless tragedy.”
He said: “Billy Vigar’s death must be the last. We urgently call for the removal of brick walls and other hard, immovable structures surrounding football pitches.
“Billy’s passing is not an isolated incident—countless players at all levels have suffered serious injuries, including broken bones, concussions, and life-altering trauma, as a result of these dangerous barriers.
“Many pitches, especially at grassroots and community level, remain bordered by solid brick walls placed only a few feet from the touchline. Others have suffered broken limbs, spinal injuries, and head trauma. Each injury was predictable and entirely preventable.
“The petition calls for the powers-that-be to immediately assess all football pitches for the presence of brick or concrete walls, remove or replace these walls within a defined timeframe and introduce strict guidelines prohibiting the construction of new hard-surface barriers.”
One fan who signed it, Ross Ludley, who watched Billy at Chichester added: “It would cost an estimated £36 million to remove all dangerous concrete from non league grounds. Look at the price of Premier League signings. Where’s this football family they talk about?
“The FA should be funding this. Non league teams just don’t have the money. It is a top heavy organisation.” We now call on the FA to do more to prevent this happening again.
An FA source said that the group are aware of the financial implications of the need to make sure all grounds are safe and it is believed talks are currently “underway” as to how best move forward.
When approached an FA spokesman said: “We have announced that we will be conducting an immediate review, working with leagues, clubs and relevant stakeholders across the game, that will focus on the safety of perimeter walls and boundaries around pitches in the National League System.
“This will include looking at ways we can assist National League System clubs to identify and implement additional measures at their stadiums that they determine will help to mitigate any potential safety risks.”
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