The Football Association says it will carry out an immediate safety review of perimeter walls at football grounds in the National League system after the death of former Arsenal youth player Billy Vigar.
Striker Vigar, 21, died on Thursday after sustaining a “significant brain injury” while playing for Chichester City at Wingate and Finchley FC last Saturday.
It is thought the injury was caused when he collided with a concrete wall, but the club have not confirmed this.
A petition calling for a ban on brick walls around football pitches has received more than 4,000 signatures.
An FA statement (via BBC Sport) said: “We will now conduct 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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Earlier on Friday the Professional Footballers’ Association called for a full investigation and said that players should “not be put at unnecessary and avoidable risk”.
PFA chief executive Maheta Molango said in a statement it was vital to ensure “opportunities to make grounds safer for players have not been missed”.
Vigar was a graduate of the Arsenal academy, leaving the club in 2024, and also had spells at Derby County, Eastbourne Borough and Hastings United.
Speaking at a news conference on Friday, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said: “Hopefully they can understand how it happened, and why it happened, and obviously try to avoid this kind of thing.
“It is shocking news. Straight away you’re thinking about the family, and how difficult it is to go through something like this in a very unexpected way.
“Hopefully they can understand how it happened, and why it happened, and obviously try to avoid this kind of thing.
“Really sad news, and our thoughts are with the family and all his loved ones.”
