FA orders removal of non-league perimeter walls after deaths
The Football Association has instructed non-league clubs to remove perimeter walls following player deaths, citing safety concerns.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
The Football Association has ordered around 160 non-league clubs to remove perimeter walls around their pitches, following the death of a player last year. The FA, with funding from the Premier League, has told clubs that any brick, breeze block or concrete barriers must be removed as soon as reasonably practicable, or covered with suitable protection.
The decision comes after Billy Viggars, a 21-year-old former Arsenal academy player, died in September last year while playing for Chichester City. He collided with a wall and lost his life. His death prompted renewed calls for a ban on such walls, which had been growing since a similar incident in 2022, when Alex Fletcher of Bath City was seriously injured after colliding with a wall at his club's stadium.
Fletcher, who survived, has been campaigning for change for four years. He welcomed the FA's statement but said it still comes too late, and urged any clubs with unsafe perimeters to act immediately. The FA and Premier League will pay for the work, but the exact details of how clubs will access the funding have not yet been published. ITV News understands that around 160 clubs have been told to make adjustments.
The announcement was made as the new football season kicked off for many lower league teams, with warnings about ground safety. Players and campaigners have expressed hope that the changes will prevent further tragedies, though some feel the governing body has been slow to act.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | ITV |
|---|---|
| Billy Viggars died after colliding with a wall while playing for Chichester City in September of last year. | |
| The FA and Premier League are funding the removal of the walls. | |
| The Football Association ordered around 160 non-league clubs to remove perimeter walls. |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
This report leads with the personal tragedy of Billy Viggars, using his story to frame the FA's announcement as a long overdue response. It highlights the funding arrangement with the Premier League and gives space to Alex Fletcher's reaction, stressing that the changes still come too late. The tone is sympathetic but pointed, underlining the human cost behind the policy shift.
- “Billy Viggars was just 21 years old when he died playing the sport he loved.”
- “Whilst I welcome the changes and I think the changes to the policy are quite robust and I hope that they will go far enough. I still think it comes too late.”
This version of the story is framed around the start of the new football season, presenting the FA's order as a warning to lower league clubs. It includes the same core details about the death of Billy Viggars and Alex Fletcher's reaction, but places more emphasis on the timing, noting that the announcement comes just as many teams begin their campaigns. The editorial tone is similar to the Evening News report, but the seasonal hook gives it a slightly different angle.
- “The new football season kicked off for many lower teams today, just as warnings were issued about the safety of some of their grounds.”
- “Whilst I welcome the changes and I think the changes to the policy are quite robust and I hope that they will go far enough, I still think it comes too late.”
Broadcast Timeline
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