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Football clubs back Daily Star campaign after ex Arsenal star's tragic death

As Billy Vigar should have celebrated his 22nd birthday this week, several football clubs up and down the country have thrown their support behind Daily Star's campaign

[Billy Vigar]

Billy Vigar's death shocked millions of football fans and raised serious questions about safety(Image: Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

Football clubs have lined up to back our Balls to Walls campaign in the week that Billy Vigar should have turned 22. Non-league clubs say urgent action should have been taken two years ago which would have prevented the tragedy in the first place.

Our Balls To Walls crusade bids to force the FA to make every playing area a safe place for players. It comes after the death of former Arsenal academy striker Billy. The 21 year old Wingate and Finchley FC star sustained a significant brain injury during an away match after apparently colliding with a concrete barrier around the pitch during their Isthmian Premier League match at Chichester City FC last month.

Wick Football Club play just 10 miles from Chichester and say it has been a credit to football how the clubs have banded together since the tragedy - but said the FA need to do more to support clubs at lower levels. Wick Football Club manager Lee Baldwin said: This campaign is vitally important as we need all the support we can get at this level.

[Billy Vigar]

Billy Vigar died days after sustaining a serious head injury during a football match(Image: @ChichesterCity)

Football is a family, especially around here, and everyone was absolutely broken to hear of the incident," they continued. "No one ever had a bad word to say about Billy.

Theres a lot of money in football, but it is also a very top heavy organisation. There are scary amounts of money at the top, and none at the bottom.

We have to fund everything ourselves, and theres not a bottomless pot. At the start of the season we were threatened with relegation if we did not move our poles around the pitch 10cm closer to the paths.

We didnt have the money. Luckily our team all dedicated a weekend and we did the work ourselves.

But it is crazy they are strict on something that isnt a safety matter but still allow brick walls around pitches. Everyone wants football safe, but some of the money from the top needs to make its way down more; football is for everyone."

[Billy Vigar playing for Arsenal]

Billy should have been celebrating his 22nd birthday this week(Image: David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

John Peel, a director at Lewes, another Isthmian Premier League side, said it feels like the FA have passed the buck... when really its their responsibility because theyre the ones who set the rules. Lewes have offered counselling to their players and say they will not force anyone to play in grounds with perimeters which feel unsafe.

Chichester City - Billy Vigars club - echoed the statements saying it can never happen again, as did other clubs who say the FA need to step up to the plate. Sholings Paul Doswell said he could not forgive the FA for not doing more before.

He said the FA needs to step up to the plate and put a massive fund together so that other clubs can get money to make their grounds safer. Its time for someone to accept that this has to be done, because if theres another death, I dont really know where that leaves anybody in football, he said.

[EDITORIAL USE ONLY Mandatory Credit: Photo by TGSPhoto/REX/Shutterstock (9790625e) General view looking towards the main stand during Wingate & Finchley vs AFC Hornchurch, Bostik League Premier Division Football at the Maurice Rebak Stadium on 14th August 2018 Wingate & Finchley vs AFC Hornchurch, Bostik League Premier Division, Football, the Maurice Rebak Stadium, Finchley, London Borough of Barnet, London - 14 Aug 2018]

The incident happened during the away match against Wingate & Finchley, who says the wall has been removed(Image: TGSPhoto/REX/Shutterstock)

You cant have people dying on the football pitch. Wingate & Finchley have now demolished the pitchside concrete wall.

An FA source told the Daily Star Sunday that talks are still ongoing to look into the support that could be given to clubs in lower leagues. An FA spokesman said the immediate review is underway and they are working with leagues, clubs and relevant stakeholders across the game, to focus on the safety of perimeter walls and boundaries around pitches in the National League System.

They added: This includes looking at ways we can assist National League System clubs to identify and implement additional measures at their stadiums. This support means that they can determine what will help to mitigate any potential safety risks.

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