Former Arsenal Forward Billy Vigar Dies After Match Injury

Billy Vigar, 21, a striker who came through Arsenal’s Hale End academy, has died after sustaining a significant brain injury during Chichester City’s Isthmian League match at Wingate & Finchley on Saturday, Sept. 20. He was taken to hospital, placed in an induced coma and underwent surgery on Tuesday, but the club and his family said the injury proved too severe and he died on Thursday morning. Media reports and brain‑injury charities say Vigar collided with a concrete perimeter wall at the side of the pitch, though Chichester City has not publicly confirmed the exact mechanism of the injury. Vigar had joined Arsenal’s academy aged 14, signed professional terms in 2022, had loan spells at Derby County, Hastings United and Eastbourne Borough, and left Arsenal in 2024 before signing for Chichester. Clubs across the game — including Arsenal, Derby County, Eastbourne Borough and Hastings United — and the FA paid tribute, floral memorials were left at Oaklands Park, and Chichester postponed its next fixture while asking for the family’s privacy to be respected. The death has renewed questions about player safety and pitch‑side hazards in non‑league football.