Police investigation into Billy Vigar's death remains active

Detective Superintendent Colin Chandler told a pre-inquest review at Barnet Coroner's Court on Thursday that the police investigation into the September 2025 death of former Arsenal academy player Billy Vigar is ongoing. He said he anticipated needing another "two to three months" to complete the inquiry.

Vigar died from a "significant brain injury" in September 2025, five days after colliding with a concrete wall surrounding a pitch while playing for Chichester City at Wingate and Finchley's stadium. His parents, Keith and Camilla, told BBC Sport on the one-year anniversary that "the FA could have stopped Billy losing his life because they had so many warnings".

Det Supt Chandler did not provide details on the lines of enquiry the police are exploring. BBC Sport has contacted the Met for comment.

Vigar's parents were present at the hearing, as were representatives from the Football Association and Barnet Council. Former Bath City player Alex Fletcher, who fractured his skull when colliding with concrete barriers next to the club's pitch in 2022, attended, along with another representative from the PFA.

Camilla Vigar addressed senior coroner Andrew Walker, saying: "I don't understand how the FA waited for Billy to die before they actioned anything when there was so much warning beforehand. "Ben Hiscox dying in 2015. Alex had his big accident in 2022. The investigation they did after that highlighted about 160 high-risk clubs. Wingate was one of them. They did nothing."

Keith Vigar raised what he described as an "issue with Barnet not being an interested party" and questioned the local authority's role in the club-level investigation, saying: "Personally I don't quite understand how the investigation carried out at the football club, Wingate and Finchley... I see it as a bit of a conflict of interest that Barnet as the local authority carried out that investigation. It feels like they are marking their own homework," he said.

A further hearing has been scheduled for 10 February. BBC Sport is investigating incidents involving pitch perimeters at all levels of football in England and Wales and asks anyone affected by such an incident to contact them.