Football must move faster on perimeter safety

Richard Shaw CEO, SAPCA

They’d run through a brick wall for you’ is one the highest honour that fans of team sports can bestow on their players, especially across the UK. It is a plaudit reserved for the very hardest of workers, who have demonstrated a commitment above and beyond, showing dedication that goes further than those shown by players who may question the sanity of running into a wall. So, it was great to read this week that sanity has reigned and the Football Association (FA) has banned solid perimeter walls around pitches.

In football, the FA recommendation for run- off areas is for 3m around pitches, with a minimum of 1.83m stipulated for those in the English football pyramid. At this year’s FIFA World Cup, Jordan Bos of Australia clocked the fastest pace recorded by a player at the tournament, hitting 36.7 km/h (or about 23 mph, if you are old school like me). Usain Bolt’s peak top speed was recorded at nearly 28mph. The difference is that, at a World Athletics Championship, the track hosting Bolt and his peers would need to have a minimum 17m run- off – and ideally a 30m deceleration zone.

The comparison here between football doesn’t even take into consideration the slopes that are often a feature at modern pitches. Someone with Bos’ speed, running at full pelt – trying, let’s say, to keep a ball from going out for a corner – will quite possibly face the prospect of having between 1.83m and 3m to make a full stop. The guarantee of not running into “solid brick, breeze block or concrete barriers” seems the least we can afford players.

At this year’s FIFA World Cup, Jordan Bos of Australia clocked the fastest pace, hitting 23 mph. Usain Bolt’s peak top speed was recorded at nearly 28mph.

A spate of incidents that have resulted in life-changing injuries – and the tragic death of Billy Vigar at Chichester, during an Isthmian League match after he collided with a concrete wall – show the consequences of what can happen when players have no space to stop. The death of Vigar, a 21-year-old Arsenal academy graduate, prompted an outpouring of grief, as well as anger, across the sport.

It also led to a response. At Maurice Rebak Stadium, the home of Wingate & Finchley where Vigar had his accident, the concrete wall that ran around the entire stadium pitch perimeter has been replaced by much more forgiving fencing.

The review which followed is a great start and will make a material difference to player safety. However, slopes, changes in surfaces, greater run off areas and guidance around what replaces solid walls should all be included in the conversation to ensure we make football an environment that values the health and livelihood of its players.

The loss of Billy Vigar – and serious injuries suffered by the likes of ex-Bath City player Alex Fletcher in similar circumstances – demand it.