THE FOOTBALL ‘FAMILY’ COMES TOGETHER IN ADVERSITY

By Lee Wellings

NO-ONE should go and play a game of football and not return home.

The death of 21-year-old Chichester City player Billy Vigar is devastating and has left every Non-League fan I know shaken.

We can only send our love and condolences to his family, friends, team-mates and everyone at the West Sussex club.

is done about it then, sadly, he may not be the last.

You’ve only got to look at social media and how this tragedy has brought fans together in empathy and dismay. Collectively expressing our sadness that the tragedy occured, while demanding it never happen again. As one friend said to me: “Be safe, not sad.”

A football law in Billy’s name, banning any dangerous construction pitchside surround, feels like the least that can be done – and it could mean Billy saving another life or serious injury.

While the Isthmian Premier Division games involving Chichester and Wingate & Finchley were postponed, fans elsewhere paid tribute, united in their feeling of helplessness and sympathy.

We all love our football clubs. We are protective of them, sing proudly and enjoy our rivalries. But such incidents change us and shape the way we see football.

All week, fans of my club Horsham had been looking forward to our FA Cup game against Folkestone Invicta as a chance to extend our strong recent Cup record and get one over a bogey team.

On the eve of the game, many fans I know, myself included, were wondering if we could face it at all.

A game, a goal and a win is put in context by what happened to Billy.

It’s not so long ago that football was completely put in perspective. It’s sometimes forgotten the pandemic overshadowed two seasons, and rendered title races and cup runs meaningless.

What the pandemic also taught us is how much we should cherish our day out at the football. Trophies are merely a bonus. What matters is coming together, seeing friends, familiar faces, all battling through life and what it throws at us.

I recently had my worst of run of attending Horsham matches in my decade supporting them. Life got in the way. How I missed it. The release, the respite, the excitement, the joy – the simple pleasures of matchday.

Something striking happened in a match I missed earlier this month. An away trip to Maidstone. We played superbly by all accounts and won 3-0 but an incident occurred that may not be topped as my ‘moment of the season’.

A few Maidstone fans were so taken with the noise and atmosphere in the Horsham end, stoked further by the scoreline, that they came and joined in, chanted actual Horsham songs with occasional points to their Maidstone badges.

Never before in over 40 years of watching football have I seen this.

An unusual show of humour, camaraderie and fun. I’m sure there were some Maidstone fans who wouldn’t have appreciated it but to have the wit to stick your hands up and say ‘okay, you win, now we’re going to give some credit and have some fun’… fair play to them.

Segregation at some games in National League South this season has changed the vibe – and not for the better.

I get it. Safety first should be the mantra on this and every week. But I don’t know a single Non-League fan who doesn’t enjoy interactions with other fans. It’s a precious feature of Non-League football.

Last season, my friend’s Dad, a Carshalton fan, was surrounded by Horsham fans over a pint asking him about his near-70 years supporting the Robins. That’s what it’s all about.

Elsewhere in West Sussex, football has stopped and a club is grieving. May everyone at Chichester City draw strength from the outpouring of support and may Billy rest in peace.

His death should never have happened, and now must lead to our football being safer.

This tragedy reminds us we are ultimately all in this together.

● Lee Wellings is an author, sports consultant and Horsham FC supporter.