Transgender women, i.e., biological men, are to be banned from playing women’s football in England following the Supreme Court ruling that trans women are legally men, as the FA follows its Scottish counterpart in bringing in a ban. The Telegraph has more.
Two days after it emerged those born male would be prevented from taking part in the female game in Scotland, the Football Association confirmed it was following suit.
The move came barely a fortnight after the verdict of the UK’s highest court and three weeks after the FA quietly brought in new trans rules that stopped short of a blanket ban. The Supreme Court ruling piled pressure on the likes of the FA and England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to follow other national governing bodies in only allowing those born female to play in women’s competitions.
Both the FA and ECB had been taking legal advice over the decision, which had earlier prompted the likes of the Scottish Football Association to act.
The FA said in a statement: “As the governing body of the national sport, our role is to make football accessible to as many people as possible, operating within the law and international football policy defined by Uefa and Fifa.
“Our current policy, which allows transgender women to participate in the women’s game, was based on this principle and supported by expert legal advice.
“This is a complex subject, and our position has always been that if there was a material change in law, science, or the operation of the policy in grassroots football then we would review it and change it if necessary. The Supreme Court’s ruling on the April 16th means that we will be changing our policy. Transgender women will no longer be able to play in women’s football in England, and this policy will be implemented from June 1st 2025.
“We understand that this will be difficult for people who simply want to play the game they love in the gender by which they identify, and we are contacting the registered transgender women currently playing to explain the changes and how they can continue to stay involved in the game.”
Worth reading in full.
UPDATE: Cricket and netball have followed suit, with Keir Starmer welcoming the moves.
Transgender women are to be banned from playing women’s football, cricket and netball in England following the Supreme Court ruling on single-sex spaces.
In a move welcomed by the Prime Minister, the Football Association (FA) confirmed it was stopping those born male from playing in the women’s game.
England Netball did the same, while Telegraph Sport has been told the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) will formally follow suit on Friday.
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