Transgender women will no longer be permitted to participate in women’s football across all levels in England, beginning June 1, following a new policy announced by the English Football Association on Thursday.
The FA acknowledged the sensitivity of the decision, stating, “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.”
This regulation will apply universally, from grassroots leagues to the professional stage. According to the FA’s clarification to CNN Sport, roughly 20 transgender women currently active in amateur competitions could be affected by the ban.
The decision comes on the heels of a landmark UK Supreme Court judgment in April, which ruled that the term “woman,” as defined under equality legislation, pertains specifically to “a biological woman and biological sex.”
The ruling, passed unanimously, is likely to influence policies across a wide range of public spaces, including sports teams, hospital wards, and public facilities.
It has received mixed reactions, with gender-critical groups celebrating the move and advocates for trans rights expressing grave concerns.
Before the court’s decision, the FA had updated its eligibility criteria, permitting transgender women to compete if their testosterone levels had remained below 5.0 nanomoles per liter of blood for a continuous 12-month period before competition and onward.
In its latest statement, the FA said, “Our previous policy… was based on the principle of making ‘football accessible to as many people as possible’ and ‘supported by expert legal advice,’ as well as falling in the laws outlined by UEFA and FIFA, the governing bodies for European and global soccer respectively.”
The FA emphasized that its approach to the issue has been guided by evolving legal and scientific standards, “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 policy shift mirrors a similar decision recently made by the Scottish FA, which will also restrict transgender women’s participation in women’s football from the start of the upcoming season.
LGBTQ advocacy group Stonewall responded with disappointment, criticizing both the English and Scottish FAs’ decisions, “The (decision) … has been made too soon, before the implications of the Supreme Court’s ruling has been worked through by lawyers and politicians or become law,” a spokesperson told CNN.
“Trans women young and old who love football will be deeply distressed that they are no longer able to take part in games, at all levels. Trans people remain protected under the law and need to be treated with dignity and respect – and this announcement lacks any detail on how those obligations will be honoured,” the statement added.
Stonewall cautioned against rushed policymaking, “Hasty decisions, without a full understanding of the practical implications and before any changes to guidance have gone through the necessary consultation and parliamentary process, isn’t the answer.”
