The Football Association has confirmed that transgender women will no longer be able to play in women’s football in England from June 1.
The FA say this is following the material change in the law announced by the UK Supreme Court on April 16. The Supreme Court unanimously ruled that a woman is defined by biological sex under equalities law.
“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,” a statement reads.
“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 April 16 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 1, 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.”
Scottish FA bans transgender women from playing women’s football
Last month, the Scottish FA confirmed that transgender women will be banned from playing women’s football.
Transgender women will not be able to compete in women’s football in Scotland from the start of next season.
The Scottish Football Association (SFA) is understood to have taken a final decision to update its policy following a UK Supreme Court ruling earlier this month.
The change will mean only players born biologically female will be able to play in competitive female football from U13s upwards.
It is understood there are currently no transgender women registered as players in Scotland.
More to follow…
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