The Football Association (FA) has announced that transgender women will be prohibited from participating in women’s football in England starting from the next season.
The FA stated that this decision follows the UK Supreme Court’s ruling last month, which affirmed that the legal definition of a “woman” is based on biological sex. This policy change will be applicable across all levels of the sport in England and is set to take effect on June 1st.
Prior to the Supreme Court’s decision, the FA had updated its transgender inclusion policy, which permitted transgender women to play in women’s football provided they maintained reduced testosterone levels.
However, the governing body has now implemented a complete ban. In an official statement, the FA explained its position:
“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 16 Apnil 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 1 June 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.”
