The Football Association (FA) has announced that transgender women will be banned from participating in women’s football in England starting June 1, 2025.
The decision follows a recent Supreme Court ruling that legally defines a woman based on biological sex.
Until now, the FA had permitted transgender women to play on a case-by-case basis. Players over the age of 16 who were male at birth were eligible only if they could demonstrate testosterone levels below a specific threshold.
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FA cites legal and scientific developments
In a statement released Thursday, the FA explained:
“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 16 April 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.”
FA acknowledges impact on players
“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.”
Currently, around 20 transgender women are playing football at the grassroots level in England.
The FA’s move follows a similar decision by the Scottish FA earlier this week, which now only allows players assigned female at birth to compete in the women’s game from the age of 13 and above.
