The Football Association (FA) has announced that transgender women will no longer be eligible to compete in women’s football in England from 1 June 2025.
This decision comes in response to the UK Supreme Court’s ruling on 15 April that legally defines a woman based on biological sex. While the FA had earlier updated its policy on 11 April to apply stricter eligibility criteria, the ruling prompted a full reversal. The updated policy now restricts participation in the women’s game to individuals born biologically female.
“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 FA said in a statement.
The governing body acknowledged the emotional impact of the decision, saying it was in contact with the fewer than 30 registered transgender women in the game to explain the implications and explore ways for them to stay involved in football.
The Scottish FA also confirmed a similar ban on Thursday, and England Netball updated its guidelines the same day to exclude transgender women from its female category.
Meanwhile, the England and Wales Cricket Board is expected to adopt a comparable policy, with a decision anticipated at its board meeting on Friday.
