ENGLAND’S FA will ban transgender women from women’s football clubs next season.
Last month, the Supreme Court‘s ruled that trans women are not legally women in a move hailed as a “victory for common sense”.
Campaigners from For Women Scotland (FWS) outside the Supreme Court[/caption]
The FA – who previously allowed trans women to compete in the women’s league – have now said they’re “changing their policy”.
In a statement today, it said: “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 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.
“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.”
In April, the Supreme Court confirmed the terms “woman” and “sex” in the 2010 Equality Act “refer to a biological woman and biological sex”.
The landmark judgment was hailed as a “victory for common sense” by top politicians and feminist campaigners.
And the PM, who has previously said “trans women are women”, finally admitted that a woman is an “adult female” after years of woke dithering.
But Kemi Badenoch labelled Sir Keir a “weather vane who twists in the wind” as she claimed he “doesn’t have the balls” to express his views on gender.
And Harry Potter author Rowling hit out against the PM branding him a “coward”.
Last month, Baroness Kishwer Falkner, who chairs the Equalities and Human Rights Commission, suggested that clubs at professional and grassroots level must respect the Supreme Court’s ruling that female-only spaces are protected on the basis of biology.
Asked if it was now simple that trans women cannot take part in women’s sport, Baroness Falkner told the BBC: “Yes, it is.”
Lord Seb Coe, the president of World Athletics hailed the court for having “produced clarity”.
He said: “Most importantly, I think it really does support women, in places for them that really matter.
“It is really important that we continue to protect the integrity of women’s competition.”
The row over trans women in women’s sports has exploded in recent years, with growing calls to protect fairness for female athletes.
Critics say letting biological males compete against women creates an uneven playing field, especially in strength-based sports.
KEY POINTS ABOUT RULING
- THE UK’s highest court unanimously ruled the terms “woman” and “sex” as set down in UK law “refer to a biological woman and biological sex”.
- Judges ruled having a
Gender Recognition Certificate stating a trans woman is female does not mean that person should be treated as a woman under the UK 2010 Equality Act. - This means trans women with a GRC can be excluded from single-sex spaces if “proportionate”.
- The ruling will apply to spaces such as changing rooms, homeless hostels or domestic violence refuges.
- NHS guidance on who can be placed on same-sex wards is also now likely to be changed. The current document, set out in 2019, states: “Trans people should be accommodated according to their presentation: the way they dress, and the name and pronouns they currently use.”
- One option is for transgender people to be placed in rooms on their own. Trans people still retain legal protections and cannot be discriminated against, but they cannot acquire protections reserved for women.
In 2022, British Cycling faced fury after allowing trans rider Emily Bridges to race in the women’s category — a move blocked by governing body UCI at the last minute.
Swimmer Sharron Davies, who won Olympic silver for Team GB, has been one of the most vocal campaigners against what she calls “female erasure” in sport.
She and other female athletes argue their years of hard work have been undermined by rules that favour inclusion over fairness.
Several UK sporting bodies, including World Athletics and Swim England, have since tightened rules to reserve elite female competition for biological women only.
Supporters of the changes say it’s common sense — and long overdue.
Britain’s equality watchdog is rushing to rewrite its rulebook after the court ruling shook up the law on sex and gender.
The Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) says it’ll urgently update its guidance — as ministers face mounting pressure to spell out what the verdict means for schools, hospitals and workplaces.
Baroness Kishwer Falkner, who chairs the EHRC, said the impact of the ruling “cannot be overstated” and vowed a rapid review of the watchdog’s advice to reflect the fresh legal clarity.
The equalities chief pledged to crack down on any organisation ignoring the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling.
She said the ruling is “enormously consequential” and offers clarity — meaning trans women, even with a Gender Recognition Certificate, can be excluded from women-only spaces if “proportionate”.
On sport, she told Radio 4: “Yes, it is” now simple that trans women can’t compete in female categories.
She said changing rooms must be based on biological sex, adding: “If a male person is allowed to use a women-only service, it becomes a mixed-sex space.”
Baroness Falkner also said the NHS must scrap its 2019 policy on trans patients and follow the ruling, with “no confusion” left about what the law requires.
Transgender women will be banned from the next season of women’s football in England[/caption]