The Football Association (FA) has confirmed that transgender women will be banned from playing in the women’s game from June 2025, following legal advice prompted by last month’s Supreme Court ruling on the definition of “woman” under the Equality Act. England Netball has announced a similar move, with the England and Wales Cricket Board expected to follow suit shortly.
The ruling, issued on 16 April, found that the word “woman” in the Equality Act 2010 refers exclusively to biological women. In the weeks since, national sports bodies have quietly sought legal advice on how this definition affects their inclusion policies. The result is a coordinated shift across governing bodies, reversing previously more inclusive approaches to gender identity in sport.
Until now, the FA allowed transgender women to compete in the women’s category, provided they met specific requirements including testosterone suppression to under 5 nmol/L for a sustained period. That policy, already considered conservative by some campaigners and inclusive by others, will now be replaced with a biological definition of sex as the eligibility standard for women’s football in England.
“This is a complex subject,” the FA said in a statement, “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.” The FA confirmed it will be contacting the approximately 20 registered transgender women affected by the change to discuss how they can continue participating in the game, although in what capacity remains unclear.
The decision has drawn praise from government sources and campaign groups such as Sex Matters, who argue that protecting female-only spaces and competitions requires a clear biological distinction. Fiona McAnena, director of campaigns at Sex Matters, called the move “long overdue”, echoing calls from others in the sector to reassert women’s sport as “single-sex” by default.
The Prime Minister’s office also welcomed the change, noting that although the implementation of policy is up to each sporting body, compliance with the law is not optional. “We have been clear that biology matters when it comes to women’s sport,” a spokesperson said.
On the same day, England Netball announced that from September 2025, the women’s category will be restricted to players assigned female at birth. Mixed-gender netball will be available as an alternative, open to players of any gender identity. A spokesperson said the new framework “prioritises fairness on court” while still offering inclusive options for players who do not fall into binary sex categories or who identify as transgender.
The ECB, which has allowed transgender women to compete at grassroots level, is expected to issue a similar statement after its board meeting this week. Scotland has also moved to change its policy: the Scottish Football Association confirmed it will adopt a biologically-based definition for women’s football from next season, affecting players from under-13s up.
Not everyone agrees with the decision. LGBTQ+ advocacy organisations, including Stonewall, have criticised the speed at which governing bodies have acted. The charity argues the legal implications of the court ruling have not yet been fully explored, and warned of the risk of overreach. “It is incredibly disappointing,” a Stonewall spokesperson said. “The FA has been a long-standing supporter of inclusion in sport, and this decision feels rushed and out of step with that history.”
Others have pointed to the practical impact on trans players, the vast majority of whom are playing at amateur or recreational level. “This isn’t about elite sport,” said one coach who works with LGBTQ+ teams in London. “This is about people being told there’s no place for them in the game they love.”
The change is unlikely to affect a large number of players (just 20 trans women are currently registered in the English women’s game), but for many in the community, the symbolism is significant. “Policies like this don’t just exclude trans people, they send a message about who is welcome and who isn’t,” the coach added.
The Supreme Court ruling has already triggered wider conversations about how equality law is interpreted in sport, employment, healthcare and beyond. For now, sports governing bodies appear to be prioritising legal risk management over longer consultations or phased approaches. More changes are expected across the sector in the coming months.
While the FA and others have committed to “inclusion wherever possible”, there is little clarity on what that will look like in practice. Proposals for third categories, such as open or mixed divisions, remain underdeveloped and underfunded. For many trans athletes, it is a question of whether they will have to choose between visibility and participation.
The rapid pace of change, combined with a lack of community engagement, has left some players feeling abandoned. As one player put it, “When they say they’re reaching out, what they really mean is they’re showing us the door.”
