FA changes rule on transgender women being able to play football in English women's game

The Football Association (FA) has announced that the rules around transgender players on women's teams have been changed.

It comes weeks after the UK Supreme Court ruled that the legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex, a decision which has had ripple effects across various sectors.

This includes the sporting world, as football's governing body has revealed that the policy surrounding who can play on the pitch in women's games has been altered as a result of the ruling.

The FA said it wants to ensure that the beautiful game is 'accessible to as many people as possible', while 'operating within the law and international football policy defined by UEFA and FIFA'.

Transgender women have previously been permitted to take part in women's games, but this policy has since been updated in line with the Supreme Court's ruling, the FA said.

The rule change will come into force from June this year, the FA said (Henry Browne - The FA/The FA via Getty Images)

Previously, the FA had allowed transgender women to play in women’s football, provided they reduced testosterone levels.

Those rule changes gave the FA ultimate discretion on permitting a trans woman to play, with consideration given to safety and fairness issues.

But the governing body has now gone one step further, completely barring transgender people from competing in women's games from June this year.

"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," it explained.

"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."

Transgender players will no longer be able to partake in women's games (Marc Atkins/Getty Images)

Following a long-running legal battle between the Scottish government and the For Women Scotland (FWS) group, the UK's highest court had to define a 'woman' last month.

The dispute centred on whether someone with a gender recognition certificate (GRC) recognising their gender as female should be treated as a woman under the UK 2010 Equality Act.

And, in the FWS's favour, justices unanimously ruled that the term 'woman' and 'sex' in the Equality Act refer to a biological woman and biological sex.

In an 88-page ruling, Lord Hodge, Lady Rose and Lady Simler said: “The definition of sex in the Equality Act 2010 makes clear that the concept of sex is binary, a person is either a woman or a man.

“Persons who share that protected characteristic for the purposes of the group-based rights and protections are persons of the same sex and provisions that refer to protection for women necessarily exclude men.

“Although the word ‘biological’ does not appear in this definition, the ordinary meaning of those plain and unambiguous words corresponds with the biological characteristics that make an individual a man or a woman."