The Football Association (FA) has decided to ban trans women from competing in women’s football following the Supreme Court ruling on the definition of ‘woman’ in the Equality Act.
From 1 June, trans women will no longer be able to play women’s football in England.
This comes after the Supreme Court ruled that the term ‘woman’ in the Equality Act refers exclusively to biological women.
The FA’s decision to change its policy on trans women comes just weeks after it announced trans women could play in the women’s game provided they keep their testosterone levels below 5 n/mol for at least a year.
But following legal advice, the FA has U-turned and now will prohibit trans women from playing women’s football.
Earlier this week, the Scottish Football Association announced it was making similar policy changes ahead of next season.
FA Explains Decision To Ban Trans Women
In a statement published on its website and via social media, the FA explained the rationale behind its updated policy.
It read: “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.”
According to reports, this ruling is expected to affect5 20 transgender players registered in England.
The FA has said it will reach out to any player affected by the change and explain the ruling.
“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,” the FA added.
An update following the Supreme Court ruling.
— The FA (@FA) May 1, 2025
Decision To Ban Trans Women Is a U-Turn For The FA
In April, the FA had updated its policy on trans women, following a lengthy review.
The new policy had ruled that transgender women could continue playing in women’s football, but allowed for individual cases to be assessed if safety or fairness concerns arose.
But that policy will now be scrapped, with a blanket ban coming into force from June.
The ruling has been met with a strong response from both supporters and opponents.
Campaign group Sex Matters welcomed the decision, having pushed for clarity on biological sex within the law.
Director of campaigns Fiona McAnena told The Guardian: “This is welcome but long overdue.
“Every other sporting body now needs to re-establish a genuine women’s category. Anyone who cares about women and girls in sport will see that this is the right thing to do.”
But others warned of a possible increase in transphobia and targeted abuse towards trans women, with fewer trans people wishing to take part in sport.
Natalie Washington, campaign lead for Football Vs Transphobia, told BBC Sport: “What I’m sure we’ll see is greater reticence from transgender people to engage with sport and physical activity
“Whenever there is a legal or governmental ruling on this, or an organisation takes a position, there is an uptick in abuse.”
