The Football Association (FA) has officially banned transgender women from participating in women’s football in England at all levels, following a landmark UK Supreme Court ruling.
The decision, which comes into effect on June 1, 2025, is y a historic reversal of policy just three weeks after the FA introduced new eligibility criteria designed to allow transgender women to remain in the women’s game.
The Legal Trigger: Supreme Court Ruling Changes the Game
On April 15, the UK Supreme Court ruled that the legal definition of a woman for the purposes of single-sex services and spaces must be based strictly on biological sex, not gender identity.
The ruling has since sent shockwaves through the sporting world.
The FA responded swiftly, citing the legal shift as a “material change in law” that necessitated a full policy reversal.
“This is a complex subjectand 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, “
Trans Women No Longer Eligible — Regardless of Hormone Levels
The now-scrapped policy, implemented on April 11, had permitted transgender women to participate if they could show:
12 months of testosterone levels below a set threshold,
Evidence of hormone therapy,
A match observation,
And compliance with an annual review process.
But under the revised ruling, only players born biologically female will be eligible for the female category in football, regardless of gender identity or hormone treatment.
Impact: Fewer Than 30 Trans Players Affected — But Tremendous Fallout
While the ruling affects fewer than 30 transgender women registered in England’s grassroots leagues, the emotional and symbolic weight of the decision is massive.
There are no registered transgender players in the professional women’s leagues across England, Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland, but the decision has set a new precedent that may influence the entire sporting landscape.
Political Support and Governing Body Pressure
A spokesperson for Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer echoed support for the decision:
“Biology matters when it comes to women’s sport… We will continue to support sporting bodies to protect the integrity, safety and fairness of the game.”
In Scotland, the Scottish FA followed suit on Thursday by also banning transgender women from the women’s game.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is expected to finalize a similar ban, while England Netball has introduced new gender-specific categories effective September 1.
Other Sports Already Acting
Multiple British sporting bodies have introduced bans or revised their policies in response to similar pressures:
British Triathlon was the first to create an open category in 2022.
Athletics, cycling, and aquatics have outright bans on trans women competing in women’s events.
The Ultimate Pool Group banned transgender women from female competitions in March.
ECB is poised to expand its elite-level ban to all levels of women’s cricket.
FA: “Not an Ideological Decision”
The FA insists the decision is not ideological, but rather a legal and safety necessity.
Senior officials say they are now in direct contact with the transgender women affected, to explore alternative pathways for remaining involved in the sport — potentially through coaching, mixed-gender leagues, or other forms of participation.
Still, critics say the FA’s flip-flop damages trust.
