 "England cricket, football associations ban transgender women from women games")
Transgender women in England will not be allowed to play in women’s and girls’ cricket matches with immediate effect, but can continue playing in open and mixed cricket, England’s cricket board (ECB) said on Friday.
The decision was prompted by a UK Supreme Court ruling last month that said only biological and not trans women meet the definition of a woman under equality laws.
Non-biological female barred from women’s and girls’ cricket
The ECB said only those whose biological sex is female will be eligible to play in women’s and girls’ cricket matches.
“Our regulations for recreational cricket have always aimed at ensuring that cricket remains as inclusive a sport as possible,” the ECB said in a statement.
“These included measures to manage disparities, irrespective of someone’s gender, and safeguard the enjoyment of all players.
“However, given the new advice received about the impact of the Supreme Court ruling, we believe the changes announced today are necessary.”
The ECB had already barred transgender women from the top two tiers of women’s cricket in England last year as well as the women’s Hundred under its new transgender participation policy.
The ECB said it would work with Recreational Cricket Boards to support transgender women and girls affected by the change in their regulations.
“We await updated guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and will study this carefully,” the ECB added.
England Football also bans transgender women in women’s game
The ECB’s decision comes a day after England’s Football Association also announced transgender women will no longer be allowed to compete in women’s football.
The FA’s policy had allowed transgender women to participate in the women’s game but this will change from June 1.
Impact Shorts
More Shorts“The Supreme Court’s ruling on the 16th April means that we will be changing our policy,” the football governing body said in a statement.
“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.”
The FA said the policy allowing transgender women to play was rooted in making the sport accessible to as many people as possible, “supported by expert legal advice” and aligned with international rules set by UEFA and FIFA.
“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,” it added.
The decision comes a month after the FA ruled that transgender women could continue to play in the women’s game as long as they kept their testosterone levels below 5 n/mol for at least 12 months.
A spokesperson for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that although individual sports could determine their own policies, they were still required to operate within the bounds of the law.
“We have been clear that biology matters when it comes to women’s sport, that everyone should be compliant with the law,” he said.
“And we will continue to ensure women and girls across the country can enjoy sports and we will continue to support bodies to protect the integrity, fairness and safety of the game.”
The Scottish FA also announced on Thursday that it was banning transgender women from women’s football.
“As a gender-affected sport, the Scottish FA board has determined that from the start of season 2025/26 only biological females will be permitted to play in competitive girls’ and women’s football which is governed by the Scottish FA,” it said in a statement.
“The Scottish FA will provide guidance on the implementation of the updated policy, including appropriate participation opportunities for transgender people, ahead of the policy taking effect from the start of the new season.”
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