Transgender Women Banned From Women’s Soccer in England
May 1, 2025
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England’s Football Association (FA) has banned transgender women from women’s soccer, referred to as football in England, following a Supreme Court ruling about the legal definition of a woman.
Newsweek has reached out to the Football Association via email for comment.
Why It Matters
The move comes amid a broader conversation about transgender women in sport, which is playing out across the world. Since his re-election, President Donald Trump has signed an executive order which banned transgender female athletes from competing in women’s or girls’ sports.
Protest against the Supreme Court ruling on the definition of a woman on April 19, 2025 in Edinburgh, Scotland. Protest against the Supreme Court ruling on the definition of a woman on April 19, 2025 in Edinburgh, Scotland. Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images
It also comes shortly after the U.K.’s top court unanimously ruled that the legal definition of a woman under the Equality Act 2010 does not include transgender women, something that has sparked protests in the country.
What To Know
In a press release, the FA confirmed the ban; it states that their current policy “allows transgender women to participate in the women’s game,” and that this was “supported by expert legal advice.”
However, the FA stated that their position had always been that if there was a “material” change in either law, science or the operation of policy, then they would “review” and “change,” the policy if necessary.
Following the Supreme Court’s ruling, the FA have said that they will be changing their policy and that transgender women will no longer be able to play women’s football in England, where the sport was first invented. Last month, the Scottish FA also banned transgender women from playing football.
“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,” the press release stated. “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 U.K. Athletics Federation has also banned transgender women from competing in female events. In a statement, they said “It is fair for athletes who have gone through male puberty to be excluded from the female category in athletics,” but that “athletics should remain an inclusive sport.”
The debate about transgender women in sports is ongoing in the U.S., with Senate Democrats having recently blocked a Republican-led bill that sought to prohibit transgender women and girls from competing in female sports.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) though has changed its participation policy for transgender athletes, and limits competition in women’s sports to athletes who were assigned female at birth. The policy applies to all NCAA athletes and follows Trump’s executive order.
What People Are Saying
The Football Association said in a press release: “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.”
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