The FA will ban transgender women from women’s football from next season

The Football Association will ban transgender women playing women’s football in England from next season.

It follows a similar move by the Scottish FA this week after a UK Supreme Court ruling in April that a female is defined by biological sex.

In Scotland, only players who were female at birth will be allowed to play in women’s football over the age of 13.

A statement from the English FA said on Thursday: “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.

“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.”

Currently there are not thought to be any transgender women playing women’s professional football in either England or Scotland.

The new policies for both nations emulate blanket bans on trans women in women’s sport introduced by athletics, cricket, and rugby.