The Football Association has announced that transgender women will no longer be eligible to play in women’s football in England starting June 1.
This decision follows a UK Supreme Court ruling on April 15, which defined a woman based on biological sex, according to the BBC.
The FA has reversed its previous policy, which had stricter eligibility criteria for transgender women, and will now only allow biologically female players to participate.
“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 FA said.
“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 Scottish FA is expected to adopt a similar stance to the Football Association by banning transgender women from participating in women’s football in Scotland.
According to BBC Sport, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is also likely to implement a ban on transgender women competing in the women’s game.
The ECB has been seeking legal advice in the wake of a recent Supreme Court ruling and is anticipated to approve revisions to its transgender policy during a board meeting on Friday.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, England Netball updated its regulations to prohibit transgender women from competing in the female category.
