English FA bars transgender women from participating in women's football

The English Football Association on Thursday clarified that transgender women will not be able to compete in women's football from June 1, following a recent Supreme Court order. 

The UK Supreme Court on April 16 ruled that the term 'woman' only refers to biological women and not trans women under the country's Equality Act. 

"The Supreme Court’s ruling on April 16 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," the FA said in a statement. 

However, the new policy allows trans women to continue participating in women's matches only until June 1. "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 said. 

The FA had earlier allowed trans women to participate in women's football games to make the sport as inclusive as possible, adhering to the legal requirements and international football policies set 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," it said.