Transgender Women Barred from Women’s Football in England and Scotland Following UK Supreme Court Ruling

Starting June 1, transgender women will no longer be permitted to participate in women’s football in England, according to a Thursday announcement by the Football Association (FA), the sport’s governing body in the country.

The FA said that this policy change comes in response to a UK Supreme Court decision last month concerning the interpretation of the Equality Act. In a similar move, the Scottish Football Association (SFA) also declared on Thursday that it will introduce a comparable ban beginning with the 2025/26 season.

These new regulations will apply across all levels of women’s football—both amateur and professional—in England and Scotland.

Previously, the FA had updated its transgender inclusion policy just ahead of the Supreme Court’s decision. That version allowed transgender women to play in women’s competitions if they maintained reduced testosterone levels. The policy granted the FA discretion to approve participation on a case-by-case basis, weighing concerns such as fairness and player safety.

However, in light of the Supreme Court’s ruling, which clarified that under the law a “woman” is defined strictly by sex assigned at birth and does not include transgender women with gender recognition certificates, the FA has now revised its stance. Transgender women will no longer be eligible to compete in the women’s game.

“We recognize that this decision will be hard for individuals who simply wish to play football in the gender with which they identify,” the FA said in a statement. “We are reaching out to currently registered transgender women players to explain these changes and explore other ways they can stay engaged with the sport.”

In a separate statement, the SFA said: “As football is classified as a gender-affected sport, the Scottish FA board has decided that, beginning with the 2025/26 season, only biological females will be allowed to participate in competitive girls’ and women’s football governed by the Scottish FA.”

Fiona McAnena, campaign director at the advocacy group Sex Matters, welcomed the decision, citing its importance for fairness and safety. “The judges referenced fairness in sport,” she told Britain’s Press Association. “The law has always allowed the exclusion of males to ensure safe, fair sport for women and girls. Some argued it was unkind or overly complex to enforce—but it’s neither. It’s necessary.”

Transgender participation in sports has become a prominent and contentious issue, as governing bodies around the world attempt to strike a balance between inclusion and competitive fairness. International federations in sports such as swimming, cycling, and athletics have also tightened their eligibility rules for transgender athletes—often citing concerns about fairness and potential legal liabilities if a biological female athlete is injured in competition against a transgender competitor.