Breaking down DOJ's lawsuit against Maine
England's national Football Association announced Thursday that transgender women will not be able to play on its affiliated women's soccer teams from the beginning of June. The announcement is a change in the FA's rules in response to a recent ruling by the U.K. Supreme Court on the definition of a "woman" under a British equalities law.
"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," the FA said in a statement on Thursday.
The FA had, just last month, amended its rules to apply stricter eligibility criteria for trans women to play on womens' soccer teams, but permitting them to play.
"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. "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."
The FA runs soccer leagues across the country of varying levels, many of which are non-professional and hold weekend matches. The FA said in April that, among the millions of amateur players registered with the association, there were approximately 20 transgender players, according to CBS News partner BBC News.
"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."
Haley Ott is the CBS News Digital international reporter, based in the CBS News London bureau.
English (US) · 