British MPs Urge England’s FA To Ban Trans Players From Women’s Game

A group of British MPs have urged England’s Football Association to ban transgender players from participating in women’s soccer competitions.

Penistone and Stocksbridge MP Miriam Cates sent a letter to the Football Association, the governing body of association football in England, urging the authorities to give clear instructions on whether trans players can join women’s soccer teams.

The letter was co-signed by 47 other MPs and 27 members of the House of Lords. The letter accused the FA of turning “a blind eye” on the issue. 

The letter read, “We therefore ask that, without further delay, the FA acts to protect women and girls’ football by banning all natal males from playing in women’s teams.”

However, transgender advocacy groups claimed that the exclusion of trans athletes amounts to discrimination.

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FA policies

The Football Association of England, the oldest football association in the world, currently allows football players above the under 16 level to apply to participate in teams of their preferred gender “subject to the approval of the FA on a case-by-case basis.”

Under FA, there is no gender-related restriction on players in the under 16 range. The FA’s transgender policy states that the law allows separate competitions to be organized for men and women. However, it also states that football players may apply to play in a league of their “affirmed gender.”

British MPs have said that the existing rules undermine fairness in the women’s game and women’s rights. The letter read, “The FA is the most influential sporting body in the UK and it must show leadership.”

This comes after several teams withdrew from games against a recreational side in Yorkshire in November after a shot by a transgender player injured an opponent.

Last month, four teams reportedly withdrew from matches against Rossington Main Ladies, who play in the first division of the Sheffield and Hallamshire Women and Girls League, after a shot by a transgender woman reportedly led to an opposition player suffering from broken knees.

The letter by the British MPs described the incident as “unacceptable” and criticized the FA for not implementing a ban on transgender players from women’s football.