More than 100 clubs and groups publicly oppose bans on trans women playing women’s football
Goal Diggers FC organising walk to Wembley on Monday, and will deliver open letter of protest to FA chiefs; at least 50 clubs for women and nonbinary players have issued statements so far, alongside fan groups, inclusive teams and campaigning organisations; thousands are represented on Football v Homophobia’s ‘Let Them Play’ statement…
Goal Diggers FC are leading a wave of vocal opposition within the women’s football community to the banning of trans women players from their teams by the football authorities.
Hundreds have already signed an open letter drawn up by the South London-based club which calls for Football Association chiefs to “reverse this ban”, which is being imposed following a recent UK Supreme Court ruling on the legal definition of the word “woman” in the Equality Act.
GDFC players and supporters will deliver the letter to Football Association headquarters at Wembley on Monday, upon the conclusion of a 12-mile fundraising walk across the capital. More than £7,000 has already been pledged, with the final total to be shared between the club and trans-led charity Not A Phase.
The Scottish FA made a similar announcement to its English counterpart this week, and since then, more than 100 clubs, teams, leagues, fan groups and organisations from across the UK have so far published statements voicing their opposition to the bans.
⬇️ Click here to see those who have issued statements opposing the bans…
50 Shades of Green, Argyle Pride, Arsenal Women Supporters Club, Babe City FC, Baesianz FC, Baller FC, Barnes Stormers FC, Bayern Munchies FC, Beasts from the East FC, Big Kick Energy FC, Birmingham Blaze FC, Black Footy Babes, Brighton Seagals FC, Bristol City Panthers FC, Bristol Football Casual League, Brockwell Bullets FC, Brockwell United FC (open letter), Camden Eagles FC, Camden and Islington United FC, Camden Road WFC, Camp Hellcats FC, Cardiff Dragons FC, Chaos FC, Charlton Invicta FC, Chelsea Pride, Chirps FC, Clapton CFC, Club Level Collective, Clubs United, Deptford Ravens, East End Phoenix FC, Easton Cowgirls FC, Edinburgh Uni Women AFC, Enjoy FC, Fare network, Football v Homophobia, Foxes Pride, Gals FC, Gay Gooners, Gender Goals FC (open letter), GFSN, Glasgow Community FL, Glasgow Saints, Goal Diggers FC (open letter), Goals Aloud FC, Hackney WFC, Hackney Wick FC Women, High Ballers FC, Hot Goal Summer, Hot Shots United, Ibrox Pride, Inclusion Plus FC, Inclusive Football Collective, Inter Melanin FC, Isca Apollo FC, Jericho Athletic FC, Kop Outs!, LEAP Sports / FvH Scotland, Leftfooters FC, Leon FC, Lez Be United FC, LGBeeTs, London Falcons FC, London Freedom FC, London Titans FC, London Women’s Saturday Football League, Lush Lyfe FC, Maghull Inspires FC, Manchester Laces, Manchester Vixens FC, Marching Out Together, Mersey Marauders FC, Millwall Romans FC, Newcastle Panthers FC, Old Spotted Dog Sticker Archive, Olympian Infinity FC, Peaches FC, Pride in Football, Proud Baggies FC, Proud Lilywhites, Proud Sky Blues, Proud Valiants, RainbOs, Rainbow Blades, Rainbow Devils, Rainbow Owls, Rainbow Royals FC, Rainbow Saints, Rainbow Spireites, Rainbow Toffees, Republica Internationale, Rover and Out, Scouting 4 Goals FC, She’s A Baller, Sheffield Wednesday WSG, Shepherd’s Booters FC, Slay FC, South London Laces FC, South London Women FC, Southwark Stars Disability FC, South West Saints FC, Sporting Duet Academy, Stargazy FC, Steps FC, Stonewall, Stonewall FC, Team Brave, The AF League, Tower Hamlets Women FC, Trans Enby FC, Tribal FC, TRUK United FC, Tyneslide Community FC, Union Manchester FC, United Cornwall FC, Vicky Park Queens, Victoria Park Vixens, Village Manchester FC, West London Tigers FC, West Yorkshire Whippets FC, Whippets FC, Women’s Football Collective (WFC), Woodingdean Wanderers WFC, York St John Uni LGBTQ Society, Yorkshire Terriers FC
One of those organisations is anti-discrimination network Fare, which highlighted how the two governing bodies now “stand isolated from progressive federations worldwide that are pioneering inclusive policies grounded in science, dialogue, and human rights.”
Football v Homophobia also mentioned that the bans make the two FAs “outliers” in the global game, adding: “It is clear these abrupt changes have been made on legal advice… as there remains no football-specific peer-reviewed research or evidence that shows the existing policies constitute a safety risk.”
Those policies, which will expire at the end of the 2024/25 season, operate on a case-by-case assessment basis under criteria specific to the sport. A very small number of trans women have been permitted to play affiliated football, with less than 30 players across England and Scotland understood to be currently eligible.
In a post on Instagram, Hackney Women FC, whose women’s teams play competitively in local London leagues, described the ban as “a direct threat to the inclusive values we have fought to uphold for nearly four decades.
“It sends a clear and harmful message that transgender women do not belong in the game. We reject that entirely.”
Also defiant were South London Women FC, who said they will “continue to always welcome women+ to our club, and want to be clear this includes trans women”.
Among clubs from the capital’s grassroots scene to comment were Baesianz FC, who called the FA decision “shameful”, adding: “We have always – and we will always – include and support trans women in our game. That won’t ever change.”
Elsewhere in England, Brighton Seagals, Manchester Laces, and Leicester-based Vicky Park Queens all spoke out against the ban, while north of the border, Glasgow Saints and Edinburgh University Women AFC criticised the SFA’s change of policy.
Trans players and their allies continue to make media appearances discussing why the ban is unnecessary.
Football v Transphobia campaign lead Natalie Washington, who plays in an affiliated league with Rushmoor FC and is herself trans, told Sky Sports News: “The FA has been at pains to point out that this is not something that really they want to do, but it’s something that they’re feeling they have to [due to legal advice received following the Supreme Court ruling].
“And that is upsetting because that’s a double blow, if you like – it’s the country that we live in that’s stopping us from being the people that we know we are, and that’s a bigger problem than just football.”
Goal Diggers FC’s Becky Taylor-Gill also appeared on SSN, and when presenter Rob Dorsett asked her to respond to a statement of support for the ban issued by an anti-trans organisation, she said: “I am a cisgender woman who plays in a team week in, week out, with trans members, and in leagues with other trans players.
“They [representatives of anti-trans organisations] do not speak for me. I would like to ask how many of them play in leagues at all, as there are a lot of people on Twitter and in the world right now who are saying, ‘this is just to protect women’.
“I don’t need your protection. I can speak for myself, and playing with my teammates who are transgender has only brought me joy.” Watch the interview in full here.
Honor Barber, co-founder of Arsenal Supporters Against Sexual Violence, told Sky News: “There is not a single women’s football team that has ever advocated for the banning of trans women and [the decision] doesn’t reflect what many of us know to be the case in the game, which is that we do it for fun, we do it because we love playing football, and we want to do that with people that we love and share community with.”
She added that the trans women who were eligible to play under the FA’s longstanding policy are “part of teams in which they have lifelong friendships, and deserve to be able to continue in the game that they love.” Watch the interview in full here.
Support for trans people has also been pledged this week by Lionesses legend Anita Asante, in an acceptance speech at the Women’s Football Awards and in her follow-up Instagram post.
Caz Simone, one of very few out non-binary players in the pro and semi-pro women’s game in the UK, also took to social media to explain why they oppose the ban.
Meanwhile, statements continue to be issued from across the football community. Individual signatories and those able to confirm support from their clubs, teams and organisations are being encouraged to do so on the following links…
Further reading…
Scotland’s leading trans player: ‘Football ban makes me feel sick’ (STV News)
LISTEN: Amelia Snowdon interview on BBC Radio 5 Live
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