SFA bans trans women competing in women’s football

The Scottish FA is revising its gender policy to prohibit transwomen from participating in women’s football, as reported by BBC Scotland.

Starting next season, only individuals born biologically female will be permitted to participate in competitive matches within women’s football, according to ‘BBC’.

The existing policy permits trans women to compete in their affirmed gender category on an individual basis, considering their testosterone levels.

The revised policy will encompass all competitive football in Scotland, including grassroots games from under-13 levels and up.

It is understood that there are no transgender women currently playing competitive football in Scotland.

The updated policy received approval at a recent board meeting, although discussions to revise the current guidelines had been in progress for some time.

The final decision followed a recent Supreme Court ruling defining a woman by biological sex under equalities law.

The SFA’s rule amendment aims to align football with other sports such as rugby, swimming, and athletics.

In England, the FA rules permit transgender women to compete in the women’s category if they demonstrate sufficiently low testosterone levels and are assessed by a match observer.

Among the millions of players at the amateur level in England, 20 trans women are registered to play.