The ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board) took centre stage and announced the ban on transgender athletes from competing in any tier of women’s cricket. They announced their decision after the ruling of the supreme court.
In a major development for the ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board), the board took centre stage and made the decision to ban the participation of transgender athletes in women’s cricket. They announced the decision on Friday, May 2.
Making a change to the regulations regarding the eligibility of transgender athletes, the board came forward and issued a statement after the ruling of the supreme court.
“With immediate effect, only those whose biological sex is female will be eligible to play in women’s cricket and girls’ cricket matches. Transgender women and girls can continue playing in open and mixed cricket. Our regulations for recreational cricket have always aimed at ensuring that cricket remains as inclusive a sport as possible. These included measures to manage disparities, irrespective of someone’s gender, and safeguard the enjoyment of all players,” the ECB said in a statement.
“However, given the new advice received about the impact of the Supreme Court ruling, we believe the changes announced today are necessary,” the statement added.
Furthermore, the English FA also took centre stage and banned transgender athletes from participating in women’s football. The decision will come into effect from June 1, 2025. It is worth noting that the Supreme Court ruled that the term ‘woman’ will only be related to a biological woman.
“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,” the FA said.
It is also interesting to note that the ECB’s previous policy, which they planned out in 2024, stated that any player who had gone through male puberty was not eligible to play in the top two tiers of the women’s game. This policy allowed for transgender women to compete in the third tier of domestic women’s cricket. However, the new supreme court ruling will prevent the transgender athletes from competing in any form of women’s cricket.