In a week that saw much-needed reorganization discussions apparently shelved, at least for the time being, the Scottish Football Association (SFA) created a solution in search of a problem. Mirroring a similar policy change in England, the SFA announced plans to ban transgender women from participating in women’s football. From the start of the 2025-26 season, only biological women will be able to take part in women’s competitive football, which includes from under-13s on up.
The Full Scottish
Served by Brian P. Dunleavy
Current rules allow for transgender women to compete under their affirmed gender identity on a case-by-case basis, based on their testosterone levels.
There are no transgender players currently registered in Scotland—hence the “solution in search of a problem” bit. In England, reports suggest there are 20 among the millions who participate in the sport there.
“We have male football. We have female football. And we have single-sex football for a reason,” Mary Galbraith, chair of the Scottish Women’s Premier League told Sky Sports this week. “[We] want to make the game as attractive, and supportive, and inclusive and fair for everyone.”
She added that, “There’s a place for [transgender women] in the men’s game, and the male game needs to be inclusive of transgender women. It’s about everyone finding their correct home in football.”
Easier said than done, though the SFA has indicated it is developing new plans for increasing LGBTQ+ participation in football.
Inclusion
Look, we don’t want to get political in this space and, frankly, we’re not sure what the ideal solution is here, or even if there is one. Let’s just say that our view is that sport, including football, should be a welcoming—and fair—place for everyone.
After a recent UK supreme court ruling that the term “woman” in the country’s Equality Act refers only to a “biological woman,” Scotland first minister, John Swinney advised sporting bodies to wait for guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission before revising policies on inclusion—and yet, the SFA chose to act now.
Notably, the supreme court ruling was made in response to a decision by the Scottish government to extend the definition of woman to include transgender women.
There will likely be legal challenges here. All of which will be detrimental to women’s football, which is already struggling to gain a foothold in Scotland.
If the SFA really wants to focus on “equality,” they have plenty of work to do.