England Hockey to ban transgender women from female category

Beginning in the fall of the following season, England Hockey has announced it will outlaw transgender women from competing in the female category.

The governing body has established two categories of competitions, both open and female, with the latter being “open to all,” including transgender and non-binary players, as part of its new transgender and non-binary participation policy.

In July 2023, England Hockey took advice from the Sports Councils’ Equality Group (SCEG) and conducted a review of its current policy.

Hockey is regarded as a gender-affected sport in light of the current evidence, which states that hockey requires the physical skills of strength, endurance, speed, and acceleration as key success factors.

“Based on this evidence, we believe that the Trans and Non-Binary Participation Policy should limit trans participation in order to ensure fair competition.” We are dedicated to assisting all injured players in making sure they find the best path to hockey participation.

The new policy will come into effect from 1 September.

England Hockey claimed the policy update “ensures everyone can participate in hockey in a fair way.”

The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) amended its regulations in December to forbid transgender women from competing in some domestic tennis and padel events in the UK.

Last month, the LPGA Golf Tour made the announcement that transgender women who have passed male puberty will no longer be able to compete on world-class golf courses.

That was the result of the England and Wales Cricket Board’s decision in November to forbid any player entering the top two divisions of the women’s game starting in 2025.