The FA has announced transgender women will no longer be allowed to play women’s football at any level in England.

This change will come into effect on June 1, following the UK Supreme Court’s ruling that the legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex.

English football’s governing body initially updated its guidance in April, applying a stricter eligibility criteria for transgender women to continue playing in the women’s game. But this new ruling has taken that off the table.

This follows the Scottish FA’s decision to implement the same ban one day earlier. FIFA has been carrying out its own three-year review to provide their own ruling with no conclusion as yet.

Trans visibility in football is already shockingly low. In a sport that prides itself on inclusion, this ruling will only diminish a marginalised community even further.

11.8 million people are registered to play football across England. It has been reported there are approximately 30 transgender women playing football at grassroots level in England, and none at a professional level. The FA has stolen their space with no clear answer as to how they can continue to have a place in the game.

They deserve so much better than to be shunned from the game just for being themselves.