The Scottish Football Association is set to introduce an updated gender policy that will prohibit transgender women from participating in women’s football competitions, according to BBC Scotland.
Beginning next season, eligibility for competitive matches in the women’s game will be restricted to individuals who are biologically female at birth.
The current policy allows transgender women to play in accordance with their identified gender under certain conditions, with factors such as testosterone levels taken into consideration on a case-by-case basis.
The forthcoming regulations will apply to all levels of competitive football within Scotland, including grassroots matches for players aged under-13 and above.
It is understood that there are presently no transgender women participating in competitive football in Scotland.
The policy change was approved at a recent board meeting, following an ongoing review of existing guidelines over several months.
This decision follows a recent Supreme Court ruling which found that the legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex under equalities law.
By introducing this rule, the Scottish FA will bring its policy in line with other sporting bodies such as those governing rugby, swimming, and athletics.
Elsewhere in the UK, the English FA permits transgender women to play in the women’s game provided they demonstrate sufficiently low testosterone levels and undergo assessment by an appointed match observer.
Currently, 20 transgender women are registered to play amateur football in England, among millions participating at that level.
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