The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced today that transgender females will no longer be able to take part in all levels of women’s and girls’ cricket across England and Wales, with immediate effect. Previously, transgender females were prohibited from competing in the top two tiers of elite women’s cricket and The Hundred since the beginning of the year. However, at that time, the ECB had permitted them to compete in tier three of the domestic women’s game and in recreational cricket. This policy shift comes in response to the UK Supreme Court’s April 15 ruling, which defined “woman” in legal terms as based on biological sex.
The ECB’s decision follows similar moves by other sports governing bodies. Yesterday, the English Football Association (FA) declared that transgender females would be ineligible to compete in women’s football starting June 1. England Netball also announced that transgender females will be excluded from women’s competitions beginning September 1.
