The Football Association’s updated requirements for transgender men who want to play in the male league require players to agree they are a “biological female” and “have a greater risk of injury when playing against adult biological males”.
The FA changed its rules on trans people’s participation in English football earlier this year following the UK Supreme Court’s ruling on April 16 that the legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex.
While transgender women have been banned from female football in FA-affiliated competitions since June 1, transgender men are still allowed to play in men’s matches.
However, they must fill out a statement, available from the FA since June, following the policy coming into place, declaring they are transgender and are more liable to be injured than other players.
The form, which is needed to be completed by all transgender men who want to play in FA competitions in the 2025-26 season, contains a player declaration section which states: “I am a biological female whose gender identity is male or non-binary who would like to compete in open age matches and competitions that are reserved for men.”
The declaration also requires players to sign that they agree “there are physiological and performance differences between adult biological females and adult biological males.
“As a result, adult biological females have a greater risk of injury when playing against adult biological males than when playing against adult biological females; and my treatment will not fully alleviate those differences and consequential increased safety risks.”
It also requires testosterone levels to be “in the normal adult male range” of 7.7 to 29.4 nanomoles per litre of blood.
The BBC has been told that where language has changed in the FA’s updated transgender policy, it was a consequence of the Supreme Court ruling and was written in collaboration with their legal counsel.
The FA said in May that the change in policy was “not an ideological judgement, external”, but was necessary following the ruling.
The FA previously required transgender players to register in order to play football in their preferred gender category, but used a different form with alternative language.
In its previous policy released in April before the Supreme Court ruling, it asked players to “acknowledge and accept the possible increased injury risk associated with female-to-male transgender individuals”, and that they would be playing alongside those who “are statistically likely to be stronger, faster and heavier”.
One transgender footballer, who has played men’s football at amateur level, condemned the language used by the FA in the new guidance.
“I am not a biological female, I am a man,” the player, who asked not to be named, told BBC Sport.
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“I highly doubt many transgender men would agree to sign a document with that language in it, so it feels like a ban on the sly.”
In its ‘Policy on the Participation of Transgender and Non-Binary People in Football,’ published last month, the FA confirmed transgender men could only play male football if the statement is signed by the player and a qualified medical practitioner “following appropriate consultation and examination”.
It confirmed “only biological females (i.e. those born with ovaries) may play in open age matches and competitions that are reserved for women”.
They also say they will “keep the policy under review in light of any relevant legal, scientific, or other developments”.
An FA spokesperson told the BBC: “We published our updated transgender policy last month to help ensure both the FA and our local County FA network would be able to operate within this new legal framework following the Supreme Court ruling in April 2025.
“We remain committed to supporting transgender players who meet the requirements of our new policy so they can continue to play football.”
Following the announcement of the change of policy, the FA contacted all affected trans players and offered talking therapy through the Sporting Chance clinic.
They also said they were aiming to establish mixed gender leagues by the 2026-27 season, and suggested those unable to play should stay involved in football as coaches and referees.
The FA did not comment, when asked by the BBC, as to how many trans male players they have registered who would be impacted by this change to registration, nor how many it expect to complete the form.
