Scottish Football Implements Ban on Transgender Women in Women’s Competitions

Beginning with the 2024 season, transgender women will be barred from participating in women’s football. This decision will exclude all players who are not biologically female from participating. After its introduction, it was implemented from the Under-13 level up through all competitive female leagues in Scotland.

Under the previous policy, transgender women could compete in women’s football on a case-by-case basis, provided they met specific criteria. One of those conditions was that he had to keep testosterone levels in an approved range. All of that is about to change with this new approach. It will be consistent with blanket bans on transgender women which many sports including athletics, cricket and rugby have already introduced.

The announcement was made in April 2025, following a Supreme Court ruling that influenced the direction of Scottish football’s policies. The upcoming regulations will apply to all video game players 13 and up. As anticipated, only biological females will be allowed to play women’s football in Scotland. Currently, there are no officially registered transgender women players playing in Scottish football.

This policy is in keeping with an emerging practice across sporting codes to put biological sex first when determining eligibility for women’s competitions. The laws are intended to preserve fairness in women’s sports. This philosophical debate has understandably received a great deal of airtime and ink in recent years.

The WPBSA, the sport’s governing body, is currently looking into policies following the Supreme Court’s decision. This can and should result in far-reaching implications for other professional sports as they address similar issues.

This new policy could certainly raise conversations about being inclusive and fair in sports. It most importantly questions how organizations are defining gender and deciding who gets to compete. Scottish football is taking huge steps with this amendment. Now we need to pay very close attention to see how this affects women’s sports in the region.