The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has banned transgender women from playing women’s cricket at all levels with immediate effect.
The move follows the ruling of the UK Supreme Court on 16 April, and mirrors the decision taken by the Football Association on Thursday.
The ECB banned transgender women from playing at the elite levels last year, with their updated regulations affecting grassroots and lower-league teams.
The change also applies to girls’ cricket in England and Wales.,The decision was officially approved at an ECB board meeting on Friday.
The UK Supreme Court ruling clarified the terms “woman” and “sex” used in the 2010 Equality Act refer to biological women and biological sex.
An ECB statement said: “With immediate effect, only those whose biological sex is female will be eligible to play in women’s cricket and girls’ cricket matches. Transgender women and girls can continue playing in open and mixed cricket.
“Our regulations for recreational cricket have always been aimed at ensuring that cricket remains as inclusive a sport as possible. These included measures to manage disparities, irrespective of someone’s gender, and safeguard the enjoyment of all players. However, given the new advice received about the impact of the Supreme Court ruling, we believe the changes announced today are necessary.
“We acknowledge that this decision will have a significant impact on transgender women and girls. We will work with Recreational Cricket Boards to support people impacted by this change in our regulations.”
