Friday, the Board England and Wales (ECB) prohibited transgender people from participating in the matches of women and girls with an immediate effect, complying with a recent decision of the Supreme Court which excludes them from the legal definition of women. ECB’s decision occurred less than 24 hours after the Football Association (FA) has taken a similar resolution. A press release published by the ECB said that it announced a change in its regulations on the eligibility of transgender players after a “updated legal position” following the recent decision of the Supreme Court.
“With an immediate effect, only those whose biological sex is a woman will be eligible to play in the cricket and cricket matches of the girls.
The ECB said that even if it was for sports inclusiveness, the Supreme Court’s decision had encouraged him to formulate new rules for female and girls’ cricket.
“Our recreational cricket regulations have always aimed to guarantee that cricket remains a sport as inclusive as possible. These included measures to manage the disparities, whatever the gender of someone and safeguards the enjoyment of all the players.
“However, given the new advice received on the impact of the Supreme Court decision, we believe that the changes announced today are necessary.” The English football association (FA) announced Thursday that transgender women would no longer be able to participate in women’s football in England from June 1.
The decision of the Supreme Court on April 15 had come after a campaign group “for women in Scotland” “raised a petition against the Scottish government by dispute that sexual protections should only apply to women born.
The ECB has added that although it will have a “significant impact” on transgender women and girls in sport, the body will ensure that they are well supported by the cricket ecosystem.
“We recognize that this decision will have a significant impact on transgender women and girls. We will work with recreational jacket advice to support people affected by this change in our regulations,” added the ECB.
The ECB said that “abuse or discrimination” had no place in cricket, adding that they would study the report of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (CEHC) on the issue.
“We are expecting updated advice from the Commission for Equality and Human Rights (CEHC) and will study this carefully. We maintain that abuses or discrimination have their place in our sport and we are committed to guarantee that the Cricket is played in a spirit of respect and inclusiveness,” added the BCE declaration.
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