Cricket gear: bat, helmet, and stumps. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has revised its transgender policy regulations.
images - 2025-05-02T062305.983.jpeg
Effective immediately, transgender women are barred from competing at all levels of women's cricket, as announced by the ECB. In their updated guidelines, the ECB specified that participation in women's and girls' cricket will be restricted to individuals whose biological sex is female. However, transgender women and girls are still permitted to take part in open and mixed cricket categories. This policy shift follows a UK Supreme Court ruling on April 15, which determined that the legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex. In a statement, the ECB said, "Our regulations for recreational cricket have always aimed to make cricket as inclusive as possible. These included measures to address disparities, regardless of an individual's gender, and to protect the enjoyment of all players." "However, in light of the recent guidance regarding the Supreme Court ruling, we believe that the changes announced today are necessary." The ECB also emphasized that abuse and discrimination have "no place in our sport" and reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that cricket is "played in a spirit of respect and inclusivity." This decision comes shortly after the English Football Association (FA) announced on Thursday that transgender women would no longer be allowed to participate in women's football in England starting June 1.
What was the ECB's former policy? In 2024, the ECB introduced new regulations regarding transgender participation, stating that players who had experienced male puberty were not permitted to compete in the top two tiers of women's cricket. However, the policy did allow transgender women to participate in the third tier of the domestic league. These regulations were implemented following the International Cricket Council's (ICC) announcement in November 2023 that banned transgender women who had undergone male puberty from playing in international women's matches.
BBC