Rainbow Devils is profoundly saddened by the FA’s recent decision to impose new eligibility requirements for trans men and non-binary players in men’s football. This policy is not only discriminatory, but it also poses serious risks to the mental and physical wellbeing of these players.
For the 2025/26 season, the FA’s updated requirements mandate that players agree they are a “biological female” and “have a greater risk of injury when playing against adult biological males.” This declaration is a direct attack on the identity and dignity of trans men and non-binary people.
Mandating that such a declaration must be signed by trans men and non-binary players is demeaning, patronising, and paternalistic – a form of transphobia trans masculine people are very familiar with.
Moreover, the revised language, particularly the demand to declare oneself a “biological female,” renders it ethically and personally unsignable for many trans masculine people. This revision has, therefore, become a de facto ban on trans men’s participation in men’s football, effectively shutting them out unless they compromise their authentic selves.
Trans men, trans women, and non-binary people should always have a place in football and sport at large, and they deserve so much better from the FA.
Football is for all, whether the FA recognises it or not.