Transgender players will be banned from competing in women's hockey from next season, England Hockey has announced.
The governing body said the protection of “fair competition” was behind the move which will see the introduction of separate categories open to women, thus ending transgender participation in the women's game.
The decision follows a review carried out in consultation with guidance issued by the Sports Council Equality Group (SCEG), and is based on the assumption that “hockey requires the physical abilities of strength, endurance, speed and acceleration as key factors for success.” It is therefore a “gender-influenced sport”.
“Based on this evidence, we have decided that the trans and non-binary participation policy should restrict trans participation in order to ensure fair competition,” England Hockey said in a statement.
“We are committed to supporting all affected players to ensure they find the right path for them to continue participating in hockey.
“Our new trans and non-binary participation policy has been developed to ensure everyone is able to participate in playing hockey in a fair way.”
The changes will come into effect on September 1, in time for the start of the 2025/26 season, and until then transgender athletes will be allowed to continue competing in the women's category.
The review of transgender participation – which England Hockey described as “comprehensive” – was launched in July 2023 following the publication of SCEG guidance in 2021 on transgender participation in women's sport.
It follows actions by several governing bodies in other sports including the Tennis Association, the LGPA Golf Tour and the England and Wales Cricket Board in restricting the participation of transgender athletes in women's categories.
Athletics, cycling and swimming have also introduced new policies along the same lines.
