The English Cricket Board (ECB) has now decided to ban transgender women from taking part in elite tournaments in England. These include Tier 1 and 2 which now include the new women’s county cricket and The Hundred. On the other hand, this new policy won’t be applied to Tier 3 and grassroots levels.
The ECB made it clear that transgender women who have previously undergone male puberty will be banned from the elite tournaments.
“Considerable time has been taken to reach this policy position. The ECB recognises that transgender participation is a complex area, with many strongly held views, and it is impossible to balance all the considerations. We want everyone to feel included and welcome in our sport, and believe the position reached strikes an appropriate balance by ensuring fairness in the elite game while ensuring inclusivity at a recreational level, with specific safeguards in place to manage disparities and ensure safety,” The ECB said in a statement.
ECB brings in new policy changes for Transgender Women
Earlier, the English Cricket Board (ECB) allowed players who identified themselves as women to take part in English tournaments across all levels. The only thing required was a written clearance. But now the changes have been made especially after the new directives of the ICC.
The International Cricket Council has now greatly increased its policy regarding “protection of the integrity of the women’s game, safety, fairness and inclusion”. And the ECB has made the some major changes in their own policies to protect the integrity and safety as well as the fairness of women’s cricket.
ECB Statement
“Having considered wide-ranging views gathered during the consultation, as well as in consultations conducted during 2023, and the relevant science and medical evidence, the ECB has decided that from 2025 it will adopt the same approach as the ICC for women’s professional domestic cricket. This provides consistency, given that a primary purpose of the top end of the domestic structure is to produce international players.
“The detailed policy will now be developed over the coming months, in consultation with stakeholders, and is due to be formally in place in time for the 2025 domestic season. It will apply to Tiers 1 and 2 of the new women’s domestic structure from 2025, as well as the Hundred women’s competition.”
