Jackson Irvine, the captain of the Australia men’s national team and German side St Pauli, says the lack of public support from men’s football towards transgender women being banned from women’s football in the United Kingdom is “disappointing”.
Earlier this month, the Football Association (FA) announced a ban on transgender women playing women’s football from June 1.
The decision followed the Supreme Court ruling on April 16, when the UK’s highest court decided that the legal definition of a woman would be based on biological sex. The FA subsequently amended its inclusion policy to exclude all transgender women from women’s football, falling in line with other major sports in the UK.
“I didn’t feel that there was much of a public display of support or allyship across the men’s game, that was disappointing,” Irvine told the Sky Sports podcast Real Talk.
“We still have a long way to go in football, and especially men’s football, to speak out on any social issues and especially when it comes to LGBTQI+ rights, where maybe players don’t feel confident or supported to make statements.”
Goal Diggers FC, a trans-inclusive grassroots team established in 2015, organised a march towards Wembley to protest the decision, which was attended by more than 100…
