Manchester Laces appeal to FA for clarity after being penalised for fielding non-binary player | Football News

Manchester Laces – an inclusive football club for women and non-binary adults – have appealed to the FA for clarity and support after being penalised for fielding an ineligible player.

The player in question identifies as non-binary and, although they have a female passport and birth certificate, under FA guidelines they cannot play in either a men’s or women’s league.

Manchester Laces’ weekend result – a 2-2 draw – was annulled and replaced with a walkover in favour of the opposition because they had ‘fielded an ineligible player’.

The FA has asked the player to undergo hormone testing before a decision is made on their eligibility for women’s football.

Manchester Laces founder Helen Hardy explained the situation to Sky Sports News.

“We took all of the passports and driving licences in, submitted all the information, all of our players are female on their passports and driving licences and we were all authorised to play,” she said.

“But during that period one of our players who identifies as non-binary and would be perceived as sort of traditionally male was a concern to me in the sense of protecting that player and protecting my squad and ensuring that going into that season they would be safe and that we would all be safe.

“So I reached out to Manchester FA and I copied that player in and I said, we just want to talk and ensure that there are safety precautions put in place and maybe we approach clubs before we go and play them just to ensure everyone is on the same page.

“At that moment there wasn’t a response back in August, but instead that player was removed then from being authorised to play on the system. They were moved to pending and essentially the Football Association were wanting them to do medical checks and hormone checks, testosterone checks. The player wasn’t comfortable with this for obvious reasons, but the thing that really stands out from all of this is this is a sort of unauthorised process that the FA are going through.

“When somebody goes on to do testosterone tests or hormone tests with the FA there is no pass mark. It goes off to an individual who then looks through that paperwork, that information, and makes a decision based on that person. So it’s essentially like me going into a maths test and saying what’s the pass grade and then saying an independent person will decide if you’ve passed or failed.

“We got a draw at the beginning of the season and then following that three losses and nothing was said or done about it, so we were quite happy.

“Then yesterday we played in a game against a team quite near the top of the table and we were really delighted we managed to get a 2-2 draw. That night we got home and we wanted to look at the table and the game was presented on the FA website as a forfeit or as a walkover. So when I approached the league and asked them what had happened, it was because they said we had an ineligible player playing with us which was the player in question.

“It’s really, really important to note that the player in question has female ID, both passport and driving licence and birth certificate, and so therefore they aren’t eligible to play men’s football. So the player can’t play men’s football categorically and now we’re being told they can’t play women’s football.

“So my question for the FA is, if your stance is football for all then where is my player supposed to play?”

An FA spokesperson said: “We have been in dialogue with the participant and we are waiting to receive the necessary information required to assess their application in line with our transgender policy.

“Therefore, we are currently unable to provide clearance for the individual to take part in women’s football. Inclusion is at the heart of everything we do at The FA and we are passionate about supporting and celebrating the diversity of our national game.

“The landscape around this important subject is both complex and constantly evolving, and it is vitally important that we take the time to ensure that we have an appropriate policy in place.

“Therefore, like many other national governing bodies in sport, we are currently in the process of reviewing our transgender policy for English football.”