England cricket board to ban transgender players at elite level from 2025

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) will prohibit transgender players from elite-level women's cricket starting in 2025. This decision aligns with ICC's policy and aims to balance fairness, safety, and inclusion.

In Short

• ECB bans transgender from elite women's cricket from 2025
• Move follows ICC's similar decision on international matches
• The ICC has committed to reviewing its rule within two years

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has announced that transgender players will be banned from participating in elite-level women's domestic cricket starting from 2025. This decision means that any player who has undergone male puberty will no longer be eligible to compete in the top two tiers of the women's game.

The new regulations will extend to women's competition of The Hundred but allow transgender players to participate in the third tier of the domestic structure, which consists of traditionally lower-level counties and recreational cricket. This move aligns with the International Cricket Council's (ICC) decision in November 2023 to ban transgender women who have gone through male puberty from playing in international women’s matches.

The ECB emphasized that this decision was made following an "extensive consultation" process, considering the balance between "fairness, safety, and inclusion."

"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," the ECB said in a statement.

"This provides consistency, given that a primary purpose of the top end of the domestic structure is to produce international players," the board added.

The ICC has committed to reviewing its rule within two years, but the ECB has not confirmed whether it will conduct a similar review once its regulations are enforced. The detailed policy is expected to be developed in consultation with stakeholders over the coming months and will be formally implemented for the 2025 domestic season.

The ECB acknowledged the complexities surrounding transgender participation in cricket. "Considerable time has been taken to achieve this policy position. The ECB recognizes 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."