Transgender women who have gone through male puberty will be excluded from Tiers 1 and 2 of the ECB’s new women’s county competition, as well as the women’s Hundred, after the ECB chose to bring its eligibility policy into line with that adopted by the ICC in 2023.
In a statement, the ECB acknowledged that the transgender issue was a “complex area” in which it was “impossible to balance all the considerations”, but cited concerns about player safety at the sport’s elite level in explaining its new position.
The clarification comes ahead of the relaunch of women’s domestic cricket in 2025, and brings the English game into line with other elite sports in the UK, including swimming, cycling, athletics, rugby league and rugby union.
The policy will not, however, be extended to the grassroots game, nor to Tier 3 of the county competition, which at this stage will comprise teams from the ECB’s national (formerly minor) counties, but which will be subject to promotion and relegation from higher tiers from 2029 onwards.
“Considerable time has been taken to reach this policy position,” the board said in its statement. “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’s previous policy had permitted any player who identified as female to compete in professional club and England pathway teams, so long as they had written clearance.
In November 2023, the ICC tightened its eligibility policy at the culmination of a nine-month consultation with its stakeholders, and stated that it had based its findings (in order of priority), on “protection of the integrity of the women’s game, safety, fairness and inclusion”.
The most prominent player to have been affected by the rule-change was Canada’s Danielle McGahey, who featured in the ICC Women’s T20 Americas Qualifier in September 2023, but acknowledged soon afterwards that her career was over.
The ECB added: “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.”
