A British soccer team made up exclusively of “transmasculine” people played against a men’s soccer team last week at the Champion Hill grounds in London.
TRUK United FC, which is made up of trans-identified individuals (biological women), were defeated 8 – 1 in the match against the Dulwich Hamlet FC Supporters Team.
The match took place on March 31, 2023, which is also known as “Transgender Day of Visibility.” According to GLAAD, this day is designed to “raise awareness about transgender people… celebrate their lives and contributions, while also drawing attention to the poverty, discrimination, and violence the community faces.”
The transgender players had a range of experience and abilities and traveled from all over the UK to take part in the match.
Another TRUK team comprised of all transgender women played its own match against Dulwich’s women’s team in both 2022 and 2023. TRUK United football club was founded in 2021 by Lucy Clark, a communications officer hailing from Peterborough. Clark also established “Trans Radio UK” in the same year and is considered the world’s first “openly transgender football referee.”
Harry Nicholas, a player in the March 31 match, said “I hope that trans kids see this and know there is a place for them in sport. That it is possible,” according to Pink News.
“There were amazing chants and it was such a high-spirited event. It was a mix of LGBTQ+ people, and allies, coming together to celebrate this historic evening, and show that everyone has a place in sport.”
Other players and spectators tweeted in support of the team and the match.
So proud to have been captain of the first ever football team of all transgender men in Europe!
It was such a special night, thank you to the boys for being incredible and to all our supporters!
Football is for everyone. 🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️#TransDayOfVisibility pic.twitter.com/t2FlIvcBCC
— Arthur Webber 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️ (@BernieTranders) March 31, 2023
That said, TRUK United’s loss raises more questions about the participation of transgender people in sports.
This issue has continued to be a topic of heated debate in recent years, especially with relation to female athletes. Some sporting organizations have implemented policies restricting trans participation in women’s events, citing concerns about fairness and safety.
In 2022, World soccer’s governing body FIFA and World Athletics said they would review their transgender eligibility policies. In March 2023, World Athletics went on to ban transgender women athletes from competing in several sporting events if they’d gone through male puberty.
Newsweek recently reported that transgender athlete’s in women’s sports are banned in 40 percent of the United States.
Female athletes have been forced to exit their chosen sport due to the unfair advantage that biological men have over their female counterparts, regardless of how those males identify.
On the other side, advocates for transgender rights argue that such policies and concerns about fairness or safety can be addressed through individualized assessments rather than blanket bans.
That said, it appears this conversation will continue on. And, according to TRUK’s players, their football club will keep growing.
