Understanding The Policy

England Hockey has had a trans participation policy in place since 2012, which was then reviewed in 2017. The Sports Councils’ Equality Group (SCEG) Guidance was launched in 2021 since then we’ve taken the time to review our policy taking this guidance into consideration. We recognise that this is an evolving landscape of both policy and research, and that societal attitudes are ever-changing.

After a comprehensive review, and considering the SCEG guidance, it is important to note that there has been a change in the England Hockey trans participation policy position, and it is essential that all those involved in hockey recognise and understand these changes. We have developed guidance to support the policy which can be found below.

This guidance explains what you need to do to apply our Trans and Non-Binary Participation Policy and how to support transgender and non-binary players to find the right hockey environment for them, as well as support all players, officials, umpires, coaches and volunteers to ensure we’re developing inclusive environments in hockey. This guidance is relevant for everyone within the hockey community to understand, be it as a player, official, volunteer, staff member or spectator. England Hockey is committed to ensuring that the sport is visible, relevant, and accessible to everyone and to ensuring that any transgender or non-binary participant should be able to access and enjoy hockey without fear of discrimination, prejudice, or harassment, and any form of discrimination will be dealt with in line with our disciplinary procedures.

This policy is only applicable to those who participate as players of hockey. At England Hockey, we pride ourselves on the open and welcoming community for people from different backgrounds in our sport, ensuring anyone wanting to experience hockey has the right to do so. It is our responsibility to make sure everyone, no matter what their identity or background, feels supported and involved in hockey. There are multiple roles and ways to participate in hockey, and this policy only applies to those playing hockey.

The revised Trans and Non-Binary Participation Policy will come into effect from the start of the 2025/26 hockey season on 1 September 2025. 

The Equality Act 2010 allows sports organisations to restrict or prohibit participation by transgender people as competitors in an event, or events, where the sporting activity is gender-affected. Any restrictions can only be made in order to secure fair competition or the safety of competitors at the event or events. All sports organisations need to have an evidence-based approach to making any decisions on whether the sport is gender-affected.

Current available evidence (as available in the references of the policy) shows that hockey is considered a gender-affected sport, in that the physical strength, stamina or physique of average people of one sex would put them at a disadvantage compared to the average people of the other sex.

Whilst specific hockey-based evidence is still somewhat limited, based on the existing research available, competitive hockey requires the physical capabilities of strength, endurance, speed and acceleration as key factors for success. The evidence and research are continuing to develop in this sector, and England Hockey will seek to review its policy every two years, or sooner should relevant new information, guidance, legislation, policy direction from the International Hockey Federation (FIH) and/or significant scientific or medical evidence require consideration. 

Based on the above evidence, we have determined that it is necessary for the Trans and Non-Binary Participation Policy to restrict trans participation in order to secure fair competition. We are committed to supporting all affected players to ensure they find the right path for them to continue to participate in hockey.

The new Trans and Non-Binary Participation Policy has been developed to ensure everyone can participate in the playing of hockey in a fair way. To enable this, we have created two categories of competition within hockey – a Female category and an Open category.

Female category:

• this category is for those participants recorded female at birth which includes trans men who have not undergone or are not undergoing gender-affirming hormone therapy.
• once a trans man or non-binary participant (whose sex is recorded as female at birth) has either commenced or completed gender-affirming hormone therapy then they will no longer be eligible to participate in the Female category in competitions/formats listed in Appendix A of the policy.

Open category:

• this category is open to all including those participants recorded male at birth, recorded female at birth (irrespective of whether they have ever commenced or completed gender-affirming hormone therapy), and those who identify as trans or non-binary.
• Note: it is not the intention of this policy that complete teams of players recorded female at birth enter the Open category.

Participants will be unable to play across both Female and Open categories in a single season, unless they become ineligible to participate in the Female category during a season in which case they can move from the Female to the Open category.

Exceptions: School

There are some exceptions to this relating to school teams

• A player may play in the Open/Boys or Girls category for their school (including in EH competitions affected by the policy) and the opposite category for all other hockey competitions affected by the policy, however they must play all school hockey competitions affected by this policy in the same category in any one season.

As well as the two playing categories of Female and Open for hockey, England Hockey also offers a mixed hockey format of the game. 

Mixed hockey:

• this format consists of a team of 11 players from a squad of 16. At any time during a match, a team will consist of a minimum of five (5) outfield players recorded female at birth and who are eligible for the Female category.

Everyone is welcome within the hockey community. England Hockey has developed categories to allow all players to participate regardless of their sex or gender. England Hockey wants to ensure we provide opportunities and enjoyment for everyone to participate in the game, and to achieve this, we need to create the fair playing conditions including all areas of the eligibility criteria, such as the age or experience of players. This has been done with the intention of creating fair and meaningful competition.

As a gender-affected sport, this means we have needed to consider the conditions around the Female category. For this category, England Hockey has placed necessary and proportionate restrictions on eligibility, in the spirit of fairness in competition. England Hockey supports the view of the IOC that no athlete should be pressurised by its Organisational Body (or any other party) to undergo any medically unnecessary procedure or treatment in order to meet the eligibility criteria of that sport.

Hockey has been split into two categories with some hockey affected by this policy, and some hockey falling outside of this policy. For a breakdown of this split, please see the section Hockey Affected and not Affected by this Policy.

How trans and non-binary participants can continue to play

• Trans women: can participate in hockey affected by this policy in the Open category and in the mixed hockey format under their sex recorded at birth. They can also play in hockey that falls outside of this policy as the gender they identify as, or their sex recorded at birth.
• Trans men: can participate in hockey affected by the policy in the Female category under their sex recorded at birth as long as they have not completed or are not currently undertaking gender-affirming hormone therapy. They can compete in the mixed hockey format under their sex recorded at birth. They can play in the Open category under the gender they identify as. They can also play in hockey that falls outside of this policy as the gender they identify as, or their sex recorded at birth.
• Non-binary (male at birth): can participate in hockey affected by this policy in the Open category and in the mixed hockey format under their sex recorded at birth. They can also play in hockey not affected by this policy as the gender they identify as, or their sex recorded at birth.
• Non-binary (female at birth): can participate in the Female category and the mixed hockey format under their sex recorded at birth, unless or until they have started any gender-affirming hormone therapy. They can play in the Open category under the gender they identify as, or their sex recorded at birth. They can also play in hockey that falls outside of this policy as the gender they identify as, or their sex recorded at birth.

The table below shows the affected and non-affected hockey per participant

The Trans and Non-Binary Participation Policy only applies to participants aged 12 or over. Any child aged 11 or under can compete in the gender they identify as. Once a trans girl becomes 12, they will be unable to compete in the Female category. 

To be eligible, a trans girl must be 10 or under on 31 August preceding the season of participation. 

This age has been chosen based on the medical evidence of puberty (Tanner stage 2 in medical terms). The NHS advise that puberty can begin at any point between the ages of 8 and 13 in girls and 9 and 14 in boys. 

The average age for girls to start puberty is 11, while for boys the average age is 12. Since the policy is about creating fairness assessed through averages between sexes, it is appropriate, and proportionate, to introduce the policy at the average age for boys' puberty, and therefore 12 years old. 

Trans boys (players recorded female at birth) will be able to compete in the Female category so long as they have not completed or are not currently undertaking gender-affirming hormone therapy. 

For any support on questions relating to trans youth players or exemptions, please contact trans.policy@englandhockey.co.uk.

All England and Great Britain international teams (including England U16, U18, U21, Great Britain Elite Development Programme, England / Great Britain Senior teams and England Masters) are governed by this policy. To be selected for an England or Great Britain women’s international team, only participants recorded female at birth who have not completed or are not currently undertaking gender-affirming hormone therapy, and eligible for the Female category will be considered.

Should Hockey Wales and/or Scottish Hockey have different eligibility criteria for trans and non-binary participants, then this policy will take precedence for Great Britain team selection. 

This policy does not currently affect the selection for the England Hockey Intellectual Disability Hockey (Hockey ID team).  

To ensure everyone continues to have the opportunity to play hockey, we have split the classifications of hockey into activities affected by the policy, and those outside the policy. These two classifications can be found below. If you’re unsure where your event or activity sits, please contact trans.policy@englandhockey.co.uk for support.

Hockey affected by the policy 

The following forms of hockey are affected by the policy and therefore restrictions of the Female and Open categories apply. This has been split into England Hockey national activity, Area level activity and County level activity. This can also be found in Appendix A of the policy:

• England & GB international teams and programmes

England Hockey

• England Hockey Leagues
• England Hockey Championships (Mixed, Junior, Adult, Masters, County)
• Area Masters Championships
• Indoor Competitions & Super 6s
• All Talent System Competitions (Talent Academy and Junior County Hockey)
• Schools Championships (Tier 1-3)
• State School Festivals (U12 and above)
• U13 In2Hockey Schools Championships
• U12 In2Hockey Club Championships

Area

• Adult Leagues – Grades 1-5
• Area Adult Cup Competitions
• Area Junior Leagues & Competitions
• Area Indoor Competitions
• Area Schools Championships (Tier 1-3)
• Area State School Festivals (U12 and above)
• Area U12 & U13 In2Hockey Schools Championships
• Area U12 In2Hockey Club Championships  
• Area Masters teams including inter-county activity

County

• County Adult Cup Competitions
• County Junior Leagues & Competitions
• County Indoor Competitions
• County Schools Championships (Tier 1-3)
• County State School Festivals (U12 and above)
• County U12 & U13 In2Hockey Schools Championships
• County U12 In2Hockey Club Championships  
• Adult County Championship teams
• County Masters teams and Cup competitions

Other key information for hockey that is affected by this policy:

• Development teams entered into Area Grade 5 leagues will be covered by this policy regardless of EH Regulation 7.2.1
• Any Hockey Wales or Scottish Hockey clubs that play in England Hockey leagues will be covered by this policy regardless of Hockey Wales and Scottish Hockey policies on trans participation in hockey.
• Junior Leagues – please note that participants aged 11 and under  are not affected by this policy.
• Talent System Competition including all Talent Academy and Junior County Hockey Competitions are affected by this policy.

What does ‘Hockey Affected by this Policy’ mean for trans participants:

• Trans and non-binary participants recorded male at birth are able to play hockey in the Open category and in mixed hockey.
• Trans and non-binary participants recorded female at birth are able to play hockey in the Female category (so long as they have not or are not currently undergoing hormone treatment), the Open category or in mixed hockey.
• We encourage trans and non-binary participants recorded female at birth and have not completed or are not currently undertaking gender-affirming hormone therapy, to consider which category of Open and Female hockey is preferable for them. They may also play in mixed hockey competitions as a female competitor.

All forms and formats of hockey not listed in Appendix A are not affected by this policy and therefore trans and non-binary participants are eligible to participate as the gender they identify as.

We acknowledge that there are some competitions that are not directly governed by England Hockey. In these events, the organisers would make a separate decision on whether to align with this participation policy. In particular, event organisers include:

• BUCS (British Universities and College Sport)
• AOC (Association of Colleges)
• Independent Schools Selective State Schools

We encourage you to reach out to the specific competition and event organisers to understand their decision on the application of this England Hockey policy.

From the 2025/26 season, the current ‘Men’s’ category will be renamed to ‘Open/Men’ at adult level and ‘Open/Boys’ at junior level for all competitions affected by the policy. The Women’s category will remain unchanged and remain Women at adult level and Girls at junior level.

The updated naming aims to:

• Reflect the inclusivity of the category, while acknowledging the traditional association with men’s hockey.
• Create consistency between adult and junior competitions (‘Open/Men’ and ‘Open/Boys’).
• Lead with the word ‘Open’, which was most strongly supported in our consultation and reflects the evolving nature of participation.
• Allow space for further evolution, recognising that language and understanding may continue to develop.

Any England Hockey organised competition for children under 12 will continue to have a Boys and a Girls’ category if the competition is not mixed.

Please note, that due computer language and coding, in certain places the competition name will show as Open-Men and Open-Boys rather than Open/Men and Open/Boys.

Team Names

Team names will not be affected by this terminology change and will remain at the discretion of the organisation to which the team is part of.

Any England Hockey organised competition for children under 12 will continue to have a Boys and a Girls’ category if the competition is not mixed.

• Female at birth; 

Players recorded female at birth who are nominated to a TA will be allocated to the Girls' squad unless they express a wish to be considered for the Open/Boys' squad at the time of nomination.

If a player recorded female at birth wishes to be considered for the Open/Boys' squad they will be assessed against all other players nominated for this squad (irrespective of whether they identify as a girl, a trans boy or as non-binary).

• Misalignment between Talent Academy Category and current playing category

Once a player recorded female at birth is selected to play in a TA competition they must then play all hockey affected by the policy in the category in the same playing category

i.e. if a girl plays for a TA Girl’s team in a TA competition, they must play in the Girls/Women’s category in competitions affected by the policy and if they play in an Open/Boys team in a TA competition squad they must play in the Open/Boys or Open/Men competitions in all hockey affected by the policy.

If their TA and other hockey categories are not same, they will be permitted to make an in-season change at the point of selection to a TA team to align them.

• Male at birth

Players recorded male at birth who are nominated to a TA will be allocated to the Open/Boys’ squad irrespective of the gender they identify as.

• TA training

This is not affected by the policy and players may train in groups as deemed appropriate by the TA coaches.

The England Age Group programme is a preparation programme for international competition. Therefore, the squad names will continue to be called Girls/Boys aligned to the naming convention used by EuroHockey and the FIH.

• Female at birth

Players recorded female at birth who are nominated to the EAG programme will be allocated to the Girls’ squad unless they express a wish to be considered for the Boys’ squad at the time of nomination.

If a player recorded female at birth wishes to be considered for the Boys’ squad they will be assessed against all other players nominated for this squad (irrespective of whether they identify as a girl, a trans boy or as non-binary).

• Male at birth

Players recorded male at birth who are nominated to an EAG programme will be allocated to the Boys squad irrespective of the gender they identify with.

It is for each county to decide on the names for their county teams.

• Female at birth

Players recorded female at birth who are nominated to a Junior County Hockey (JCH) programme to play representative hockey will be assessed for a team to play in the Girls competition category unless they express a wish to be considered for the Open/Boys category at the time of nomination.

If a player recorded female at birth wishes to be considered for a team competing in the Open/boys category they will be assessed against all other players nominated for the teams to play in the Open category (irrespective of whether they identify as a girl, a trans boy or as non-binary).

Once selected to a county team they will then need to play in the Open/Boys or Open/Men competitions in all hockey affected by the policy (i.e. Junior and Adult club hockey) in the season they are selected for.

• Misalignment between county team category and current playing category

Once a player recorded female at birth is selected to a county team, they must then play all hockey affected by the policy in the category which aligns with their county team.

i.e. if selected for a team playing in the Girls competition, they must play in the Girls/Women’s category in competitions affected by the policy and if they are selected to a team playing in the Open/Boys competition they must play in the Open/Boys or Open/Men competitions in all hockey affected by the policy.

If their county and other hockey categories are not same, they will be permitted to make an in-season change at the point of selection to a county team to align them.

• Male at birth

Players recorded male at birth who are nominated to a JCH programme will only be considered for teams to play in the Open/Boys category irrespective of the gender they identify with.

• County training

This is not affected by the policy and players may train in groups as deemed appropriate by the county coaches.

England Hockey has developed support and guidance for participants, clubs, leagues, Areas and Counties. We have expert safeguarding, inclusion and governance teams who can help you with any queries, concerns, or questions you have. You can reach Safeguarding on safeguarding@englandhockey.co.uk, inclusion on inclusion@englandhockey.co.uk, or for specific advice on the trans and non-binary policy please contact trans.policy@englandhockey.co.uk.

We have developed a list of frequently asked questions which can be found here. If you have any other questions that are not found in the FAQs, please contact trans.policy@englandhockey.co.uk for support.

We occasionally get media enquiries on this policy. If you find you are receiving enquiries at your club, area, county or any other part of hockey, it’s important that you pass all media enquiries to the England Hockey staff team. Please forward to Media@EnglandHockey.co.uk where we will centrally respond and support you as required.

Below is a list of useful terms and definitions that are used throughout the guidance and policy. For clarity on any term, please contact trans.policy@englandhockey.co.uk

(Definitions taken from * Equality Act 2010)

The policy followed a review that explored and considered the most up to date peer-reviewed and published medical studies. The specific studies used are listed in the policy as references.