Calls for Irish FA to follow England in banning men from women’s football

The Irish Football Association has been urged to follow its English counterpart and protect women’s football.

Carla Lockhart, MP for Upper Bann, called for “no dither or delay” in banning biological men from competing in women’s competitions in Northern Ireland.

The governing body for English football changed its rules to ban men who identify as female from participating in women’s competitions on 1 May, after the Supreme Court ruled that sex in the Equality Act referred to biological sex.

Protect women

Lockhart explained: “This is a logical and sensible step, and it demonstrates the importance of the Supreme Court judgement which has brought a clarity to this issue beyond just the particular legal implications of the ruling.”

The DUP MP continued: “There is no reason for dither or delay in the protection of women.

“Both myself and my colleague David Brooks MLA have written to the Irish FA seeking clarification that women here will enjoy the same protections offered by the FA to their counterparts in England.”

Call to act

Women’s Rights Network Northern Ireland said that it “strongly welcomes the Football Association’s recent announcement to preserve single-sex participation in women’s football.

“This decision is a crucial step in restoring fairness, safety, and biological integrity in sport — and it sets a standard that must now be adopted here in Northern Ireland.”

It added: ”The FA has affirmed what women and girls have always known: sport must be based on sex. No female athlete should be expected to compete against male bodies in a category designed specifically for women. The issue is not complex — it is a matter of justice, safety, and equality.”

The Network called for the IFA to “act now — with clarity, urgency, and courage — to guarantee that women’s football in Northern Ireland remains exclusively for females.”