“I was completely heartbroken”: Trans woman forced to stop playing cricket for fun

Lily* is an amateur cricketer who goes above and beyond for her club. She has won awards, served as captain and coached juniors. She’s a well-known and respected member of the club community. But last year the club told her that, under the new England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) rules, she could no longer play. Lily is trans.

In May 2025, following the Supreme Court decision on the definition of sex under the Equality Act, the ECB rushed through a blanket ban on trans women playing women’s cricket. This was a shocking reversal of a policy that had stood for years, allowing trans women to compete in amateur women’s cricket.

When Lily suddenly stopped playing in the middle of the season, people in the club were confused. They knew she wasn’t ill. They knew she wasn’t injured – she was still coaching at the club. Cricket has been a big part of her social and community life for years, but she had to stop playing and work out how to tell people why – even though some of them didn’t know she is trans.

“When I heard the news, I was completely heartbroken – as were my friends, team-mates, and opponents”, Lily said. “It was so upsetting to be ripped away from playing for the team I’d been part of for so long.

“Despite it being such a huge shock, there wasn’t even really time to take it all in – immediately, I had to start worrying about how I was going to explain to people why I wasn’t playing any more. Coming out is always a risk, and it felt like I was being forced to come out to people I hadn’t felt the need to previously. It made me feel guilty and ashamed even though I hadn’t done anything wrong.”

Players from other clubs have also spoken out against the ECB’s ban. One volunteer heavily involved in women’s cricket told Good Law Project that conversations he has had with players show that the “overwhelming majority don’t have any issue at all playing alongside or against trans women” – before the Supreme Court decision, they were just getting on with it.

“They’re sad the ruling happened,” he said, “and feel like the women’s game is worse as a result.”

While the clubs haven’t asked trans women to stop playing, he added, they’ve stepped down to avoid personal scrutiny and to keep their clubs out of trouble. After talking with members, he has proposed an amendment to the league’s constitution so that trans women can still play. But this can only happen with the support of the ECB and their position is less than clear.

The ban has nothing to do with professional sport, where trans women have been unable to compete since 2024. These rules are just hurting women who only want to play sport with their friends.

We’re helping Lily sue the ECB for discrimination under the Equality Act 2010. Lily, and players like her across the UK, are pillars of their community, and excluding them is a stain on women’s sport.

It’s time for the ECB to do the right thing, and that starts with scrapping its blanket ban on trans women.

*Lily’s name has been changed to protect her anonymity.

• Tell the ECB to scrap its blanket ban on trans women