A trans-identified male has threatened to sue opposing football clubs for “discrimination” after female players expressed a reluctance to play against him due to risk of injury. Francesca Needham, 30, publicly announced his resignation from the Rossington Main Ladies Football Club. (RMLFC) on Facebook yesterday.
“It is with a mix of disappointment and resolve that I find myself having to address a recent development impacting myself and my team,” Needham wrote, revealing that women from other teams had been “unwilling” to play against Doncaster-based Rossington while Needham was on the field.
The surge of reluctance is said to stem from an incident in which Needham is alleged to have broken a woman’s knee at a recent game while she was blocking a shot from him. After word spread, concerns about safety were raised, and women from opposing teams declined to play against games where Needham was involved.
Among the games cancelled was a match between Rossington and Mexborough Athletic Football Club at Oxford Stadium set to be held on November 19. Just days before the County Cup was set to be held, Rossington administrator Garth Restell announced the cancellation on Facebook.
“I am sorry to inform you that Sundays game has been cancelled due to another team pulling out of playing RMLFC. PLEASE have the faith and confidence in the whole of RMFC that we are in unity and working hard to resolve this issue as soon as possible,” he wrote, adding: “IN UNITY WE DEFEATE [sic] DISCRIMINATION.”
The week earlier, the match between Rossington and the Bentley Ladies Football Club was similarly cancelled.
Calling it an “unfortunate circumstance” in his announcement, Needham states that he is stepping down indefinitely in the best interests of the club, but is pursuing a discrimination claim against the opposing teams involved on the basis of discrimination.
“I believe it represents a breach of the code of conduct regarding diversity and inclusion, as well as a safeguarding of adults in football established by both the Football Association and the Sheffield and Hallamshire Women and Girls League,” Needham writes.
Needham reportedly only received clearance from the Football Association to play in women’s tournaments earlier this year, and has only played two games this season.
Speaking to The Daily Mail, an anonymous manager associated with the Bentley Ladies Football Club said “it was obvious” that Needham was male, and that his players were “terrified” to compete against him due to his size and strength.
The Football Association (FA) issued its transgender guidance in 2014 and has not updated the policy since. According to the short, 1-page document, players under the age of 16 are allowed to self-identify into whatever category they’d like, regardless of their natal sex.
For players over the age of 16, those who are transgender “may apply to the FA for approval to play in their affirmed gender. Each application will be considered on a case-by-case basis.” Part of the review process includes requiring trans-identified males to provide evidence they are on hormone replacement therapy or that they have had genital surgery.
In April, the FA announced it was looking to revise its policy in consultation with activists and the diversity ambassador for the German Football Association.
At the time, an FA spokesperson told BBC Sport: “Inclusion is at the heart of everything we do at the FA and we are passionate about celebrating and supporting the diversity of our national game … Our transgender policy has enabled many positive outcomes for people who wish to enjoy and play football either in their affirmed gender or in a safe and inclusive environment.”
Speaking to Reduxx, a representative with the Independent Council on Women’s Sports (ICONS) offered praise for the female players who declined to play against a male, but believes the crux of the issue is yet to come.
“There is not enough general public awareness about the current attack on women’s sports; however, we are seeing significant growing awareness amongst athletes. We haven’t reached the tipping point yet,” The ICONS representative said.
“Governing bodies and political leaders are knowingly putting women and girls in harm’s way to prioritize the feelings of men. News of devastating injuries in girls’ sports, such as volleyball, field hockey, and soccer, is becoming increasingly common,” she added.
“We need a broader understanding of the devastating impacts of prioritizing gender ideology over measurable physical criteria in determining eligibility in the female sports category.”
The news of women refusing to play against Needham comes on the heels of several instances of similar protests by women across the sporting world.
As previously reported by Reduxx, women abandoned a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournament in Georgia last month in protest of the participation of multiple trans-identified males. As a result, one of the men took home four gold medals in the women’s category, and, in one of the divisions, only males were on the winner’s podium.
Female martial artists Jayden Alexander and Ansleigh Wilk spoke out against the North American Grappling Association (NAGA) for their gender self-identification policy, sparking a wildfire of backlash that ultimately resulted in NAGA fully segregating the divisions based on biological sex with “no exceptions.”
In Canada, a female boxer recently withdrew from a provincial championship in Quebec after learning that her opponent was biologically male, leading to him winning the competition by default. Dr. Katia Bissonnette of Saguenay says she was matched against transgender fighter Mya Walmsley with no notice.
Similarly, on November 13, a female pool player in England caused controversy after walking away from the table during a tournament in Wales in apparent protest of a trans-identified male who was competing.