JK Rowling wades into controversy over Aussie women’s soccer team that won a grand final with five trans players

Harry Potter author and prominent gender identity critic JK Rowling has taken up the case of football fans who were shocked by the news that an Australian women’s football club won a competition with a team featuring transgender players.

The Flying Bats team, based in Sydney’s northwest, made headlines last month when it was revealed they had won a tournament featuring five trans footballers, coming out on top in every match they played during the four-week competition came.

They won the pre-season Beryl Ackroyd Cup grand final 4-0 after a dominant run that saw a trans player score six goals in a 10-0 win.

On Wednesday, Rowling reposted a story about the controversy so her 14 million followers on the social media platform X could read all about it.

The Sydney Flying Bats women’s team (pictured) included five trans players when they comfortably won a tournament earlier this year

The author’s account is full of links to stories about transgender people and her take on the controversial topic.

She was recently referred to Police Scotland for referring to a number of transgender women, including campaigners, convicted prisoners and celebrities, as “men” in a series of tweets.

Scottish police later confirmed that no action would be taken against Rowling after she challenged the country’s new hate law with the flood of messages.

Her followers expressed their dismay at the Flying Bats news when they commented on her repost.

Furious parents have withdrawn their daughters from team competition matches over safety concerns, claiming players were unaware they had signed up to compete against biological males.

Club officials have also contacted governing body Football NSW to express their concerns, with some insisting the Flying Bats should play in the mixed competition, which also includes men.

Rowling is a well-known gender identity critic, whose social media posts often include stories about transgender issues and her often controversial views on them

“Our girls are here to play for fun and expect to play in the women’s league. They have not registered for a mixed competition,” a senior club official told the club Daily telegram.

“There is no transparency from Football NSW, the girls don’t know if they are going to play biological males or not.”

On the Flying Bats official website, they claim they are ‘the largest LGBTQIA+ women’s and non-binary football club in the world’.

Club president Jennifer Peden told Ny Breaking Australia: ‘As a club, Flying Bats FC stands strongly for inclusion and prides itself on safe, respectful and fair play, the promotion of a supportive community for LGBTQIA+ players, officials and supporters, and the significant physical, social and mental health benefits of participating in sports, especially for marginalized members of the LGBTQIA+ community. We are a club that values ​​our cisgender and transgender players equally.

“We strongly support the Australian Human Rights Commission’s guidelines for the inclusion of transgender and gender diverse people in sport.

In a statement to Ny Breaking Australia, the Flying Bats revealed the team ‘stands strongly on inclusivity’ and has been fielding trans players for at least 20 years.

“These guidelines, together with the Sex Discrimination Act, form the basis for Football Australia, Football NSW and the North West Sydney Football Association’s gender inclusion policies at the community, grassroots level at which we play.

“Trans women belong in the women’s league because that is the gender they identify with. Trans women have been playing at the club for at least 20 years, at levels ranging from beginner to advanced, just like our cis women players.

“Our players are assessed for skill and placed in the team most appropriate for their skill and experience level.”

John Ruddick, a Libertarian Party MP who has campaigned on the issue of preserving biological sex rights, has also stormed the scenes in the North West Sydney League.

“It’s not just a matter of fair sportsmanship,” Mr Ruddick said. “It’s also a matter of physical safety for female players who were born female.”

Binary Australia spokeswoman Kirralie Smith said: “North West Sydney Football and Football NSW continue to put girls at risk and create an unfair playing field.”

A Football NSW spokesperson said the organization is “proud to be at the forefront of developing inclusive policies for sport in Australia and operates within the existing legal framework, including anti-discrimination legislation.”

NSW Libertarian politician John Ruddick (pictured) claimed the ‘physical safety’ of opponents was at risk when they played the Flying Bats

“Football NSW continues to align with Football Australia’s endorsement of the Australian Human Rights Commission guidelines for the inclusion of transgender and gender diverse people in sport,” which will allow community players to participate in gender-based football with which they identify,” the spokesperson said.

The Australian Sports Commission’s statement on trans and gender diversity reads: ‘All Australians should have the opportunity to be involved in sport and physical activity, regardless of their gender, sexual orientation, ability, cultural background or ethnicity.

‘It is important that sporting organisations, from local clubs to national sporting organisations, reflect the diversity in the communities they are part of, and that together we ensure that everyone is treated with respect and dignity and protected from discrimination.’