A row has erupted after a women’s football team made up of five transgender players won the pre-season Beryl Ackroyd Cup tournament in Sydney, Australia.
Flying Bats FC won every match they played over the course of the four-week competition, winning the grand final 4-0 at Macquarie Park on Sunday to take home the $1000 jackpot.
In some matches the winning margins were huge, with one trans player scoring six goals in a 10-0 win.
Furious parents have withdrawn their daughters from games over safety concerns. They told News Corp that players were unaware they had signed up to compete against biological males.
Club officials have also contacted Football NSW to express their concerns, with some insisting the Flying Bats should play in the mixed competition, which also includes men.
Pride Football Australia congratulated the Flying Bats team on winning a football tournament in Sydney last Sunday in an Instagram post (photo)
The team includes five transgender members – and it is claimed that other players in the league were unaware they would have a chance of playing against them (stock image)
“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.
‘Some parents were so concerned that they wouldn’t let their daughters play… It was so disheartening for them to see the huge difference in skills – they’re killing it.’
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 Daily Mail 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.
“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.
“Many teams are stressed about the situation.”
The Flying Bats won the Beryl Ackroyd Cup with ease, much to the ire of parents and coaches
She also claimed some teams were told not to complain or refuse to play or they would be fined and referred to Anti-Discrimination NSW.
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.”
“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.’