Sutton United issue a statement after postponing a match of theirs at the weekend through an ‘abundance of caution’ around a trans player.
The club opted to cancel their Womens team’s away match against Ebbsfleet in the London and South East Regional Women’s League, which was scheduled for Sunday.
An email was sent to their opponents at 11:12 AM, notifying them of the club’s inability to assemble a team for the match.
This decision to postpone the game came a week after Sutton’s manager, Lucy Clark – who is recognised as the first transgender manager in the top five tiers of women’s football in England – signed transgender goalkeeper Blair Hamilton, 34. who had previously played for the University of Aberdeen’s men’s team during her transition before being encouraged to join the women’s team.
She made her debut for Sutton on the 25th of August, contributing to a 6-0 victory over Haywards Heath Town.
But, the club chose not to announce her signing until after the match, with criticism since emerging on the transfer.
ℹ️ Club Statement: Sutton United Football Club Stands Firm Against Discrimination#AmberArmy | #SuttonUnited | #SLFF | #ForeverAmber💛
— Sutton United FC (@suttonunited) September 4, 2024
CLUB STATEMENT:
Following recent media reports regarding our women’s team and a recent player addition, the Board would like to take this opportunity to express our full support of Lucy Clark in her decision to recruit based on ability, character and commitment to the team —criteria that apply to all players and the values of Sutton United Football Club.
We understand the sensitivity surrounding the issue of trans women in sports, and the club have followed all Football Association (FA) protocols and have confirmed that the player’s involvement is fully compliant with all legal and regulatory guidelines.
We will continue to work with the FA and other relevant bodies to ensure that we remain in full compliance with all relevant regulations, and we will continue to support any player who represents our club with pride and integrity.
Sutton United Football Club is committed to promoting a culture of inclusivity, respect, and fair play. We reject any form of discrimination, including that based on gender identity. The well-being and safety of all our players is of paramount importance to us and it was through an abundance of caution on this subject that the decision was made to postpone the match on Sunday. We will not tolerate any behaviour that undermines our values or puts anyone’s health or safety in jeopardy.
Our primary focus remains on handling this situation with the utmost sensitivity and respect for the individuals involved, the club and the broader community, and we have set out our position in an update on the Club’s website: https://www.suttonunited.net/about/safeguarding/
Sutton United Board of Directors
There are alleged claims that some of Hamilton’s team-mates didn’t want to play alongside the goalkeeper, however the BBC say they haven’t been able to verify this.
Sutton United instead say to the BBC that “a lot of misinformation has been spread” and that the players “fully support the manager and Blair”.
“Certain officials within the club thought it was best to postpone the game to check on the legalities around the situation, and in order to avoid negative attention and hate,” added the club, which is in the fifth tier of women’s football in England.
The FA’s transgender policy states that English law allows separate competitions to be organised for men and women, although, it adds that players may apply to play in a league of their “affirmed gender” – that is, the gender they identify as, rather than their sex assigned at birth – and each application will be considered on a case-by-case basis, determined by the “safety of the applicant and other players” and “fair competition”.
Women’s Rights Network said: “How long must women and girl footballers wait for their governing body to wake up and stop this outright destruction of their sport?
“We call on the FA to update its policy with clear guidelines to protect women’s football.”
Also speaking on this is ex-Team GB swimmer Sharron Davies, who previously said she’s against trans women competing against cisgender women under the banner of women’s sport.
She described Sutton United signing Hamilton as ‘shameful’, while also saying she was sent a letter from football fans who took issue with this transfer.
The letter apparently read: ‘We wish to be anonymous due to threats I know we will get. The women’s team hired transgender [former] referee Lucy Clark with no previous experience in women’s football.
‘Now Clark has signed Hamilton, a 6ft, 34-year-old trans goalkeeper, and the female goalkeeper has been let go. The club need to be held accountable for pushing women out of women’s football. It’s disgusting.’
The club announced the postponement of the game with a short post on Twitter.
All that was written in the tweet: ‘Today’s match against @EbbsfleetWomen has been postponed.’
Hamilton previously spoke to the BBC in 2019 when she said: ‘I knew I was transgender since I was four. Growing up in the west coast of Scotland, I kind of tried to hide it a little bit.
‘The University of Aberdeen’s women’s football team took me like under their wing and said “why don’t you come and join us?” Which is something which I never actually thought was possible.’
At the time of her BBC interview, Hamilton was undergoing hormone therapy for three years.
‘They need to look at the science, what it actually does to your body,’ she added.
‘It does take away your muscle mass, your explosiveness. Your ratios from type-one to type-two fast-twitch fibres change – your body completely changes. I don’t think they realise how much of a change hormone therapy makes.
‘There is absolutely no advantage on the pitch.’
You must be logged in to post a comment Login