Aussie television presenter and football expert Lucy Zelic has accused an English football club of excluding women after a match was postponed because it fielded a transgender player.
Sutton United’s away game at Ebbsfleet in the London and South East Regional Women’s League was postponed on Sunday amid controversy centred on a transgender goalkeeper.
The game, which had been scheduled to kick-off at 2pm, was called off after Sutton sent an email to their opponents at 11.12am informing them of their inability to field a team.
Sunday’s postponement came a week after Sutton boss Lucy Clark – who is the first transgender manager in the top five tiers of women’s football in England – signed 34-year-old transgender goalkeeper Blair Hamilton.
Hamilton – who previously played for the University of Aberdeen’s men’s football team while she was transitioning, before being encouraged to join the women’s side – made her Sutton debut on August 25 in a 6-0 win over Haywards Heath Town.
However, the club did not announce her arrival until after that game.
Australian television presenter and football expert Lucy Zelic has spoken out against a transgender player in England
Zelic, who has been outspoken against transgender players in women’s competition, released a lengthy statement on social media platform X slamming England Football for allowing it to happen.
The Football Association’s updated policy states that players over 16 cannot participate in mixed-gender teams.
Transgender players may apply to play in their affirmed gender, with each application evaluated based on safety and fair competition.
Approval generally requires evidence of hormonal therapy or gonadectomy, and applications undergo a confidential annual review.
In her post, Zelic again slammed the inclusion of transgender women in female sports divisions, arguing it prioritises gender identity over fair competition and excludes biological women.
‘What exactly is ‘good’ about excluding women from female divisions of sport again?’ she asked.
‘It’s high-time everyone understood that this has nothing to do with sport and everything to do with ‘gender identity’ and erasing females from their own categories.’
Transgender goalkeeper Blair Hamilton recently joined Sutton United’s women’s team
Zelic expressed frustration with sporting bodies in the UK and Australia for ignoring concerns about safety and fairness, despite their duty of care.
‘We don’t want to play with, or against males?’ Been there, done that,’ she posted.
‘I feel uncomfortable with males in my private spaces and dressing rooms?’ Yes, that’s also been mentioned.
‘I don’t want my daughter who is a minor to compete against much larger and older men.’ Sigh, yes that one too.
‘I am worried I might get injured playing against men.’ Innumerable times.
‘A player’s leg was broken in two places by a trans player.’ Tragically, yes this has happened.
All of these, and many more, legitimate reasons have been raised with the relevant sporting bodies in both the UK and Australia. For as many times as they have been referenced, they have been ignored in equal measure by the powers-that-be.’
Zelic also wrote about her doubts over gender equality initiatives, accusing organisations of exploiting women’s sports commercially while failing to preserve single-sex categories and truly support female athletes.
‘If you can’t define what a woman is, or you won’t actively seek to preserve single-sex sporting categories then all of your public posturing about women’s sport is just that – a misleading act,’ she wrote.
‘You’re sending a very clear message that women and girls don’t matter to you.
‘The only time they do though, is when you can benefit from their exploits commercially, and use them as financial leverage in your broadcast deals, and to secure government funding.’
Hamilton’s arrival at the club was criticised by former Team GB swimmer Sharron Davies
Since Sutton’s issued a short statement confirming her arrival, Hamilton and the club have been met with a mixed reaction.
That statement had read: ‘We are delighted to welcome Blair Hamilton to Sutton United. Blair made her debut, keeping a clean sheet in a 6-0 victory. Blair has previously played for Hastings United, Saltdean, and has also represented England Universities.’
Former Team GB swimmer Sharron Davies – who won an Olympic silver medal in 1980 – has previously made it clear that she is against trans women competing against cisgender women under the banner of women’s sport.
Davies described Sutton signing Hamilton as ‘shameful’.
She also claimed that she was sent a letter from football fans expressing their concerns.
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.
Hamilton is pictured with team-mates at her former club Saltdean Women, from last season
Sutton were due to play a game in the London & South East Regional Women’s League on Sunday but it was called off less than three hours before its proposed kick-off time
‘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.’
Although not confirmed, it is thought that Sunday’s game may have been postponed after some of Hamilton’s team-mates refused to play in protest at her signing.
The club announced the postponement of the game with a short post on X (formerly Twitter). It simply read: ‘Today’s match against @EbbsfleetWomen has been postponed.’
In reply, one comment read: ‘Well done ladies for standing your ground.’
Sutton Women are managed by former referee Lucy Clark, who is also transgender
Hamilton 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 had been 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.’
