Australian football analyst Lucy Zelic criticises England team for signing transgender goalkeeper, who was chosen by the competition’s first trans manager

Australian television presenter and football pundit Lucy Zelic has accused an English football club of excluding women after a match was postponed because the club fielded a transgender player.

Sutton United’s away match at Ebbsfleet in the London and South East Regional Women’s League was postponed on Sunday due to controversy surrounding a transgender goalkeeper.

The match, which was scheduled to kick off at 2pm, was called off after Sutton sent an email to the opposition at 11.12am stating they could not field a team.

Sunday’s postponement came a week after Sutton manager Lucy Clark – 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 men’s football team while in transition before being encouraged to join the women’s team, made her debut for Sutton on 25 August in a 6-0 win over Haywards Heath Town.

However, the club only announced her arrival after that match.

Australian television presenter and football expert Lucy Zelic has spoken out against a transgender player in England

Zelic, who has spoken out strongly against transgender players in women’s competitions, published a lengthy statement on social media platform X criticising England for allowing this to happen.

The Football Association’s amended policy stipulates that players over the age of 16 are not allowed to participate in mixed teams.

Transgender players can apply to play for their confirmed gender. Each application is reviewed for safety and fair competition.

Approval usually requires evidence of hormone therapy or gonadectomy, and applications are reviewed confidentially on an annual basis.

In her post, Zelic again criticized the participation of transgender people in women’s sports, arguing that it prioritizes gender identity over fair competition and excludes biological women.

“What is actually ‘good’ about excluding women from women’s sports again?” she asked.

“It is high time that everyone understands that this has nothing to do with sports, but everything to do with ‘gender identity’ and excluding women from their own boxes.”

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 men?” We’ve done that before, she posted.

“I feel uncomfortable with men in my private spaces and locker rooms?” Yes, that has been said before.

“I don’t want my underage daughter to have to compete against much bigger and older men.” Sigh, yes, that one too.

“I’m afraid I’ll get injured playing against men.” Countless times.

‘A player broke his leg in two places by a transgender player.’ It’s tragic that this happened.

All of these, and many more, legitimate reasons have been advanced to the relevant sporting bodies in both the UK and Australia. For however often they have been advanced, they have been ignored in equal measure by those in power.’

Zelic also wrote about her doubts about gender equality initiatives, accusing organizations of commercially exploiting women’s sports while failing to maintain single-sex categories and genuinely support female athletes.

“If you can’t define what a woman is, or if you don’t actively strive to maintain gender-only sports categories, then all your public nonsense about women’s sports is simply misleading,” she wrote.

‘You are sending a very clear message that women and girls do not matter to you.

‘But that only happens if you can gain commercial advantage from their performance, as financial leverage for your broadcasting deals and to secure government funding.’

Hamilton’s arrival at the club was criticised by former Team GB swimmer Sharron Davies

Since Sutton released a short statement confirming her arrival, Hamilton and the club have received mixed reactions.

The statement read: ‘We are delighted to welcome Blair Hamilton to Sutton United. Blair made her debut and kept a clean sheet in a 6-0 win. Blair previously played for Hastings United, Saltdean and also represented English universities.’

Sharron Davies, a former Team GB swimmer and 1980 Olympic silver medallist, has previously made it clear that she opposes transgender people competing against cisgender people under the banner of women’s sport.

Davies called Sutton’s signing of Hamilton “disgraceful”.

She also claimed that she had received a letter from football fans expressing their concerns.

The letter apparently read: ‘We wish to remain anonymous due to the threats we will undoubtedly receive. The women’s team hired transgender (former) referee Lucy Clark, who had no previous experience in women’s football.

Hamilton is pictured with teammates at her former club Saltdean Women, from last season

Sutton were due to play a match in the London & South East Regional Women’s League on Sunday, but it was cancelled less than three hours before the scheduled kick-off time

‘Now Clark Hamilton, a 6ft 34 year old trans goalkeeper, has been signed and the female goalkeeper has been sacked. The club must be held accountable for pushing women out of women’s football. It’s disgusting.’

Although not yet confirmed, it is believed Sunday’s match was postponed after some of Hamilton’s teammates refused to play in protest at her arrival.

The club announced the postponement of the match with a short post on X (formerly Twitter). It simply read: ‘Today’s match against @EbbsfleetWomen has been postponed.’

One of the comments read: ‘Well done ladies for standing your ground.’

Sutton Women is led by former referee Lucy Clark, who is also transgender

Speaking to the BBC in 2019, Hamilton said: ‘I knew I was transgender from the age of four. I grew up on the west coast of Scotland and tried to hide it a bit.

‘The women’s football team at the University of Aberdeen took me under their wing and said, ‘Why don’t you join us?’ I never thought that would be possible.’

At the time of her BBC interview, Hamilton had been on hormone therapy for three years. “They need to look at the science, what it actually does to your body,” she added.

“It takes away your muscle mass, your explosiveness. Your ratio of type 1 to type 2 fast-twitch fibers changes – your body changes completely. I don’t think they realize how much change hormone therapy makes.

“There is absolutely no advantage on the field.”