Scotland: update on the transgender participation policy of Scottish Hockey

After an extensive assessment, Scottish Hockey has approved a new policy with regard to participation in our sport. The policy, which corresponds to exemptions made through the Equality Act 2010is based on extensive research and consultation with other administrative bodies and experts with regard to sport affected by gender.

Important points of the policy

Hockey is a sport affected by gender

• Hockey is officially recognized as one Gender In Scotland. This means that factors such as physical strength, endurance and physique are considered to be major influences on the fairness of the competition.
• The policy clarifies that competing structures for people aged 12 and older are categorized by gender allocated at birth. The policy for participants under the age of 12 remains unchanged, so that they can compete in the gender with which they identify.

Competition and training categories

• The Category Women’s Competition will now be for participants who were that Assigned woman at birth.
• The traditional category for men’s competition will be renamed “Open/ Men” To be all participants – It is not the intention of this policy that complete teams of players registered at birth, enter into the open category
• Training sessions, informal friendly competitions and festivals of mixed gender are not influenced by this policy and can be organized to disconnect the organizers of the event.

Our dedication to the hockey community

Scottish Hockey acknowledges that this is a sensitive and evolving issue, and we are committed to finding solutions that are both honest and included. We believe that competing structures are needed to guarantee honesty, while a hospitable and supporting environment is also maintained for everyone.

This new policy will be present before the beginning of the 2025/26 season, making the Scottish hockey in accordance with other large sports and organizations, including England Hockey.

For questions, contact the Scottish hockey office. We ask all members of the hockey community to communicate with professionalism and care, with respect for the shared goals and direction of our sport.

Transgender and non -binary policy 5.9.25