Transgender footballer at centre of boycott plotting return

Exclusive: Francesca Needham resumed playing in amateur league friendlies in the summer but the Football Association has since intervened

The transgender footballer at the centre of a boycott by clubs in a Sheffield women’s league has been plotting a return to the game months after quitting over the storm.
Telegraph Sport can reveal that Francesca Needham, accused of causing an opponent to suffer a season-ending injury last year, has played at least three times for a team based in the same league in which opponents previously refused to play in protest at her presence.
However, the club to have fielded her since her return, West End Terriers FC, claimed the Football Association had stopped them registering her after she turned out for their women’s reserve side in “a few friendlies” this summer.
According to their Facebook page, those friendlies included one on July 25, and a further two on August 18 and 20 in which she scored several times, including five goals in an 8-4 win.
Needham began playing for West End Terriers days after a Facebook account in her name posted to the page for Girls & Women’s Football in Wakefield and surrounding areas: “Any open age teams looking for players still? Barnsley, North Sheffield, Rotherham? Can play most positions and as back up goalkeeper too!”
Among the replies were one that read: “West End Terriers Ladies.”
Club Secretary Dale Wainwright said on Wednesday that he had tried to register Needham to play this season only to be informed “we’re not allowed to sign her”, adding he had been told Needham had been left “upset” as a result.
Telegraph Sport has subsequently been told the FA stepped in upon learning Needham had trained and played for the club, with sources claiming she chose to not seek registration following talks.
The governing body was said to have discussed with her finding her a team at “a higher level” amid a transgender policy that deals with individuals on a case-by-case basis. It was also said to have discussed her moving into other roles within the game, having provided support to her since she quit playing in November.
That was after the Telegraph revealed Mexborough Athletic – whose women’s team included players under the age of 16 – had refused to play Rossington Ladies in protest at being forced to face Needham. Bentley Ladies also did the same, one of at least four clubs at the centre of a mass boycott.
It followed claims Needham caused a female opponent to suffer a season-ending injury with a shot that smashed into her knee. There is no suggestion such an incident would have been anything other than an accident but it compounded concerns about differences in size and strength between those born female and trans women who have gone through male puberty.
Needham responded to the boycott by quitting the game “for the foreseeable future”, acknowledging the “challenges faced from teams unwilling to play against us while I am on the field”, and stating she intended to pursue a case for discrimination.
Accusations of bigotry were strongly rejected by opposition coaches in the Sheffield and Hallamshire Women and Girls League, who insisted they were acting solely in the interests of the players’ safety.
“There are a lot of 16-year-old girls in our league who are getting into football for the first time,” said a source familiar with last year’s boycott. “It’s a huge concern, and virtually every team in the league has taken the stance to stick together and not to play against Rossington for safety reasons. Francesca is arguing discrimination, but that’s not the case. It’s purely about safety. I’ve already told my players, ‘We’re not playing them. I’d sooner throw away the points’.”
Needham, who declares as a transwoman, responded with indignation, writing in a statement: “Rossington Main Ladies FC has faced challenges from teams unwilling to play against us while I am on the field. This unfortunate circumstance has prompted me to investigate pursuing a case of discrimination, as I believe it represents a breach of the code of conduct regarding diversity and inclusion, as well as safeguarding of adults in football established by both the Football Association and the Sheffield and Hallamshire Women and Girls League.” It is unclear as to whether Needham pursued a discrimination case against her.
An FA spokesperson said: “We have a transgender policy in place that has helped to enable a very small population of transgender women to enjoy playing football in the grassroots game, and we will continue to provide this support on a case-by-case basis. We understand that this issue is complex and constantly evolving, and our transgender policy for English football will remain under review to ensure it can balance safety, fairness and inclusion across the full breadth of our game.”
Fiona McAnena, the director of campaigns at human rights charity Sex Matters, said: “The FA needs to get a grip on this. It can’t be right to approach this one case at a time. Female players need to be confident that they won’t have to face a male player on the pitch or in the changing room. Right now, they just don’t know. Since the FA started its policy review, it has approved another 20 trans-identifying male players for women’s football. This problem is just getting bigger.”
Telegraph Sport has attempted to approach Needham for comment.