Culture

The German Soccer Association Just Set a Global Standard for Trans Inclusion


In the face of increasing restrictions on trans athletes, the largest sports federation in the world is taking a stand by granting players more autonomy than ever before. 

The German Football Association (DFB), which oversees approximately 25,000 clubs across the country, issued new rules last week regarding the rights of trans, intersex and nonbinary athletes, who will now be allowed to choose which gendered team they play on. 

The guidance will go into effect as of the 2022-2023 season, which begins on July 29, according to a press release from the DFB. In addition to applying to professional sports, the new guidance will also change regulations for DFB youth teams and the DFB amateur futsal league, which is an indoor derivative of soccer. While Germans have been able to classify themselves with a “divers” gender marker since 2018 — allowing for a third option outside of “male” or “female” on official documentation — there have been no rules in the DFB regarding how gender-diverse athletes should be sorted on teams until now.

However, this is not the first rule of its kind to be implemented in German football. The release notes that the Berliner Fußball Verband, an organization that regulates football in the German capital, introduced a regulation that permitted trans and intersex athletes to choose their teams in 2019, adding that the success of this earlier change proves that “this directive will not affect the integrity of the competition.” 

“All people have different physical strengths and abilities that only lead to the success of a team, regardless of gender,” the release reads. 

The DFB’s move comes shortly after the Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA), the international governing body that regulates water sports such as swimming and diving, announced harsh regulations restricting trans participation. The FINA rule, announced last week, bans trans women from competing unless they began puberty blockers by the age of 12 or during the “early stages of puberty.” 

Critics have said that the discriminatory policy seeks to solve a problem that doesn’t exist, as there are no trans woman swimmers competing at the international level. However, the guidance could have widespread consequences by influencing regulations at lower levels of the sport, including for trans student athletes, who are already under siege in the U.S. 

Against this disheartening backdrop, the DFB’s new rules offer hope that some athletic leagues and governing organizations will choose to create inclusive spaces for trans athletes. In its announcement, the DFB attributed its policy change to the fact that “preventing and eliminating discrimination, especially based on gender, is part of the DFB’s values.”

“After all, everyone should have the right to play football,” the press release reads.

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