Formby Community Football Club was founded in 2019 with a clear purpose -
to use football as a vehicle for bringing people together and strengthening community
bonds. We believe in creating a club where everyone feels they belong, regardless of age, background, identity, or ability.
That’s why we are deeply disappointed by the FA’s recent decision to ban transgender women from participating in the women’s game.
This decision directly impacts players across grassroots football - including within our own club - who have followed every requirement previously laid out by the FA, often going through invasive and exhausting processes simply to be allowed to play. To see that permission now revoked, without consultation or compassion, goes against everything we stand for.
The FA’s long-standing commitment to “Football for All” feels deeply at odds with this ruling.
We believe football should be a safe and welcoming space for everyone. No one should be forced to choose between their identity and the game they love.
We understand that this decision followed a recent Supreme Court ruling which legally defines "woman” as biological sex at birth - a ruling which, as the governing body, the FA is required to respond to. Other sports, including cricket, have also made similar changes in response to this legal clarification. Nevertheless, the human impact of these decisions is profound.
Formby Community FC wishes to make it clear that we will be seeking to work with both The FA and Liverpool County FA to explore the options available to reverse this decision.
At FCFC, we remain committed to inclusion at every level - from our Little Lions & Lionesses to our mums, dads, walking footballers, and beyond. Our Comets programme, which offers fun,
Pan-disability sessions for children aged 5–11, is just one example of how we work to make football accessible and joyful for everyone.
We are proud to represent a club that sees football not just as a sport, but as a space for
community, dignity, and fairness.

Football is for all - and at Formby Community Football Club, we mean it.

Ray Pendleton (FCFC Chair)
on behalf of the Committee and Club