🟠 When sport becomes unsafe: the exclusion of transgender people from team games

Sport has the potential to transform lives. It fosters self-confidence, builds relationships, and creates a sense of identity and belonging. Yet for many transgender people, sport is not a safe or welcoming space—but a place of discomfort, discrimination, and fear.

While European societies are making progress toward equality and diversity, sports environments often remain one of the most hostile places for trans people. The EU Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) reports that nearly half of LGBTQI+ individuals avoid sport because they fear being harassed or attacked. The percentage is even higher among transgender and non-binary people.

This fear is not unfounded. Many trans individuals face verbal abuse, social exclusion, lack of respect for their gender identity, and in some cases, even physical violence when they try to take part in sport—especially in team sports where group dynamics, shared spaces, and gender-based divisions are central.

Being invisible—or too visible

Some transgender people are told not to come back to the gym. Others are laughed at in the locker room. Some are questioned about their body. Others are misgendered, stared at, or treated like intruders.

In many clubs and associations, there are no clear policies, no guidance for coaches or staff, and no safe channels to speak up. As a result, many trans people decide to stay away from sports altogether, sacrificing physical health, mental well-being and opportunities for connection.

The choice becomes: stay and suffer—or leave and protect yourself.

Team sports: a double challenge

Team sports offer incredible benefits: they teach cooperation, trust, and collective responsibility. But for transgender people, team sports often represent an additional layer of challenge. Being assigned to a male or female team can mean being forced into a binary identity. Sharing changing rooms can feel exposing or unsafe. Even participating in a match can lead to scrutiny or judgment.

This creates an invisible but powerful barrier—one that keeps people out, and leaves them feeling excluded not just from a game, but from a whole part of society.

TIME TO TEAM wants to break this cycle

This is where the TIME TO TEAM project begins: with the awareness that inclusion is not automatic. It requires tools, knowledge, training, and above all, the willingness to listen and change. We want to help sport associations rethink their spaces, their language, and their practices. We want to support coaches and youth workers in creating teams where everyone feels respected.

Because no one should have to give up sport in order to feel safe.

Because everyone deserves to be part of the team.