Harriet Haynes contests ruling barring her from women’s tournaments, as officials cite pressure from players and fairness concerns

A transgender athlete has taken legal action against the English Blackball Pool Federation (EBPF) following its controversial decision to ban transgender women from participating in women’s competitions. Professional pool player Harriet Haynes, who previously played for Kent’s county team, is challenging the policy, which was introduced in August 2023 after what officials described as a wave of objections from players.

Paul Thompson, chairman of the EBPF, defended the decision in court this week, stating that the federation had received an “unreal number” of complaints regarding transgender inclusion. “No one really knew how to handle the situation,” he admitted during proceedings at Canterbury county court. “It’s a difficult topic. But I had to think about the women who were upset at the idea of competing against someone born male.”

Thompson insisted the federation’s decision was based solely on biological sex and was not a personal attack on Ms Haynes. “She’s not on the team because she was born male. That’s the only reason,” he said.

Haynes, who said playing women’s county pool was a major part of her life, revealed she was offered the captaincy of the Kent ladies’ team but was unable to accept due to the ban. Her legal team, led by Colman Coyle solicitors, argues that English eightball pool should not be treated as a gender-affected sport and that the case is fundamentally about equality and fair treatment.

During the hearing, Thompson recalled assembling an executive committee in July 2023 to address the issue. The formal ban was announced the following month. “It wasn’t just one or two people complaining—it was hundreds. We had written letters, personal complaints, it was overwhelming,” he said.

He added, “If it were up to me, I’d have ruled Harriet out entirely. From my experience, men play pool better than women. That’s just the reality.”

Anna Goodwin, secretary of the EBPF, also gave testimony, stating that the policy aimed to protect fairness for female-born players. “We didn’t ban transgender athletes from the sport,” she said. “We restructured the men’s section into an open division so that transgender women could still compete—just not in the women’s tournaments.”

Goodwin revealed that another transgender player currently captains her county team but is content not playing in the women’s division. However, Ms Haynes remains excluded from the space she once belonged to.

Counsel for Haynes, barrister Robin White, questioned why no attempt was made to engage with transgender players before implementing the ban. “What about the impact on them?” she asked.

The trial has reignited debate around gender identity and sport in the UK, particularly in disciplines like pool where physical attributes are not traditionally seen as decisive performance factors.

The case continues this week at Canterbury county court and could set a precedent for how amateur sporting bodies handle gender inclusion in the future.