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Mouncey ineligible for AFL Women's draft

17th October, 2017
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The AFL has told transgender footballer Hannah Mouncey she is not eligible to be selected at Wednesday’s AFL Women’s draft.

The league have announced the landmark ruling less than 24 hours before the national selection meeting is set to take place in Melbourne.

Having previously played for the Australian men’s handball team, Mouncey began a gender transition in 2015 and played eight games for Ainslie this season in the Canberra women’s competition.

AFL statement

The AFL has today ruled on the 2018 AFLW draft eligibility of Canberra player Hannah Mouncey.

A subcommittee comprising of AFL Commissioners Jason Ball, Gabrielle Trainor and Major General Simone Wilkie, AFL General Manager Inclusion and Social Policy, Tanya Hosch and AFL General Counsel and General Manager Game Development, Andrew Dillon, reviewed the nomination.

The process included consultation with Ms Mouncey, her management, the AFLPA, the Australian Sports Commission and Pride in Sport.

The AFL has also been guided by the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission’s guidelines ‘Trans and gender diverse inclusion is sport – complying with the Equal Opportunity Act 2010’.

The subcommittee carefully considered all of the information provided by Hannah, as well as the available data on transgender strength, stamina, physique along with the specific nature of the AFLW competition.

A provisional decision was made and communicated to Ms Mouncey and the AFLPA.

Further information was submitted by Ms Mouncey on Monday (16th October) in response to the AFL’s provisional decision. These submissions were reviewed by the subcommittee and it determined that Ms Mouncey’s nomination cannot be accepted for the 2018 AFLW draft.

The subcommittee’s decision took into account the stage of maturity of the AFLW competition, its current player cohort and Ms Mouncey’s individual circumstances.

This decision solely relates to Ms Mouncey’s nomination for the 2018 AFLW draft and participation in the 2018 AFLW competition.

Ms Mouncey may nominate for future AFLW drafts and for registration in other Australian Football competitions.

AFL General Manager, Inclusion and Social Policy, Tanya Hosch thanked Ms Mouncey for her understanding and positive engagement throughout the process.

“Hannah’s passion for football is undeniable, and I want to thank her and her team for their constructive participation in the decision-making process.”

“It was important to involve the right stakeholders to review all the information and data available. Every case will be decided on its own merits along with the individual circumstances of each future nominee,” Hosch says.

“We acknowledge Hannah’s openness and co-operation. She has contributed to a process which will substantially inform the development of the AFL’s transgender policy and procedure for future players at the elite level.”

“The AFL has made very strong commitments to equality and inclusion at all levels of the game. We recognise that participating in sport has physical, psychological and social benefits and we are committed to making Australian football on every level welcoming to all in our community.”

AFL Players’ Association statement

The AFL Players’ Association has been assisting Hannah Mouncey through the draft nomination process and we will continue to support her from both legal and wellbeing perspectives.

The matter of AFLW draft eligibility for transgender athletes is complex and the AFL’s decision has the potential to impact members and prospective members of the AFLPA now and into the future.

Whilst Hannah was provided with the opportunity to discuss her application with the AFL, the AFLPA believes there should have been clear guidelines available for transgender players wishing to enter the AFLW draft this year.

No athlete should face such confusion around their eligibility for an elite competition just days out from a draft.

We have urged the AFL to prioritise the development of guidelines detailing the process and parameters for entry into the AFLW competition, so that Hannah and any other players have a clear understanding of their eligibility.

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