far more important than the score

October 8, 2024 2:53 PM

A soccer team consisting entirely of transgender men has made its debut in a regional league in Spain, overcoming administrative challenges and prejudice to become the first all-trans squad to achieve federated status in Europe. The team, named Fenix FC after the mythical bird symbolising rebirth, played some friendlies and seven-a-side games last season but now competes in the fifth tier in the northwestern region of Catalonia after being incorporated into a local club in the Barcelona suburb of Sant Feliu de Llobregat. from Spain's first transgender soccer team makes debut in regional men's league [Reuters]

First all-transgender football team debuts in Spain [PinkNews]
Europe's First Transgender Soccer Team Makes Debut in Regional Men's League [YouTube]

posted by chavenet (13 comments total)

Thanks so much for sharing this news that I wouldn't have heard of otherwise. It's great to see them out there, being their true selves and playing the sport they love.
posted by Art_Pot at 3:07 PM on October 8 [4 favorites]

This is fantastic! Good news about the trans community is such a welcome breath of fresh air!
posted by WatTylerJr at 3:07 PM on October 8 [6 favorites]

Oh, I like this.
posted by lauranesson at 3:11 PM on October 8 [2 favorites]

Fenix's first game of the season on Sept. 21 ended with a 19-0 defeat.

okay so there is presumably still room for improvement but this is a very cool story nonetheless, and I have to imagine that if they start selling merch that it'll prove popular even outside Spain
posted by DoctorFedora at 5:07 PM on October 8 [5 favorites]

Absolutely fucking cool, thank you for sharing!!!
posted by tiny frying pan at 7:17 PM on October 8 [2 favorites]

This post makes me smile. Thank you, chavenet!
posted by Bella Donna at 7:28 PM on October 8 [2 favorites]

With cold weather season coming up, I certainly could use a new scarf or twelve. If anybody spots a merch store, shoot me an @.
posted by neuracnu at 8:09 PM on October 8 [4 favorites]

I saw Schuyler Bailar give a talk at the 2nd San Francisco Pride Humans Rights summit. Absolutely incredibly articulate, thoughtful, funny and charming to give a well informed talk on trans-athletics (he is a motivational speaker after all), the Q&A session was solid. If you ever need "talking points" to respond with, he gave some very good ones. Still have yet to check out his book.
posted by rubatan at 8:21 PM on October 8 [2 favorites]

19-0. Ouch

If this were a trans women team, there would be a ton of uproar from the transphobes.

Good for them. Hope than can play better going forward. Still a step in the right direction.
posted by Windopaene at 9:29 PM on October 8 [2 favorites]

THANK YOU for some GOOD news! much needed!
posted by lapolla at 10:46 PM on October 8 [1 favorite]

Cool

the Catalan FA said its men's leagues have been mixed for the past two seasons, meaning players of any gender can participate regardless of their official identity.

Brief aside for pedantry: this describes an open league. Mixed would be if certain positions or roster slots were reserved for a certain sex/gender category. Converting men's leagues to be officially open is IMO one of the smallest and hardest-to-object-to social justice improvements to sport.
posted by daveliepmann at 11:55 PM on October 8 [2 favorites]

This team deserved a wikipedia page! Most of the sources are to based on the recent Reuters artcle, although I also found an announcement on fcf.cat about the teams formation.

(I'm not certain that the team colors are the trans pride flag that they are wearing in the transvitae article, since most of the other photos show them in solid green kit. But I had already created the template image so I left it in there)
posted by autopilot at 3:33 AM on October 9 [4 favorites]

(Not to be confused with CA Fénix, a football club in Uruguay.)
posted by Hogshead at 8:14 AM on October 9 [1 favorite]