Sutton United appoint first transgender woman manager in English football

30 January 2024 , 16:50

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Lucy officiating at the Dartford versus Hashtag United's Women's FA Cup match (Image: Pic: Lucy Copsey)

Sutton United have made history by appointing Lucy Clark as the first-ever transgender woman to take on the role in the top five divisions of English women's football.

Clark made history in 2018 when the 51-year-old Londoner came out as England's first transgender referee, having officiated as high as the third tier of women's football.

But after six years of football from the centre of the park, Clark has returned to her first love of management. Clark coached her first team at the age of 16 and previously managed men's non-league football in Essex, as well as TRUK United [a trans-inclusive amateur football team]. Those stints on the touchline rekindled her management bug.

And now Clark has taken the helm of fifth-tier Sutton United, who are currently fighting relegation in the London & South East Regional Women's Premier Division.

For Clark, a long-time Sutton fan, the appointment is a dream come true. "Back in the 1980s playing computer games, I would edit the teams to be Sutton United," she told the BBC.

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Clark has long credited her passion for Sutton United as instrumental in her remarkable journey as one of the most pioneering LGBTQ+ forces in football.

Clark has been open about the 30 years of struggles she faced as she contemplated coming out as a transgender woman in a football milieu that repeatedly shunned and rejected her community. Since coming out in 2018, Clark has become a fierce advocate for inclusivity in football.

Clark's return to management coincides with a time when the topic of transgender women in women's football has come under fierce scrutiny.

Lucy Clark and her wife, Avril, receiving the Guinness World Record

In December, a group of 48 MPs and 27 peers signed a letter urging the Football Association to change its rules on transgender inclusion to "protect women and girls" in football. The letter called on the FA to set an "unambiguous" single-sex policy, stating that the existing rules undermine fairness in the women's game.

While the letter did not explicitly call out transgender woman managers, Clark's appointment represents a significant milestone for the LGBTQ+ community.

On her appointment, Clark stated that she has received overwhelming support, including messages of congratulations from officials of other teams in Sutton's division.

Clark's position will ultimately be judged by on-pitch results, of which Sutton will need plenty of positive ones. Her first match in charge saw the team beaten 3-1 on home soil by league leaders Fulham. The result leaves Sutton ninth in the 12-team league with just four wins from 13 games.

Sutton sit six points clear of the two-team relegation zone, although 11th-place Enfield Town have two games in hand and a superior goal difference to Clark's side.

Megan Feringa