High School Girls’ Field Hockey Team Forfeits Game Over Male Player On Opponent’s Roster

A Massachusetts high school girls’ field hockey team decided to forfeit an upcoming game due to the opposing team having a biological male on its roster, the Daily Caller News Foundation has learned.

Leadership for the Dighton-Rehoboth Regional High School girls’ field hockey team decided to forfeit the game Monday, in line with a revamped June district policy that allows teams to opt out of playing against opponents who have a member of the opposite sex on the team, according to a press release obtained by the DCNF. The policy prevents coaches or players from receiving any penalties from the district when choosing to forfeit for this reason.

The district’s policy was amended after a member of the girls’ field hockey team was seriously injured by a male competitor during a November 2023 game, according to a June statement released by the school committee chair, Christopher Andrade. Andrade noted that girls competing against biological men is “not a fair or competitive match,” and that the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association declined to make any policy changes.

“Our Field Hockey coaches and captains made this decision, and we notified our opponent accordingly,” Dighton-Rehoboth Superintendent of Schools, Bill Runey, said in a press release. “The District supports this decision as there are times where we have to place a higher value on safety than on victory. We understand this forfeit will impact our chances for a league championship and possibly playoff eligibility, but we remain hopeful that other schools consider following suit to achieve safety and promote fair competition for female athletes.”

The district’s policy states that the student-athletes as well as the coaches cannot receive any penalties including “loss of playing time or loss of starting status” due to the decision to refuse to play against a team with a member of the opposite sex on the roster.

Biological men competing in women’s sports has emerged as a hot-button issue, receiving harsh criticism from lawmakers and female athletes, as some women have lost challenges and gotten seriously injured by male opponents. As of April, 24 states have banned men from being able to compete in women’s sports.

Dighton-Rehoboth Superintendent Bill Runey deferred the DCNF to his press release.