Football club, Sutton United name transgender woman, Lucy Clark, 51, as their new manager

Sutton United have appointed former referee,  Lucy Clark, as the new manager of their women’s team, making her the highest-profile transgender appointment in English football.

Clark previously became the first transgender referee in football, having officiated as high as the third tier of the women’s game. 

The 51-year-old is now embarking on a new challenge in the dugout.

‘Proud and honoured to be given the opportunity to manage such a fantastic club. Hard work starts now,’ Clark posted on X after the appointment was confirmed last week.

She arrives at the fifth-tier side as a UEFA B coaching licence holder. Her first game in charge ended in a 3-1 defeat at home by league leaders Fulham on Sunday.

Opening up on her experiences of officiating as a transgender referee, Clark told BBC Sport: ‘I transitioned while I was a referee, and people don’t like referees. There is nothing anyone can say to me that I haven’t heard or seen already from when I came out.

‘There’s already been a few of the Twitter (now X) warriors who have said their piece, I let them crack on. I’ve been known as the trans referee, and that’s gone fine.

‘Sometimes the words can get to you, but I’m thick-skinned – I hit the block button and get on with it.

‘I’m prepared to deal with it [abuse] should it happen, so we crack on. I’m not going to stop doing something I love because of who I am.’

Clark’s appointment comes amid ongoing scrutiny for transgender women in football after a group of 48 MPs and 27 peers signed a letter in December urging the FA to change its rules over transgender inclusion to ‘protect women and girls’.