Edge Rewrite
translate Source code View original
Jump to content

Lucy Clark

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lucy Clark
Personal information
Date of birth 1971 (age 54–55)
Managerial career
Years Team
2021– Truk United
2024– Sutton United Women

Lucy Clark (born 1971)[1] is an English football manager and former referee. She was the first transgender referee and is also the first out trans competitive association football manager in the country. She is additionally the founder and manager of TRUK United, a dedicated football club for transgender people.

Career

[edit]

A lifelong fan of Sutton United,[2] Clark first realised she was trans in the early 1980s before she was ten,[3] and has stated that football provided a life-saving distraction from that.[4] She first coached a team when she was 16[2] and subsequently gained a UEFA B coaching licence[5] and managed a men's non-league club in Essex.[1][2] Clark came out to her then-girlfriend at age 30[3] in 2001[4] and then quit football management to focus on refereeing.[3]

Clark was late to the West Ham United vs Arsenal game at the 2016–17 EFL Cup after suffering a heart attack due to a blocked artery,[4] one of several she had in 2017,[3][6] though her doctor initially misdiagnosed indigestion.[4] She planned to stop refereeing after the 2017–18 season after finding that she was struggling to stay closeted,[6] though aborted her plans after spending Christmas that year in hospital[3][6] and came out as trans the following year.[2] Guinness World Records subsequently certified her as the first openly transgender football referee in the world.[7]

Clark and her wife went on to found Trans Radio (TRUK) and the transgender advice helpline TRUK Listens.[8] She responded to frequent contact from transgender people wishing to play football[9][10] by founding TRUK United F.C. in January 2021,[10] which she played for and managed. TRUK United F.C. fielded both the country's first all-trans women's team and first all-trans men's team.[2] In 2023, Clark was nominated for the National Diversity Awards' Positive Role Model Award, featured in the documentary In The Middle,[11] and donated the shirts and boots she wore during her first game presenting as female to Manchester's National Football Museum. She was also refereeing in both the Women's National League and in grassroots men's matches around this time.[12]

Sutton United Women hired her as manager on 24 January 2024, making her the first-ever out transgender manager in the top five divisions of English competitive football.[2][1] Her first task was to guide the team out of a possible relegation, though her team lost their first game to Fulham F.C. 3–1.[5] She has stated that she faced online abuse after the announcement, including from J. K. Rowling.[13][14] Clark then signed the former Hastings United player Blair Hamilton as a goalkeeper. A trans woman,[15] Hamilton's team won their August debut match against Haywards Heath 6–0,[16] following which Clark was criticised for the appointment[15] and the team postponed a September match against Ebbsfleet United to avoid odium and potential legal issues.[16]

In 2025, Clark received a nomination for the London & South East Regional Football League Premier Division Manager of the Month award,[17] Amelia Snowdon cited Clark as an inspiration after becoming the second transgender woman to become an FA football team manager in September 2025,[18] and Clark also appeared in a documentary about TRUK United F.C. co-directed by Cameron Richards and Charlie Tidmas, We'll Go Down in History.[19]

References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 3 Smith, Emma (30 January 2024). "Sutton United appoint transgender former referee Lucy Clark as manager". BBC Sport. Retrieved 16 May 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Webb, Karleigh (1 February 2024). "Lucy Clark blazes a new trail from referee to team manager". OutSports. Retrieved 16 May 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Cunningham, Sam (27 March 2023). "'Without football I wouldn't be here today': Meet the world's first transgender referee". The i Paper. Retrieved 16 May 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Miller, Nick (31 March 2023). "Trans referee Lucy Clark: 'Football saved my life… when I was messed up I could just play'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 16 May 2026.
  5. 1 2 "Lucy Clark: First in women's football as transgender manager appointed". Sky News. 30 January 2024. Archived from the original on 14 February 2026. Retrieved 16 May 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 "'Football saved my life' - football's first transgender referee". BBC Sport (Video). 14 February 2023. Retrieved 16 May 2026.
  7. ↑ Pilastro, Eleonora (30 June 2023). ""Football saved my life": Meet Lucy Clark, the first ever transgender referee". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 21 May 2026.
  8. ↑ Walker-Khan, Miriam (5 August 2023). "Future of Football: What will football look like for trans and non-binary players?". Sky Sports. Archived from the original on 11 March 2026. Retrieved 16 May 2026.
  9. ↑ Peters, Alex (6 June 2023). "TRUK United FC: meet the trans-masculine team making football history". Dazed. Retrieved 16 May 2026.
  10. 1 2 McNally, Dominic (30 May 2025). "Meet TRUK United FC, the UK's first trans football club". GCN. Retrieved 15 May 2026.
  11. ↑ Hodge, James (31 March 2023). "Lucy Clark on being the first out trans referee in football, facing abuse, and creating her own team". Attitude. Retrieved 16 May 2026.
  12. ↑ Chisnall, David (12 July 2023). "World's first transgender referee hopes to inspire with donations to National Football Museum". ITV News. Retrieved 16 May 2026.
  13. ↑ "Sutton United Women manager Lucy Clark opens up on transgender abuse". Sky Sports (Video). 28 May 2024. Archived from the original on 28 May 2024. Retrieved 16 May 2026.
  14. ↑ Perry, Sophie (31 May 2024). "Trans football boss Lucy Clark speaks out after JK Rowling tweets". PinkNews. Retrieved 16 May 2026.
  15. 1 2 Garry, Tom (4 September 2024). "Sutton postponed game because of 'safety fears' in transgender row". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 16 May 2026.
  16. 1 2 "Blair Hamilton: Sutton United postponed Ebbsfleet match through 'caution' after transgender signing". BBC Sport. 4 September 2024. Retrieved 16 May 2026.
  17. ↑ Bennis, Aaron (4 December 2025). "Women: Lucy Clark Nominated For Manager Of The Month". Sutton United F.C. Retrieved 16 May 2026.
  18. ↑ Webb, Karleigh (26 September 2025). "A 2nd trans woman takes the reins as FA football team boss". OutSports. Retrieved 16 May 2026.
  19. ↑ "Watch new film about trans-inclusive soccer club Truk United FC". OutSports. 20 March 2025. Retrieved 21 May 2026.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lucy_Clark&oldid=1366546359"