Women's soccer team featuring five biological males wins grand final, to nobody's surprise

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• By Avi Yemini

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Sydney's most controversial soccer team, secured a grand final victory in the Women's Premier League, capping off an undefeated season.

The Flying Bats FC, which gained global attention earlier this year due to the inclusion of five transgender players, faced criticism from high-profile figures like JK Rowling and Lucy Zelic.

The grand final, held at Christie Park, was tightly contested, with the scores level at 3-3 at halftime. The Flying Bats eventually pulled ahead to win 5-4 against West Pennant Hills Cherrybrook Football Club.

Zelic, who has been vocal about her concerns, shared her disappointment on social media, posting the final scoreline with the hashtag #SaveWomenSports.

Full-time. Flying Bats FC win the Premiership and the Grand Final. Trans-identified males will be crowned champions in the Women’s Premier League Division. Somehow, this is supposed to represent progress. Somewhere, the custodians of our game don’t care. #SaveWomensSports pic.twitter.com/UaBTGVyRwx

— Lucy Zelić (@LucyZelic) August 25, 2024

Security was tight at the match, with guards discouraging professional photography and monitoring spectators' phones.

The Flying Bats have won the premiership.

The team, who took out the women's competition, has 5 male born players.

Spectators who attended the grand final say they weren't allowed to take photos.

Listen to the details HERE.

🎧https://t.co/gm3xPqHT2c🎧

— Ben Fordham Live (@BenFordhamLive) August 26, 2024

Despite the tension, the game proceeded without major incidents, although one transgender player received a yellow card and another was named best on ground.

Australian Women’s soccer team with FIVE TRANS players WINS grand final.

Flying Bats FC, which has 5 biological men on the team, won all 16 of their regular season matches, scoring 65 goals and winning the women’s grand final.

The men will now be crowned champions of the… pic.twitter.com/gKdLkdAb4U

— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) August 26, 2024

Football NSW has since removed the identities of the Flying Bats players from their websites. The beaten West Pennant Hills Cherrybrook team described the loss as "heartbreaking" but praised their players' effort.

Most men would never even think to go onto a sports field & physically endanger women. The moment there is a man who is willing to do so, you know you’re dealing with someone who is at best careless and at worst a predator. pic.twitter.com/Ktgu1cWTCt

— Sall Grover (@salltweets) May 11, 2024

Controversy continues to swirl around the Flying Bats' season, with critics like Zelic calling it a "crime against women" and condemning sports governing bodies for not introducing policies to protect cisgender female athletes.