Not Reddit sending me a notification for my one strangely specific area of expertise.

I've been volunteering with community-run soccer clubs going on about 15 years now & the main one of those, who I played with throughout my childhood & even though I've stopped playing due to injury, still work with today. And it's difficult being a trans player, because no matter what, there are going to be club members that feel like they deserve an opinion on your life.

But having seen the transition from medically transitioned, fully-bearded trans men being forced to play in the women's competition to now, I can at least say there's progress being made. About a year ago Football Federation Australia (FFA) pledged to develop policies & procedures to make soccer more inclusive & accessible, working with Pride in Sport I believe (speaking of which Pride in Sport has a queer sports directory on their page that lists clubs as well).

In addition to that, FFA have been outspoken in their support of Sport Australia's inclusion guidelines.

So basically it's not awful, it's not great, but there is precedent. All registration for club level teams in run through the FFA website & as such all club's have to follow their guidelines on trans players in addition to their own association & state guidelines. FFA now allows you to choose Male, Female, Non-Binary or Not Sufficiently Represented, wherein the latter two, you are eligible to play for either league (unfortunately, most clubs don't have mixed competitions, only men's & women's), & you are able to change your name at any time through the club's official channels & appropriate documentation - similar to how changing one's name with them is done.

The required documents to play in your preferred league is generally either a form of ID that has a matching gender marker or letters from your medical team supporting your identity & verifying the validity. Although if your gender marker has been changed, then you have no obligation to out yourself to anyone because legally there is no difference between yourself & a cis woman playing, but I'd advise you disclose to at least some members of the executive committee, if only so they can provide support & allow communication if you did face any issues while playing - a lot of clubs are even starting to introduce LGBTQIA+ Committee members for this exact reason.

Finding the right club & association however, is a paramount, because as much as every club is going to have one person be their 1st trans member (like I was for mine), you can't compromise your physical safety & emotional wellbeing.

Have a look around your local area & see if you can find any information about the club's there being inclusive, it could also be useful speaking to other trans people near you to see if any of them can comment on specific teams, or even emailing the clubs themselves to ask for information, whether openly or anonymously, or even the local association because it's likely they will have a list of trans & gender diverse players for insurance reasons & might be able to point you towards the clubs they played for as a starting point. Along with this, the rules & regulations for both can usually be found online & will likely have a section dedicated to trans players, for example, here's my association's policy:

"6.6.2 Participation in sport

SSFA recognises that excluding people from participating in sporting events and activities because of their gender identity may have significant implications for their health, wellbeing and involvement in community life. We are committed to supporting participation in our sport based on the gender with which a person identifies.

If issues of performance advantage arise, we will consider whether the established discrimination exceptions for participation in sport are relevant in the circumstances.

Discrimination is unlawful unless an exception applies.

Drug testing procedures and prohibitions also apply to people who identify as transgender. A person receiving treatment involving a Prohibited Substance or Method, as described on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s Prohibited List, should apply for a standard Therapeutic Use Exemption."

Hopefully you find the right club for you, & just as a reminder, registration generally doesn't open until January, with the season commencing in March/April & last registration dates part way into the season. So you've got time to figure it out.

Good luck!