Radio star Lucy Zelic says controversial women's soccer team that fields trans players should be BANNED from competition after shock development

Radio star and soccer expert Lucy Zelic has called for a highly successful women's soccer team that fields trans footballers to be banned from playing despite the side suffering an extremely rare loss recently.

The Flying Bats became the nation's most controversial team last year as they swept all before them to win their grand final in Sydney's Women's Premier League competition.

Their undefeated season - in which they scored 65 goals and conceded just four - even saw Harry Potter author JK Rowling wade into the debate.

The team's presence in the women's competition led to complaints from club officials and parents, and opposition teams have forfeited matches against the Flying Bats on several occasions.

Now Zelic - who has previously slammed the team - has doubled down after the side lost their preseason match to West Pennant Hills Cherrybrook last Sunday.

'Regardless of the outcome, it doesn't prove anything,' Zelic told News Corp.

Football expert turned 2GB radio star Lucy Zelic (pictured) has demanded a Sydney women's football team featuring trans players be barred from competing against biological females

Pictured: A member of the Flying Bats team (in the black and red strip) lines up against West Pennant Hills Cherrybrook in last year's grand final

The Flying Bats are pictured celebrating after winning the decider, capping off an undefeated season in which they scored 65 goals and allowed just four

'All it highlights is that we're still having to address the fact biological males are competing in a category that was specifically created for women and girls.

'It's not about the number of trans women athletes.

'It should be a matter of none because that's a place being taken away from a woman who should be afforded the opportunity to play in that league by virtue of birthright.

'FIFA [soccer's world governing body] still have not developed a policy on trans inclusion in women's sport so this is just a case of everyone continuing to pass the buck.

'Everyone just goes, "too hard".'

Zelic said she wrote to FIFA last year and asked when the policy would be released, but has not received a reply.

2GB's Ben Fordham previously revealed that six of the team's victories came as a result of the opposition team forfeiting, including the two semi-final fixtures that led to their progress to the final.

Last year it was reported that sports governing bodies had told clubs that they would be punished if they forfeited their games against the Bats.

The Flying Bats reached the decider amid controversy when they fielded five trans players

West Pennant Hills Cherrybrook got revenge for last year's grand final loss (pictured) when they handed the Flying Bats a very rare defeat last Sunday

On the Flying Bats' official website, they claim they are 'the biggest LGBTQIA+ women's and non-binary football club in the world'.

Club president Jennifer Peden told Daily Mail Australia last year: 'As a club, the Flying Bats FC stand strongly for inclusion, and pride ourselves on safe, respectful and fair play, the promotion of a supportive community for LGBTQIA+ players, officials and supporters, and the significant physical, social and mental health benefits that participation in sport brings, especially to marginalised members of the LGBTQIA+ community. We are a club that values our cisgender and transgender players equally.

'We strongly support the Australian Human Rights Commission's guidelines for the inclusion of transgender and gender diverse people in sport.'

The guidelines state that under the federal Sex Discrimination Act 1984, sporting organisations cannot discriminate against transgender players either directly, or indirectly.

'An example of direct discrimination would be a sporting organisation refusing a trans woman’s application for membership because she is transgender,' the guidelines state.

'An example of indirect discrimination might be a sporting organisation requiring a birth certificate upon registration, and not accepting any alternative form of documentation to verify a person’s gender.'

Football NSW has developed a Gender Diversity Policy, but it only applies to the NPL NSW Women’s Competition, FNSW League One Women’s Competition and FNSW Girls’ Youth League One Competition.

The Women's Premier League that the Flying Bats compete in does not come under this policy, but Football NSW states that these competitions would align with Football Australia’s adoption of the Australian Human Rights Commission’s Guidelines.

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