‘Sarcastic’ JK Rowling has a cheeky reaction to Lucy Clark becoming world’s first trans manager in the top 5 divisions of English women’s football

Lucy Clark made history as the first trans manager to take charge of a club in the top five Leagues of Women's football.

‘Sarcastic’ JK Rowling has a cheeky reaction to Lucy Clark becoming world’s first trans manager in the top 5 divisions of English women’s football

J K Rowling made a sarcastic comment on Lucy Clark's appointment as Sutton United manager (Via X/@jk_rowling & lucyclarkref)

Britain’s Lucy Clark recently made history in Women’s football as she became the first-ever trans manager to take charge of a team in the top 5 Leagues of the sport. Clark, formerly a referee, has made a return to her roots and passion for the sport by taking charge of Sutton United.

Clark was brought to the spotlight when she became the English Football Association‘s first-ever transgender official. Following in the same direction, she also set up an inclusive club that acts as a platform for non-binary and transgender people to come into the sport. Clark was appointed as the new manager of Sutton United Women FC on the 24th of January.

YouTube video

As the news went viral, famous author and philanthropist J. K. Rowling shared her reaction to the same on X. Under a post which celebrated Clark’s appointment, Rowling posted a ‘sarcastic’ response.

Rowling said that all the managers were straight, white and middle-aged blokes during her childhood. She added that it was ‘fantastic’ to see how much things have changed now.

J. K. Rowling comes under criticism for ‘insensitive’ comment

Lucy Clark being appointed as manager is a matter of immense joy for Sutton United Women and its supporters. The 51-year-old is no stranger to management positions in the sport, having been in charge of non-league men’s sides in Essex. She has been appointed by Sutton to help them avoid relegation this time round.

Lucy Clark
Lucy Clark is also the founder-player-manager of TRUK United FC (Via X/@lucyclarkref)

Rowling, who’s been a vocal critic of gender self-identification did not hold back from criticizing Clark. The author compared Clark to a middle-aged ‘bloke’ and sarcastically praised the decision.

Several football fans criticized Rowling for her comments, with one calling her out for attacking someone who’s trying to follow their passion in the sport. Certain fans hoped for similar changes in the Premier League as well. It wasn’t long ago that the League had it’s first black referee officiate a match.

Many others targeted Rowling for making it seem like Clark taking up her new role affected her in any way. Following her appointment as Sutton manager, Clark shared on X that she was proud and honored to be in charge of a club like Sutton and that their work starts immediately. The Sutton manager has also tweeted about the recent hate and transphobia aimed at her in light of the recent events.

In case you missed it :