Objectives Transgender issues have become increasingly prominent in sports. However, knowledge of and experience with supporting transgender players across soccer team staff remain unclear. The objectives of this questionnaire-based study were to 1) clarify staff knowledge of transgender-related terminology; and 2) explore soccer team staff`s awareness and experience with supporting transgender players. Methods A questionnaire was distributed to coaches, physicians, and physical trainers affiliated with soccer teams between 2018 and 2019 to capture 1) participant characteristics (e.g. gender, age, certified license, team categories); 2) their understanding of transgender-related terms, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) and of the IOC Consensus Meeting on Sex Reassignment and Hyperandrogenism in 2015; 3) their awareness of transgender players; and 4) their experience supporting transgender players. Participants were categorized by age, gender, profession, qualifications, and category of involvement; their understanding and experience were investigated statistically using univariate and multivariate analysis. Results The 478 respondents included 30 women and 448 men with a mean age of 38 ± 10 years. Of these, 83% understood the term transgender, 75% understood the term LGBT, while only 7% were familiar with the 2015 IOC Consensus Meeting. Physicians reflected more knowledge than coaches and physical trainers (p < 0.01). Altogether, 15% had identified transgender players and 1% had experience supporting them. Respondents with certified licenses who worked with women`s teams were more likely to recognize transgender players (p < 0.01). Four participants (1%) had witnessed transgender players receiving transgender hormone therapy. Conclusion Although most soccer support staff were familiar with transgender terms, many did not have sufficient knowledge of or experience with transgender athletes.
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