Hannah Mouncey (born 21 October 1989) is an Australian national squad
handball
Handball (also known as team handball, European handball or Olympic handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the g ...
player who also plays
Australian rules football
Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...
. Mouncey represented
Australia in men's handball before
transitioning. She has been the subject of controversy over her
eligibility to participate in women's competitions. Mouncey debuted with the
Australia women's national handball team
The Australia women's national handball team is the national handball team of Australia. It is governed by the Australian Handball Federation, and takes part in international handball competitions.
Tournaments Olympic Games
World Championship ...
at the
2018 Asian Women's Handball Championship
The 2018 Asian Women's Handball Championship was the 17th edition of the Asian Women's Handball Championship, which took place from 30 November to 9 December 2018 in Kumamoto, Yamaga and Yatsushiro, Japan. The tournament was held under the aegis o ...
and competed again at the 2022 Asian Women’s Championships held in Incheon and Seoul, South Korea.
In Handball, Mouncey is a three-time Australian national champion, having won national club titles with Melbourne Handball Club in 2018 and Canberra Handball Club in 2021, and winning the Australian National Championship with the Victorian State Team in 2018. She is also a two-time Oceania Champion, having won the event with Australia in 2012 and 2014. Mouncey is the only athlete in the world to have represented their country both pre and post gender transition at senior level in any sport.
Men's handball
Mouncey commenced her handball career after moving to
Canberra
Canberra ( )
is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...
in 2009, playing handball for the Canberra Handball Club in the
Australian Capital Territory
The Australian Capital Territory (commonly abbreviated as ACT), known as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) until 1938, is a landlocked federal territory of Australia containing the national capital Canberra and some surrounding townships. ...
.
She is a past president of Handball ACT.
Mouncey played 22 games with the
Australian men's national handball team, debuting in the
2012 Oceania Handball Championship
The 2012 Oceania Handball Nations Cup was the eighth edition of the Oceania Handball Nations Cup, held from 22 to 23 June 2012 in Australia. It also acted as the qualifying competition for the 2013 World Men's Handball Championship, securing one v ...
against
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
.
Mouncey continued to represent Australia at the 2013 World Men's Handball Championship, where she top scored for Australia with four goals against the eventual 2013 World Champions, Spain, and despite her youth and relative inexperience was an integral of the Australian side, starting most games and playing a central role in defence.
Mouncey also represented Australia at the 2014 Oceania Championships in Auckland, the 2015 Emerging Nations tournament held in Kosovo, as well as the 2015 Asian qualifying tournament preceding the
2016 Summer Olympics
The 2016 Summer Olympics ( pt, Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ( pt, Jogos da XXXI Olimpíada) and also known as Rio 2016, was an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 20 ...
. During this time she took on a more defensive role for the team, particularly at the 2015 Olympic qualifying tournament.
Mouncey was known for playing through injury during her time with the Australian men’s team. She competed at the World Championships with a broken wrist suffered before the tournament, a torn meniscus and posterior cruciate ligament at the Emerging Nations tournament in Kosovo, and fractured an eye socket in Australia’s second match at the 2015 Olympic Qualifying Tournament against Iraq. Mouncey never missed a game due to injury.
Transition
Mouncey decided to
transition while in
Qatar
Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...
to compete in a
2016 Summer Olympics
The 2016 Summer Olympics ( pt, Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ( pt, Jogos da XXXI Olimpíada) and also known as Rio 2016, was an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 20 ...
qualifying tournament, and began
hormone therapy
Hormone therapy or hormonal therapy is the use of hormones in medical treatment. Treatment with hormone antagonists may also be referred to as hormonal therapy or antihormone therapy. The most general classes of hormone therapy are oncologic horm ...
in November 2015.
She provided news of her decision to her mother while still in Qatar, prior to informing other friends and family, and publicly identified as a woman in May 2016.
Women's handball
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...
's guidelines are for 12 months of hormone therapy before a
trans woman
A trans woman or a transgender woman is a woman who was assigned male at birth. Trans women have a female gender identity, may experience gender dysphoria, and may transition; this process commonly includes hormone replacement therapy and so ...
can compete in women's competition,
but Mouncey's
testosterone
Testosterone is the primary sex hormone and anabolic steroid in males. In humans, testosterone plays a key role in the development of Male reproductive system, male reproductive tissues such as testes and prostate, as well as promoting secondar ...
levels were well below the required levels of 10 nmol/L by July 2016.
Mouncey hoped to play in women's competition in October 2016, and to be selected in
Australia women's national handball team
The Australia women's national handball team is the national handball team of Australia. It is governed by the Australian Handball Federation, and takes part in international handball competitions.
Tournaments Olympic Games
World Championship ...
.
Her request to play for the ACT representative team in October 2016 was refused by the
Australian Handball Federation
The Australian Handball Federation (AHF) is the Sport governing body, governing body for the Olympic sport of Team handball, handball (also known as European Handball or Olympic Handball) in Australia.
History
The body was founded in 1985. In 1 ...
, citing insurance concerns because she was still three weeks short of the IOC guideline of 12 months of hormone therapy.
On 27 May 2018, Mouncey scored three goals for Melbourne Handball Club in their win over University of Queensland Handball Club for the 2018
Oceanian Open Club Championship.
In April 2018, Mouncey began training with the Australia women's national handball team in anticipation of the
International Handball Federation
The International Handball Federation (IHF) is the administrative and controlling body for handball and beach handball. IHF is responsible for the organisation of handball's major international tournaments, notably the IHF World Men's Handball C ...
clearing her to play in the
2018 Asian Women's Handball Championship
The 2018 Asian Women's Handball Championship was the 17th edition of the Asian Women's Handball Championship, which took place from 30 November to 9 December 2018 in Kumamoto, Yamaga and Yatsushiro, Japan. The tournament was held under the aegis o ...
in
Kumamoto
is the capital city of Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. , the city has an estimated population of 738,907 and a population density of 1,893 people per km2. The total area is 390.32 km2.
had a population of 1,461,000, ...
, Japan. Mouncey scored four goals in her first international game with the Australia women's team, a 24–32 loss to Kazakhstan on 30 November 2018. Mouncey played all six games and scored 23 goals as the Australians finished fifth, qualifying for the
2019 World Women's Handball Championship
The 2019 IHF World Women's Handball Championship, the 24th event hosted by the International Handball Federation, was held in Japan from 30 November to 15 December 2019.
The Netherlands won their first title after defeating Spain in the final.
...
. She was not selected to play at World Championships. Mouncey stated that this was due to some of the team being uncomfortable sharing the showers and change room with her, but this was denied by
Handball Australia
The Australian Handball Federation (AHF) is the governing body for the Olympic sport of handball (also known as European Handball or Olympic Handball) in Australia.
History
The body was founded in 1985. In 1988, the body became the 100th member ...
.
For the ''Australian Open Club Championships'' in beach handball, Mouncey strengthened the women's national team of American Samoa, which competed in the tournament as a club team, and took second place with them.
Mouncey returned to play with the Canberra Handball Club in 2021, winning the National Club Championship for the second time, after first claiming the title with Melbourne Handball Club in 2018. In the 2021 edition, Mouncey played primarily as a left back and was named the tournament's most valuable player, as well as being the tournament's top goal scorer.
In 2022 Mouncey again played for Canberra Handball Club, which this time claimed the silver medal, going down to Sydney University Handball Club in the final.
Mouncey made a return to the Australian women’s team in November 2022 at the 2022 Asian Women’s Handball Championship, where she scored 28 goals from five games in a team where 13 of the 16 squad members were making their international debuts.
Australian football
Although the
2018 AFL Women's season
The 2018 AFL Women's season was the second season of the AFL Women's competition, the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Australia. The season featured eight clubs, ran from 2 February until 24 March, and comprised a ...
did not start until well beyond the 12 month IOC guideline, Mouncey's nomination for the
2017 AFL Women's draft
The 2017 AFL Women's draft consisted of the various periods when the eight clubs in the AFL Women's competition could recruit players prior to the competition's 2018 season.
As the previous season's player contracts were all capped at one-year ...
was declined based on the
Victorian Equal Opportunity Act allowing
gender discrimination
Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but it primarily affects women and girls.There is a clear and broad consensus among academic scholars in multiple fields that sexism refers primaril ...
"if strength, stamina or physique is relevant."
Mouncey's testosterone levels had remained far below the IOC limit, and the
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League (AFL) is the only fully professional competition of Australian rules football. Through the AFL Commission, the AFL also serves as the sport's governing body and is responsible for controlling the laws of the gam ...
(AFL) had indicated they would use IOC guidelines on transgender players.
Mouncey previously played for the
Ainslie Football Club
Ainslie Football Club is a semi-professional Australian rules football club based in Canberra, in the Australian Capital Territory.
The club formed in 1927 and won its first premiership in 1929.
Ex- St Kilda star Kevin Neale was captain-coac ...
in the 2017
AFL Canberra
AFL Canberra is the name of the local governing body for and premier competition of Australian rules football in the Australian Capital Territory (and the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales).
It acts as an umbrella to several competitions be ...
women's season. The AFL indicated that she could play for Ainslie in 2018, and could nominate for the 2018 AFL Women's draft.
In response, the Ainslie Football Club coach and president both stated to the media that there had been no concerns about Mouncey's strength, stamina and physique in the 2017 AFL Canberra women's competition.
The late decision to exclude Mouncey left the AFL open to criticism from the public and the media, and the
AFL Players Association
The AFL Players Association (AFL PA, also simply known as AFL Players) is the representative body for all current and past professional Australian Football League (AFL) and AFL Women's (AFLW) players.
The AFL PA promotes and protects its membe ...
called for clarification from the AFL on the eligibility of transgender players. There was confusion about whether the AFL had authority to approve Mouncey to play in other
Australian football
Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modifie ...
leagues in 2018, or whether their approval was necessary, contrasting with both the earlier indication that this would be acceptable and Mouncey's participation in 2017. In December 2017, Mouncey decided to move to Melbourne to advance her football career. At the time, Mouncey had been homeless for almost a year due to mental health issues, and saw football as her most likely avenue for stable accommodation and employment.
Fairfax Media
Fairfax Media was a media company in Australia and New Zealand, with investments in newspaper, magazines, radio and digital properties. The company was founded by John Fairfax as John Fairfax and Sons, who purchased ''The Sydney Morning Herald' ...
listed the denial of Mouncey's nomination as one of year's top 10 sports stories in Canberra.
In a statement on 13 February 2018, the AFL supported Mouncey's request to play state league Australian rules football, such as
VFL Women's
VFL Women's (VFLW) is the major state-level women's Australian rules football league in Victoria. The league initially comprised the six premier division clubs and the top four division 1 clubs from the now-defunct Victorian Women's Football Le ...
(VFLW), and stated that the decision to deny her entry into the AFL Women's draft was only for 2017. According to Mouncey, no specific concern or reason for her ineligibility to play in the AFLW competition as opposed to state leagues has ever been provided by the AFL to her, and she states she first found out about the AFL decision to exclude her from the draft through the media.
Prior to the decision, the most common view in the media was that the AFL would let her play in the AFLW. During this period Mouncey received heavy personal criticism publicly on social media and in the traditional media, but received support from sports personalities
Russell Greene
Russell Greene (born 30 May 1957) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the St Kilda Football Club and Hawthorn Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL).
He was just sixteen when he made his VFL debut in round 1, ...
,
Shane Warne
Shane Keith Warne (13 September 1969 – 4 March 2022) was an Australian international cricketer, whose career ran from 1991 to 2007. Warne played as a right-arm leg spin bowler and a right-handed batsman for Victoria, Hampshire and Australia ...
,
Candice Warner
Candice Ann Warner (née Falzon) is a retired Australian professional ironwoman and surf life saver.
Ironwoman
Warner first competed professionally at the age of 14 in the Ironman series. At 16 she was a NSW state ironwoman champion. In Janu ...
and
Jonathan Brown.
Mouncey has stated that she knew ahead of the draft that she was going to be selected by either Collingwood or the Western Bulldogs had she been allowed to nominate. Mouncey said she believed the Western Bulldogs would have taken her earlier in the draft than Collingwood. Mouncey had also trialled with the Melbourne Demons, however they were to pass on Mouncey in the draft as they deemed her too slow and lacking in endurance for their game style.
AFL Victoria
AFL Victoria (formerly Football Victoria) is the state-level sport governing body for Australian rules football in the state of Victoria, Australia. Under the organisation's jurisdiction fall 115 leagues — including the Victorian Football Le ...
later confirmed, after she began training with
Darebin Falcons
The Darebin Women's Sports Club, nicknamed the Falcons, is based in the northern suburbs of Melbourne and primarily notable for its Australian rules football team which competes in the highest-level Victorian state league – the VFL Women's (VF ...
, that Mouncey would play in the 2018 VFL Women's season. This was the first time that the AFL had agreed for an openly transgender woman to play at that level.
Mouncey debuted for Darebin in round 1 of the 2018 VFLW season, kicking a goal while playing in the
ruck Ruck may refer to:
* Ruck (rugby union), a contesting for the ball in Rugby Union from a grounded player
* Ruck (Australian rules football), an aerial contest in Australian rules football between rival ruckmen
* Ruck (rugby league), the area sur ...
and at
full-forward
Full-forward is a position in Australian rules football and Gaelic football with a key focus on kicking goals.
The Coleman Medal is awarded to the player, often a full-forward, who has kicked the most goals in an Australian Football League se ...
in a lop-sided loss against the
Northern Territory Football Club
Northern Territory Football Club, nicknamed NT Thunder, was a Northern Territory-based Australian rules football club that competed in the North East Australian Football League (NEAFL) between 2011 and 2019. It also competed in the VFL Women's in ...
.
Mouncey ended the season second in VFLW goal-kicking behind
Darcy Vescio
Darcy Vescio (born 3 August 1993) is an Australian rules footballer playing for the Carlton Football Club in the AFL Women's competition. As a heavily marketed marquee player, Vescio has been referred to as a "household name" in Australia by E ...
. After playing primarily at full forward for the early part of the season, Mouncey moved to centre half forward for the majority of the VFLW season because of her mobility in that position. Mouncey was controversially left out of the VFLW team of the year despite leading the competition's goal-kicking from the second round to the final round of the season, and being in the Darebin Falcons best players seven times in fourteen games. On 9 September 2018, Mouncey announced that she would not nominate for the
2018 AFL Women's draft
The 2018 AFL Women's (AFLW) draft consisted of the various periods when the ten clubs in the AFL Women's, Australian rules football women's competition could recruit players prior to the competition's 2019 AFL Women's season, 2019 season.
As i ...
, while publicly releasing health and fitness records as evidence that she was eligible under the AFL's policies for nomination of
trans women
A trans woman or a transgender woman is a woman who was assigned male at birth. Trans women have a female gender identity, may experience gender dysphoria, and may transition; this process commonly includes hormone replacement therapy and so ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mouncey, Hannah
Living people
Australian female handball players
Sportswomen from the Australian Capital Territory
Australian rules footballers from the Australian Capital Territory
Australian motivational speakers
Women motivational speakers
Transgender sportswomen
Australian transgender people
Australian LGBT sportspeople
LGBT handball players
1989 births
LGBT players of Australian rules football
Darebin Falcons players