Biological men identifying as women will no longer be allowed to compete in female football and netball leagues in England, the Football Association and England Netball announced. The decision follows a recent UK Supreme Court ruling clarifying that the term "woman" in the Equality Act applies only to biological women.

The Football Association (FA) confirmed that the new rule will take effect on June 1, 2025. England Netball will implement its ban on September 1, 2025, but will offer a “mixed netball” category to allow athletes of all gender identities to continue playing.

The FA had previously allowed biological men identifying as women to play on women’s teams if they maintained testosterone levels below 5 nmol/L for at least 12 months. The policy was reversed after legal advice indicated the court ruling required a stricter interpretation of sex-based categories in sport.

“This is a complex subject, and our position has always been that if there was a material change in law, science, or the operation of the policy in grassroots football then we would review it and change it if necessary,” the FA stated. “The Supreme Court’s ruling on the 16 April means that we will be changing our policy. Transgender women will no longer be able to play in women’s football in England, and this policy will be implemented from 1 June 2025.”

The decision affects approximately 20 registered biological male players. The FA said it would contact those athletes directly.

“We understand that this will be difficult for people who simply want to play the game they love in the gender by which they identify,” it said. “And we are contacting the registered transgender women currently playing to explain the changes and how they can continue to stay involved in the game.”

The policy change has been welcomed enthusiastically by some campaign groups and government officials. A UK government spokesperson said: “We have been clear that biology matters when it comes to women’s sport, that everyone should be compliant with the law. And we will continue to ensure women and girls across the country can enjoy sports and we will continue to support bodies to protect the integrity, fairness and safety of the game," per The Guardian.

Fiona McAnena of the campaign group Sex Matters said, “This is welcome but long overdue. Every other sporting body now needs to re-establish a genuine women’s category. Anyone who cares about women and girls in sport will see that this is the right thing to do.”

Another group, SEEN in Sport, criticized governing bodies for not acting sooner. “It has been a failure of leadership for them to ignore the legitimate concerns of the people who care about the integrity of the women’s game,” the group said.

England Netball’s statement said, “The female category will be exclusively for players born female, irrespective of their gender identity, whilst mixed netball will serve as the sport’s inclusive category, allowing players to compete under the gender with which they identify.”

“This new policy is designed to prioritise and uphold fairness on court within the female category.”

Cricket is expected to follow suit. The England and Wales Cricket Board is scheduled to meet on Friday, and one source told The Guardian that “the legal advice is that we will have to follow a similar route.”

LGBT+ advocacy group Stonewall criticized both the FA and the Scottish FA, which made a similar move earlier in the week. “The FA and Scottish FA’s decision to ban trans women from women’s football has been made too soon, before the implications of the Supreme Court’s ruling has been worked through by lawyers and politicians or become law,” a statement from the organization said.