LONDON: Transgender women will no longer be able to play in women`s football from June 1, England`s Football Association announced on Thursday following a major shift in its stance.

The FA said it had updated its policy following last month`s UK Supreme Court ruling regarding the Equality Act.

The Scottish Football Association also said on Thursday it would implement a similar ban from the start ofits 2025-26 season.

These new rule changes will apply to all women`s football at amateur and professional levels in both countries.

The English FA`s transgender inclusion policy had been updated just before the Supreme Court ruling, and continued to allow transgender women to play in women`s football provided they reduced testosterone levels.

Those rule changes gave the FA discretion on whether to allow a trans woman to play, with consideration given toissues ofsafety andfairness.

Now, though, the FA has barred trans women completely from the women`s game after the Supreme Court, the UK`s highest court, ruled the legal definition of a `woman` is based on a person`s sex at birth and does not include transgender women who hold a gender recognition certificate.

`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, 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 FA said in a statement.

But Natalie Washington, a campaigner at Football v Transphobia, told Britain`s Press Association: `The people I know that are talking about this are saying: `Well, that`s it for football for me`.

`Most people clearly don`t feel that they can go and play in the men`s game for reasons of safety, for reasons of comfort,` added Washington, who said mixed inclusive football was still `in its infancy`.

There are no registered transgender women in the professional game across the four Home Nations (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland).

And the BBC reported the FA saying on Thursday there were fewer than 30 registered among millions of amateur players.-AFP