At the time, ECB chief executive Richard Gould said Yorkshire were not being "punished for past sins" following the lengthy racism scandal at the club.

Now, the ECB says the decision to confirm 2026 as the season when Yorkshire will join Tier 1 "has been taken to provide greater certainty about the introduction timeline for the club and the existing women’s professional playing group".

Still, a number of existing Diamonds players, who are mostly based in and near Leeds, face at least a year of upheaval if they are signed by other counties.

ECB director of women's professional game Beth Barrett-Wild said: "Yorkshire's desire to be part of Tier 1 as soon as possible is clear, and we believe it's the best decision for them, the women's game, and most importantly for the players as they enter a phase of contract negotiation, to provide as much certainty as we can about the introduction timeline for both Yorkshire and Glamorgan.

"We look forward to getting the new three-tiered structure underway next summer, and setting in motion the next exciting stage of women's professional domestic cricket."