Rachel Yankey facts for kids
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Yankey in 2019
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 1 November 1979 | ||
| Place of birth | London, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 4 in (1.63 m) | ||
| Playing position | Winger, forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1989–1996 | Mill Hill United | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1996–2000 | Arsenal Ladies | 47 | (8) |
| 2000 | → Laval Dynamites (loan) | 25 | (10) |
| 2000–2004 | Fulham Ladies | 15 | (6) |
| 2004–2005 | Birmingham Ladies | 13 | (7) |
| 2005 | New Jersey Wildcats | 29 | (5) |
| 2005–2016 | Arsenal Ladies | 151 | (43) |
| 2016 | → Notts County Ladies (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| Total | 285 | (79) | |
| National team | |||
| 1997–2013 | England | 129 | (19) |
| 2012 | Great Britain | 5 | (0) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2019 | London Bees | ||
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Rachel Aba Yankey (born 1 November 1979) is a famous former English footballer. She played as a winger or forward.
Rachel Yankey is best known for playing many seasons with Arsenal Ladies. She is seen as one of the club's legends. She won many awards in women's football. These include the FA Women's National Premier League seven times. She also won the FA WSL twice. She lifted the FA Women's Cup eleven times. She also won the FA Women's Premier League Cup six times. And she won the UEFA Women's Cup once. She achieved all this while playing for Arsenal and Fulham Ladies.
Yankey first played for the England national team in 1997. She played 129 games for England. At one point, she was the most capped player ever for England. She even had more caps than male goalkeeper Peter Shilton. He had 125 caps. However, other female players have now passed her record. She was also the second English female player to play 100 international games. This was after Gillian Coultard. Yankey was also part of the Great Britain team. They played in the 2012 London Olympics.
After her playing career, Yankey briefly worked as a coach. She managed the London Bees from February to May 2019.
Contents
Early Life and Football Start
Rachel Yankey started playing football when she was very young. She was the only girl on a boys' team. When she was eight, she even shaved her head. She pretended to be a boy named "Ray". This allowed her to play with the boys for two years. Her real identity was found out later.
Yankey joined Mill Hill United as a youth player. This happened after the club's manager saw her play. She also played for Brent in the London Youth Games. She was later added to their Hall of Fame in 2011. This shows how talented she was from a young age.
Playing for Clubs
Yankey started her professional football career at 16. She began playing for Arsenal. She also had a short loan spell with Laval Dynamites. This was a team in Canada. After that, she moved to Fulham in 2000.
At Fulham, Rachel Yankey made history. She became the first professional female footballer in England. This was a big step for women's football. After Fulham, she joined Birmingham City for a season. Then, she played briefly for the New Jersey Wildcats in the United States. She helped the Wildcats win their league championship.
In 2005, Yankey returned to Arsenal. She played for them for many more years. In 2011, she helped Arsenal win three major trophies in one season. This is called a "domestic treble." In 2014, she signed a new contract with Arsenal. The club praised her skills and experience. She left Arsenal in December 2016.
Playing for England
In August 1997, Rachel Yankey played her first game for the England team. She scored a goal in a 4–0 win against Scotland.
Yankey became a very well-known female footballer in England. She helped promote new England kits. She also appeared on the FA women's website. She even taught football skills in a BBC online series called 'Academy Masterclasses'.
In 2009, Yankey was one of the first female players to get a special contract from The Football Association. This showed how important she was to the team. She was left out of the Euro 2009 squad. But she worked hard and returned to form with Arsenal. She was then called back to the England team.
On 29 July 2010, Yankey reached a huge milestone. She became the second Englishwoman to play 100 games for her country. She was captain for that game against Turkey. She even scored a goal in England's 3–0 win.
In 2011, she scored a goal in a friendly game against the United States. England won that game 2–1. She also scored in the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup. This was in England's 2–0 win against Japan.
In June 2012, Yankey equalled the record for most England appearances. She played her 119th game. On 19 September 2012, she set a new record with 120 caps. In June 2013, she broke Peter Shilton's all-time record of 125 caps. She played her 126th game for England. She was part of the England squad for UEFA Women's Euro 2013.
Yankey was also chosen for the Great Britain squad. They played in the 2012 London Olympics.
Coaching Career
In June 2018, Rachel Yankey became a first team coach for London Bees. In February 2019, she was made the Head Coach. She left the club in May 2019.
Personal Life
When Rachel Yankey is not playing or coaching, she works with children. She coaches football in schools. She also hosted a TV show for young children called Footy Pups on CBeebies. Her middle name, Aba, comes from her Ghanaian heritage.
Honours and Awards
Rachel Yankey won many titles during her career:
With Arsenal
- FA Women's National Premier League: 6 times
- FA Women's Cup: 9 times
- FA Women's Premier League Cup: 4 times
- UEFA Women's Cup: 2007
- FA WSL: 2 times
With Fulham
- FA Women's National Premier League: 2002–03
- FA Women's Cup: 2 times
- FA Women's Premier League Cup: 2 times
With New Jersey Wildcats
- W-League: 2005
Individual Awards
- Nationwide International Player of the Year: 2004–05
- London Youth Games Hall of Famer: 2011
- Women's Super League Hall of Fame: 2021
Rachel Yankey was also recognized for her services to football. She was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2006. Then, she was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2014.
