Rachel Aba Yankey (born 1 November 1979) is a former English

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who played as a winger or forward. Yankey is best known for her long association with

Arsenal Ladies Arsenal Women Football Club, commonly referred to as just Arsenal, is an English professional women's association football, women's football club based in London Borough of Islington, Islington, London, England. The club plays in the FA Women' ...

, for whom she played 15 seasons over two separate spells, and is ranked among the Arsenal Ladies Legends. She is one of the most decorated players in women's football, winning the FA Women's National Premier League seven times, the

FA WSL The Women's Super League (WSL), also known as the Barclays Women's Super League for sponsorship reasons, and formerly the FA WSL, is a professional association football league and the highest level of women's football in England. Currently oper ...

twice, the FA Women's Cup eleven times, the FA Women's Premier League Cup six times and the UEFA Women's Cup once, while playing for Arsenal and Fulham Ladies. Since making her debut in 1997, Yankey appeared on 129 occasions for the England national team and at the time became the most capped player ever to play for England, ahead of male goalkeeper

Peter Shilton Peter Leslie Shilton (born 18 September 1949) is an English former professional association football, footballer who played as a goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper. His 31-year career included spells at 11 clubs and he has the uni ...

with 125 (though this record has since been beaten by several female players). She was the second English female player, after Gillian Coultard, to make a century of international appearances. Yankey was part of the

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

squad for the

2012 London Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

. Yankey had a brief foray into coaching, managing the

London Bees London Bees is an England, English women's football (soccer), women's football club affiliated with Barnet F.C. They play in the FA Women's National League Division One South East, the fourth tier of the Women's football in England#Pyramid, Engl ...

from February to May 2019.

Early life

Yankey began playing football as the only girl in a boys' team. Aged eight, she shaved her hair off, pretending to be a boy called "Ray" (an

acronym An acronym is a type of abbreviation consisting of a phrase whose only pronounced elements are the initial letters or initial sounds of words inside that phrase. Acronyms are often spelled with the initial Letter (alphabet), letter of each wor ...

of her birth names). She was able to play in the boys' team for two years before her real identity was discovered. Yankey joined

Mill Hill Mill Hill is a suburb in the London Borough of Barnet, England. It is situated around northwest of Charing Cross, close to the Hertfordshire border. It was in the Historic counties of England, historic county of Middlesex until 1965, when it b ...

United at youth level after the club's manager, Russell Mountford, attended an

annual general meeting An annual general meeting (AGM, also known as the annual meeting) is a meeting of the general membership of an organization. These organizations include membership associations and companies with shareholders. These meetings may be required ...

(AGM) at Yankey's boys' club. She also represented Brent in the

London Youth Games The London Youth Games is an annual multi-sport event held in London, England. The London Youth Games offer competitive opportunities for young people aged 7 to 18 (who live or go to school in London) across approximately 30 sports every year. ...

as a youngster, and was inducted into their Hall of Fame in 2011.

Club career

Yankey's senior playing career began at the age of 16, playing for Arsenal, when she spent a short time on loan with Laval Dynamites, a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

team, and then moved to

Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...

in 2000.

It was here that she was registered as the first professional female footballer in England. She joined

Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. The team compete in the ...

before the 2004–05 season, and then, after being released from Birmingham, had a short spell with the

New Jersey Wildcats The New Jersey Wildcats is an American women's soccer team, founded by Vincent Baldino in 1996. The team was a member of the United Soccer Leagues USL W-League (1995–2015), W-League, the second tier of women's soccer in the United States and C ...

of the W-League in the United States. Yankey, along with England teammate

Rachel Unitt Rachel Elizabeth Unitt (born 5 June 1982) is a former English footballer who last played for FA Women's Championship club London Bees. After beginning her club career with Wolves, Unitt began a long association with Everton in 2000. This was ...

, played for the Wildcats for the last seven games of the season, and helped them win the W-League championship. She rejoined Arsenal for the 2005–06 season. In 2011, she helped Arsenal to another domestic treble. In January 2014, Yankey signed a new two-year contract with Arsenal. She was praised by the club's general manager, Vic Akers: "She remains a key part of the team and her ability and experience will be invaluable in the season ahead." In December 2016, Yankey was released by Arsenal at the end of her contract.

International career

In August 1997, Yankey made her senior

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

debut, scoring in a 4–0 win over

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

Almondvale Stadium Almondvale Stadium, also known as The Home of the Set Fare Arena for sponsorship purposes, is a association football, football stadium, located in the Almondvale area of Livingston, West Lothian, Scotland. It has been the home ground of Scottish ...

. Yankey became arguably the most famous female footballer in England, having modelled new England kits, and appeared on the FA women's homepage header. She is also noted for appearing in the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

's online BBC Sport 'Academy Masterclasses' mini-series, teaching young footballers basic soccer skills. In May 2009, Yankey was one of the first 17 female players to be given central contracts by

The Football Association The Football Association (the FA) is the Sports governing body, governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Bailiwick of Guernsey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest footb ...

. However, in August 2009 she was surprisingly left out of coach Hope Powell's 22–player squad for Euro 2009 with Powell believing that her form did not justify a call–up. Yankey was also overlooked for the 2011 Women's World Cup qualifiers against

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

and

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. But after a return to form with Arsenal Ladies, she was recalled by Powell for the 2010 Cyprus Cup, and won her 90th and 91st caps – as a 76th-minute substitute for Jessica Clarke in a 1–0 win over

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

and as a starter in a 1–0 defeat to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. A return to form at both club and international level saw Yankey being selected regularly again by Powell, and on 29 July 2010, Yankey became the second Englishwoman after Gillian Coultard to earn 100 caps during a home World Cup qualifier against Turkey. Yankey, who was

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

for the night, scored a goal and played the entire 90 minutes as England won 3–0. In a

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...

warm–up friendly against the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, Yankey hit the second goal in England's 2–1 win at Brisbane Road. At the final tournament, Yankey netted in England's 2–0 group B win over

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

after coming on as a half–time substitute. In June 2012, Yankey equalled Coultard's record of 119 appearances for England in a 4–0 win in

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

. She set a new record of 120 caps by playing in England's 3–0 win over

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

at Bescot Stadium on 19 September 2012. In June 2013 Yankey played in a 1–1 friendly draw with Japan and broke

's all-time national record of 125 caps. She was included in the England squad which performed poorly at

UEFA Women's Euro 2013 The 2013 UEFA Women's Championship, commonly referred to as Women's Euro 2013, was the 11th European Championship for List of women's national association football teams#UEFA, women's national football teams organised by UEFA. The final tournament ...

and was eliminated in the first round. Incoming England manager

Mark Sampson Mark Geraint Sampson (born 18 October 1982) is a Welsh football coach who was most recently a first team coach at Stevenage F.C., Stevenage. Born in Creigiau, Wales, Sampson played amateur football for Cardiff Corinthians F.C., Cardiff Corinthi ...

left Yankey out of his first squad in December 2013. He stressed that "the door is firmly open" for her to come back in. She was allotted 126 when the FA announced their legacy numbers scheme to honour the 50th anniversary of England's inaugural international. Rachel Yankey 2012

In June 2012, Yankey was named in the 18–player

squad for the

Coaching career

Yankey was announced as a first team coach of

in June 2018. Following the departure of Luke Swindlehurst in February 2019 to become head coach of Barnet's under-18s team, Yankey was appointed Head Coach. She left the club in May 2019.

Personal life

When not playing, or practising, Yankey works as a coach in schools, teaching football to

child A child () is a human being between the stages of childbirth, birth and puberty, or between the Development of the human body, developmental period of infancy and puberty. The term may also refer to an unborn human being. In English-speaking ...

ren. This includes hosting a

CBeebies CBeebies is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the brand used for all BBC content targeted for children aged six year ...

programme, ''Footy Pups''. It was reported that Yankey's middle name came about as her mother was a fan of

ABBA ABBA ( ) were a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. They are one of the most popular and successful musical groups of all time, and are one of the List ...

, the Swedish pop group. However in 2010, Yankey indicated that it was actually related to her Ghanaian heritage.

Career statistics

:''Scores and results list England's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Yankey goal.''

Honours

Arsenal * FA Women's National Premier League (6): 1996–97, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10 * FA Women's Cup (9):

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014 * FA Women's Premier League Cup: 1998, 1999, 2007, 2009 * UEFA Women's Cup:

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

Fulham * FA Women's National Premier League: 2002–03 * FA Women's Cup:

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

, 2003 * FA Women's Premier League Cup: 2002, 2003 New Jersey Wildcats * W-League:

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

Individual *Nationwide International Player of the Year (2004–05) season *

Hall of Famer (Class of 2011) * Women's Super League Hall of Fame: 2021 Yankey was appointed

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(MBE) in the 2006 New Year Honours and

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(OBE) in the 2014 New Year Honours, both for services to football.

References

External links

Short profile
– from TheFA.com
Player page
– from the Arsenal homepage

– from the New Jersey Wildcats homepage
BBC Academy
– which contains the Masterclasses Mini-Series {{DEFAULTSORT:Yankey, Rachel 1979 births Living people Arsenal W.F.C. players Fulham F.C. Women players Birmingham City W.F.C. players Notts County L.F.C. players England women's international footballers English women's footballers FA Women's National League players Officers of the Order of the British Empire English Football Hall of Fame inductees English people of Ghanaian descent Sportspeople of Ghanaian descent Black British sportswomen FIFA Women's Century Club Women's Super League players 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup players 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup players USL W-League (1995–2015) players Footballers at the 2012 Summer Olympics Olympic footballers for Great Britain Footballers from London Women's association football wingers Women's association football forwards Female association football managers English women's football managers English expatriate sportspeople in the United States WSL Hall of Fame inductees UEFA Women's Champions League–winning players 21st-century English sportswomen