Rachel Yankey

Rachel Yankey

Personal information
Height	5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)
Position(s)	Midfielder
Team information
Current team	Arsenal Ladies
Number	11
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 22 September 2007

Rachel Abba Yankey, MBE (born 1 November 1979) is an English football player. She plays for the English side Arsenal, and for the England national team. She plays as a forward, and wears the number 11 for Arsenal and England. She is of Ghanaian decent, from her father's side.

Career

Yankee began playing football with a boy's team, before joining Mill Hill United at youth level. Her playing career began at the age of 16, playing for Arsenal, when she spent a short time on loan with Laval Dynamite, a Canadian team, and then moved to Fulham. It was here that she was registered as the first professional female footballer in England. She joined Birmingham City before the 2004–05 season, and then, after being released from Birmingham, rejoined Arsenal for the 2005–06 season after a short spell with the New Jersey Wildcats of the W-League in the United States. She, along with England team mate Rachel Unitt, played for the Wildcats for the last seven games of the season, and helped them win the W-League championship.

Yankee is arguably the most famous female footballer in England, having modelled the last two new England kits, and appearing on the FA women's homepage header. She is also famous for starring in the BBC's online BBC Sport 'Academy Masterclasses' mini-series, teaching young footballers basic soccer skills.

Honours

Personal

• In 2006 was awarded an MBE for services to football in the Queen's New Year honours list
• Nationwide International Player of the Year (2004–05) season.

Team

• UEFA Women's Cup (2007) - Rachel was part of the Arsenal team that made history by being the first team outside Germany or Scandinavia to win it.
• FA Women's Cup - Rachel has won it seven times, five with Arsenal (1998, 1999, 2006, 2007, 2008), and twice with Fulham (2002, 2003).
• FA Women's National Premier League - (Fulham) 2003, (Arsenal) 1997, 2006, 2007, 2008
• FA Women's Premier League Cup - (Fulham) 2002, 2003, (Arsenal) 1998, 1999, 2007
• W-League championship (United States) - (New Jersey Wildcats) 2005
• Rachel was in the Arsenal team that were quadruple winners in 2006–07, winning the UEFA Women's Cup, FA Women's National Premier League, FA Women's Cup and the FA Women's Premier League Cup.
• She was part of Fulham's treble winning team of 2002–03, when they won the FA Women's Cup, the Women's League Cup and the FA Women's National Premier League.

Miscellanea

• Her role model is Ian Wright.

• She was the only girl in the youth team that she played for.

• Normally eats a plate of Chicken and Rice on the night before a match.

• She is currently the most capped player in the England team.

• When not playing, or practising, Rachel spends a lot of her time at schools teaching football to children.

• She has the middle name of Abba, as her Mother was a fan of the Swedish pop group

External links

• Short profile - from TheFA.com
• Player page - from the Arsenal homepage
• Short profile - from the New Jersey Wildcats homepage
• Rachelyankey.com Rachel Yankey's website
• BBC Academy - which contains the Masterclasses Mini-Series
• Rachel Abba Yankey

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