Former footballer Rachel Yankey has reflected on her own journey through the women’s game – as the Lionesses prepare to roar to victory.
England will battle it out against Spain as millions watch on from across the globe.
There have even been calls for an official Bank Holiday to celebrate a potential win Down Under.
For former players who helped reach women’s football reach this stage, the scale of support is a dream come true.
It was trailblazers such as England’s Rachel Yankey, Fara Williams and Kelly Smith who helped inspire the current pack of Lionesses.
Even though wages were smaller and women’s football didn’t enjoy have the same visibility we see today, every game was still worth it.
Reminiscing on her playing days, Yankey told Metro.co.uk: ‘It’s just the ultimate pride that you are one of the best within England.
‘When I was playing, I don’t think I really understood the role that you play as a footballer.
‘The amount of people that told me that I was one of the first footballers that they related to – the fact that I was woman playing football, the colour of my skin, the way I wore my hair – all these different things that resonated with different people that I didn’t know.
‘For me, I was just playing football.
‘Being able to put the shirt on, playing in front of the fans, to show your talent and make people cheer is something pretty special.
‘I think now when I look at this England team, and these players that are here now, they understand their power.
‘They understand what they can give to the next generation, what they can give to anybody actually watching and they’re trying to push and break barriers, and that, I think, is really something to be proud of.’
Yankey has been an advocate for growing the grassroots level of the women’s game, to ensure people from all backgrounds can play.
The former Arsenal player once drastically had to ‘cut her hair short’ and called herself ‘Ray’ so she had the chance to play football at a younger age.
She continued: ‘For me, my love for football started in school, playing in the playground and being with the boys because it was the boys who played.
The 43-year-old is currently working alongside Nuffield Health to foster change for future Lionesses.
Although accessibility to sport and physical activity has increased for young girls, participation rates are still lower compared to young boys.
Recent findings unveiled by Nuffield Health revealed that almost one in five – 17% – young girls say they don’t like P.E in school.
A further 44% of parents have also admitted to making an excuse to get their daughters out of sports lessons.
The findings highlighted the additional barriers facing women and young girls when it comes to physical activity, including enjoyment, confidence, safety and variation.
Yankey continued: ‘In primary school I don’t think there was any other girl who played football.
‘After this, I wanted to join a team, so I followed my two friends that lived across the road to a local team in South Kilburn Estate, where I cut my hair off and called myself Ray.
‘For me personally, I’ve learnt so much about me through the skills that I’ve learnt through football.
‘Just the confidence to go and speak to people, problem solve really quickly, work within a group of people that you may no know, all those things come through playing football.’
To any girls – or women – lacing up their trainers for the first time, Yankey’s advice is to enjoy it.
She continued: ‘I would say […] just to enjoy it. I think that sport, whichever sport you play, if you haven’t got a smile on your face when you’re doing it, then there’s a problem.
‘I think you want to get out there, you want to just have fun. It doesn’t matter whether you kick the ball and you do it wrong. If you keep practising, and practising, at some point, you’ll find the right ways to do things.’
To help combat the barriers young girls are facing, Yankey has showed support for Nuffield Health’s new Move Together initiative – a programme designed to get more 11–16-year-old girls moving and engaged with physical activity.
Move Together is hosted in local parks and community venues and run by Nuffield Health fitness instructors in the local community.
The specially designed free classes will build girls’ strength, confidence and get them moving in a safe and secure environment.
In partnership with The FA, Nuffield Health has also co-created a grassroots initiative as part of The FA’s ‘The Greater Game’ programme.
For more information, click here.
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