Ex-Arsenal forward Rachel Yankey admits that her transition from player to coach wasn’t actually too difficult at all.

Yankey has completed her UEFA B License and admits that she didn’t find the transition between playing and coaching all that difficult because she’s always coached.

“It hasn’t really been a strict transition period for me, as I have always coached,” she told Sport Industry Group. “Since I joined Arsenal on a YTS scheme I have always been involved in the coaching side. I guess both my playing and coaching careers have progressed in parallel, but most people do know me from the playing scene.

“After leaving Fulham I set up my own coaching business where I went into primary schools and worked mainly with kids. From there I have progressed to a more elite level of coaching as I have worked towards my UEFA A License after completing my UEFA B License. So for me the transition has been from working in youth football, to challenging myself by working with more elite players.”

Yankey left Fulham in 2004, which means that she started her own coaching business 13 years ago. That’s a lot of experience and it seems like the 37-year-old definitely has the jump on her coaching career seeing as she started at such a young age.

The forward was released by Arsenal at the end of her contract in 2016 and hasn’t played since so it appears that coaching is now her main focus.

Back in June, she spoke about wanting to address the glaring lack of female coaches in football and you have to imagine that she’s probably become that bit more determined following Mark Sampson’s dismissal.

Yankey’s obviously a natural when it comes to coaching as she’s had that desire to do it pretty much her entire playing career and obviously finds it easy. I’d be surprised if we didn’t see her rise to the top pretty quickly.

The sport needs her and more female coaches like her.