Rachel Yankey attended a FA Lidl Skills session at the Annunciation primary school in Edgware on Monday as part of Girls’ Football Week.
Yankey was a special guest at the Annunciation primary school in Edgware this week as part of Girls’ Football Week.
The former Arsenal and England hero was happy to answer any questions the primary school girls had about football in a programme that Lidl has seen grow by 91% since FA became an official partner in 2015. That’s phenomenal and it’s great to see a pro getting involved.
“When I was at primary school we never had any outside coaches or players coming in to coach us,” said Yankey, who also helped out coaching the skills session.
“That’s why I set up my own coaching business, because I wanted to work in primary schools and with young players. I wanted to give back some of the life skills that I’ve learned through football.
“So things like FA Lidl Skills, going into schools and working with kids, is great.
“It’s about getting children to think. You might not get the next England international coming out of one of the sessions, but it’s not about that.
“You can help them develop different skills, both in football and how to learn and take on information, which could be crucial in their future jobs.
“There is so much you can learn from sport that can help you in the wider world.”
Yankey is currently making her way up the coaching ladder after giving up playing. However, it’s nothing new to her, she’s coached her entire playing career. She even set up her own coaching company in 2004.
The ex-forward has now completed her UEFA B license and has been working towards her UEFA A licence as well.
Recently, the 37-year-old, who was at Arsenal from 1996 – 2000 and then from 2005 – 2016, spoke about the importance of recruiting more female managers from grassroots to elite.
I’m sure Yankey took the chance to encourage the girls from the Annunciation primary school to continue playing the sport they love because although there’s still a long way to go, English football is slowly heading in the right direction when it comes to equality.