Kick It Out ambassador Yankey visits Wingate and Finchley

Friday 13 Dec 2013
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By Devansh Trehan

England Women’s football legend Rachel Yankey made a surprise appearance at the Abrahams Stadium last Saturday (7 December) for Wingate and Finchley’s Ryman Premier match against Dulwich Hamlet.

Kick It Out ambassador Yankey, the most capped England player in history, was at the game with members of the Gibbons Wreckers under-15 side, the Harlesden-based grassroots football club she founded in 2007.

The team were invited to the match by Wingate officials and met the players during the pre-arranged visit, which formed part of their on-going drive to strengthen community links and foster partnerships with local non-league clubs.

Yankey said she was delighted to accept the invitation and paid tribute to the club for giving the Gibbons players unprecedented access during the visit.

“Everyone has been lovely,” the Arsenal Ladies midfielder said. “We’ve been made to feel very welcome and I have a really positive impression of the club. They’ve invited all of us to come and watch the game and allowed the boys to speak to the players, which I think has been wonderful.

“It’s been fantastic and at top-flight clubs that probably wouldn’t happen but it’s been an education for all of us.

“Non-league football doesn’t get the same attention as football at a higher level, but the standard at Wingate is good and both teams got the ball down and played with it.

“Some of our young players are now 15 and if they desire a career in football this is a good benchmark for them.”

Joint managers of the Gibbons under-15s Andy Clifford and Rowena Quire also accompanied the boys during the visit and Clifford said the trip had given his players plenty of food for thought.

“We’re a community football club and it doesn’t matter where you are from we encourage kids just to come and play football,” he said.

“Our players have got really good attitudes and it is rewarding for them to come down and witness a semi-professional game because it gives them a great opportunity to see the level of football.

“They’ve also had a chance to meet some of the players and ask them how they got into the semi-pro game.”

The trip was the brainchild of North Finchley football coach and Brentford FC scout Manisha Tailor, who recently won the Woman in Football accolade at the Asian Football Awards at Wembley Stadium.

Tailor, who also coaches the Gibbons Wreckers under-nines, said partnerships between local clubs provide wide-ranging benefits to everyone involved.

She said: “I organised this visit as part of the clubs’ work on community cohesion, and felt the opportunity for the lads to talk to the players about future prospects would be extremely valuable.

“I’m also delighted that some of the fans and players at my local club had the opportunity to meet Rachel and the under-15 players at Gibbons Wreckers, some of whom have been with the club since the age of nine.”

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Kelly Smith, England Women's record goalscorer
"Despite the progress, stereotypes still exist in football and until that is broken down it will be extremely difficult for a woman to manage a top level men's team."
Rachel Yankey, former Arsenal Ladies forward
"There’s no hiding that there is sexism in sport. We have a lack of women right across all levels of management, playing and coaching. It shows the closed nature of sport in general and this includes the media. It’s an indictment of sport as a whole."
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