High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! 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. Yankey 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 Dynamites, 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.