England legend Rachel Yankey on cutting off her hair to play football with the boys as Gatorade's 'Confidence Coaches' aim to smash barriers and stop girls leaving the sport

Stars of men and women's football came together at last week's Champions League final to help to tackle barriers to young girls competing in sport.

Research has shown that 40 percent of teenage girls lack confidence when it comes to playing sport, a key factor behind the increased dropout rate of female athletes as they get older.

To help raise awareness and inspire young girls to stay in sport for longer, Gatorade, the world's leading hydration beverage, brought former England international Rachel Yankey, Manchester City and Spain defender Laia Aleixandri and World Cup winner Fernando Llorente to the Girls' 5v5 Finals at the UEFA Women's Champions League Final in Bilbao.

As 'Confidence Coaches', the three players spoke about their journeys in football while Yankey shared a Gatorade Fuel Tomorrow produced film where she talked confidence with a version of her younger self, created using de-aging technology. 

As a child, Yankey cut off her hair, and pretended to be a boy, so she could play football.

Lionesses legend Rachel Yankey holds a training session for girls in Bilbao ahead of the Women's Champions League final as she becomes one of Gatorade's 'Confidence Coaches'

Yankey told Mail Sport: 'We wanted to make a powerful video. It's fantastic that a big brand has backed it, they saw potential in my story. They saw how powerful and inspiring they thought it was and wanted to put that message out.

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'Coming here today to coach a group of girls, try to encourage them to enjoy sport, whether you become the best and play at the Champions League final or if it's just something you take on, there's so many life skills.

'What I've learned through making the film is that my story is not just my story. I'd heard Sarina Wiegman had done the same [cut her hair short], this isn't a one off. 

'But to think it still happens, there was a young girl that I spoke to who is a teenager now and that was her story as well.

'How many more people are there and how much are we changing the face of women's football and what are the barriers from people playing? That, for me, was maybe the most eye-opening thing. 

'There's a pathway now, but I still think there needs to be more opportunities for every girl to feel like they have a place to go and play football and be free to express themselves.'

Since its inception, the Gatorade 5v5 tournament has provided over 126,000 young athletes worldwide with positive sporting experiences. 

This year, 13 countries across Latin America, Asia, Middle East, and Europe will participate across all tournaments, with an estimated 26,000 teenagers - 11,000 more than in 2023. 

'They can have all the facilities nowadays to play football, but with these facilities you need confidence as well [to play],' Aleixandri told Mail Sport.

'They need to know that they have people around society to support them to play football and give them this energy.'

Former Tottenham striker Llorente, who won two major tournaments with Spain, was also on hand to give advice to the participants.

'It's important to try and help boost their self-esteem,' Llorente said. 'Maybe when they are younger they are not so confident in themselves. To help them grow each day and make it easier for them to be more familiar with competing in sport.'

Bart LaCount, Vice President of Marketing at Gatorade, added: 'The Gatorade 5v5 Finals brings participants together on a global stage and shows that every girl, regardless of her background, can participate in sport, learning lifelong lessons and values of sport. 

'Our research shows that 40 per cent of teen girls lack confidence in sport, an alarming statistic which doesn't belong in today's world. 

'No girl should grow out of her confidence, so we are working with legends of the game to be Confidence Coaches to inspire and motivate teens to play and stay in football. Their advice helps break down barriers and fuel confidence.'