Former England internationals Rachel Yankey and Katie Chapman will be the first female players to play alongside their male counterparts for the Soccer Aid for Unicef England.
They will be joined by two female players for the World XI who will be announced in the coming weeks, and managed by television personality Susanna Reid alongside Sam Allardyce for the Three Lions.
Working in partnership with the Football Association, match organisers have agreed that two top tier female players will feature on each team for the full 90 minutes alongside a mix of male ex-football legends and celebrities.
Yankey, who has 129 England caps and won a domestic quadruple with Arsenal in her playing days is looking forward to being a role model to girls who want to be involved in football.
The London Bees head coach said: “I am honoured that Unicef UK have asked me to participate in the match – it’s for a great cause. Soccer Aid for Unicef’s ambition is to ‘defend play for every child’ so I will be proud to play my part in doing just that. I also hope Katie and I can continue to serve as role models to girls around the world to get involved in football.”
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Chapman is also looking forward to return to the pitch
"This will be a really interesting match and case study in terms of mixed participation. Having only recently retired it will be great to come back to the Bridge and play in front of a full house match alongside all the household names.
"It will particularly enjoyable to have my three children in the stands cheering us on. Rachel and I have played together before for club and country so am hoping we will make a telling impact and see England retain the Soccer Aid for Unicef Shield."
The game at Stamford Bridge will be monitored by Brunel University researchers who are conducting an ongoing study for the FA into mixed adult participation in recreational football.
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FA Head of Women’s Football Baroness Sue Campbell believes the match contribute to the momentum of the Women's Super League and this summer's World Cup
She said: “ These are exciting times for women’s football as The FA strives to double participation in the women’s game and we are seeing a huge increase in the popularity of the WSL. It will be great to showcase women’s football as part of Soccer Aid for Unicef ahead of the World Cup in the summer. We are delighted to be able to work with Soccer Aid for Unicef as we continue our research of mixed football. This has seen the rules changing in recent years to allow boys and girls to play mixed football together and this match will be part of our continuing research into mixed adult recreational football.”
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Tickets for Soccer Aid for Unicef 2019 match on Sunday 16 June 2019 at Stamford Bridge are available now at www.socceraid.org.uk/tickets/ or by calling 020 7386 2019. Tickets are priced at £10 for under-16s and adults from £20 meaning a family of four can attend for just £60.
The match will be broadcast live on ITV and STV on Sunday 16 June and the money raised will go towards Unicef’s vital work protecting children in danger around the world and will help every child grow up happy, healthy and safe to play.
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