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Members of the Bahrain women's national team are in intensive training with the dream of achieving sporting glory in a regional contest to be hosted for the first time in the kingdom.
The side - managed by Shaikha Hussa Khalid Al Khalifa - are meeting up at least five times a week for training and technical development before taking on neighbouring countries in the Women's Football Cup Arabia 2010 competition.
As a build-up to the 2011 Women's Football World Cup in Germany, the German Foreign Office and the General Organisation for Youth and Sports (GOYS) decided to host a regional Arab tournament from October 18-28 to give Arab women's football a welcome boost and worldwide attention.
The winners of the tournament will benefit from an exclusive training opportunity in Germany.
Shaikha Hussa, 24, said: "We really want to take the title. The team has worked very hard over the years to get to where it is today and the desire to do well remains the same."
In 2006, the national team took part in the first Arab Women's Tournament with teams from Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Palestine. Shaikha Hussa said: "It was a really big tournament. At that time we were seen as the underdogs and no one expected us to do well. But we actually won the tournament and it was a big achievement for the girls.
"Since then expectations have remained high."
In February's West Asian Women's Tournament held in Abu Dhabi the team finished third out of 10 teams.
Shaikha Hussa says staging the next event is a great honour which as well as Gulf states will feature national teams from North Africa participating for the first time such as Morrocco, Egypt, Algeria and Tunis.
Women's football really took off in the kingdom in 2002 when Shaikha Hussa and her friends approached GOYS to promote the sport. She said: "We were all graduating from high school at the time and wanted a place to play football - then I heard that FIFA president Sepp Blatter state that the future of football was 'feminine'.
"It was time to promote women's football in the kingdom and when we approached GOYS president Shaikh Fawaz bin Mohammed Al Khalifa he was extremely supportive."
Clubs for female players were formed at Riffa, Muharraq and the Najma Club and the national team was born following a Women's Football Festival.
In 2004 the Bahraini women had their first taste of international competition at the West Asian Tournament held in Jordan dominated by the home nation and Iran. Their fortunes gradually improved as they gained experience, brought in qualified coaches and recruited more girls from the schools.
After ranking third in the West Asian Tournament in Abu Dhabi the team received growing support from GOYS. Shaikha Hussa added: "Now we hope to build on our achievements which are why the girls are training even harder. I am excited for them as I can see they are working really hard."
Her sisters - goalkeeper Nouf, 21, and midfielder Dowa, 22, are both part of the national squad. Team captain Alia Saad, 20, from Hamad Town, said: "I think we have a strong team and can achieve great things in this coming tournament. We have surprised many people over the years and hope to continue impressing football fans. We aim to make our kingdom proud."
SQUAD
Shaikha Nouf Al Khalifa, 21, goalkeeper
Marwa Mohammed, 22, defender
Noora Abdulaziz, 20, defender
Alya Al Mudhahki, 21, captain
Manar Yaqoob, 16, defender
Noof Al Qahtani, 19, Defender
Noora Al Sharji, 24, defender
Yasmeen Fayez, 21, midfielder
Shaikha Alanood Al Khalifa, 18, midfielder
Shaikha Dwa Al Khalifa, 22, midfielder
Muna Abdulrahman, 17, midfielder
Reem Al Hashmi, 23, forward
Muna Al Daaysi, 18, forward
Hessa Al Jazzaf, 19, defender
Samawa Al Saad, 19, forward
Shaikha Shaikha Al Khalifa, 17, defender
OFFICIALS
Manager - delegation head Shaikha Hussa Khalid Al Khalifa
Head coach Khaled Harban
Goalkeeping coach Abdulla Belal
Assistant coach Adel Marzooqi
