Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
Bahrain's ace soccer girls are undergoing intensive training sessions in their quest for Olympic glory.
Members of the women's national team have some serious competition ahead of them if they want to secure a spot in the finals of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London.
As the qualifiers kick off this month, the football divas have been improving their fitness and discussing new tactics during a six-day camp at the Bahrain Football Association's headquarters in Riffa.
Coach Adel Al Marzooqi, Riffa's former international midfielder, said: "The team has been training on a daily basis, sometimes mornings and evenings. The girls are really shaping up well and will be a force to be reckoned with.
"I really think we have a chance of reaching the second round of qualifiers. However, while I am confident in the girls' ability it doesn't mean we should take it easy as I am sure the other teams are training just as hard. Who wouldn't want to make it to the Olympics?
"But this is a dream of ours and we will not stop until we get there."
Al Marzooqi is being assisted by goalkeeping coach Abdulla Belal, who also played for Riffa and the national team during the 1980s and 1990s.
The Bahraini girls are playing in what many footballing pundits predict as one of the toughest qualifying groups that includes Iran, Arab champions and group qualifiers' hosts Jordan, as well as an improving Palestine.
They will face Jordan on March 8, then take on Palestine on March 10 and play their last game in the preliminary round against Iran on March 12. The winners from Group 'D' will then move onto the second round of the qualifiers.
Bahrain played Jordan and Palestine during the group stage of the first-ever Arab Women's Championships held in Bahrain last year. They clinched a commendable third-place among 10 strong Arab countries.
Al Marzooqi said: "We are not strangers to the Jordanian team. They are true professionals with great players and lots of potential. While we are training, they are competing in a league at the moment in Jordan so they will be getting tons of match practice. We will be keeping a close eye on them. Palestine and Iran are also great contenders. This is a tough group so we need to be on the ball."
Al Marzooqi also said that the squad is scheduled to play a friendly match in Bahrain, which is yet to be confirmed, before making the trip to Amman on March 6 for the contest.
He added: "Our girls are ready and with enough practice they will be even stronger. Since the Arab Women's Championship in Bahrain we have created a very strong and supportive following for the women's game. Many fans have come out to support the players and cheer them on.
"I would also like to thank all our fans, the football federation and the Supreme Council for Youth and Sport chairman and Bahrain Olympic Committee president Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa. Please continue to cheer us on. Let's make our Olympic dreams come true together!"
