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Catherine went on the VIVA adventure in a party of top young players from Bahrain and amongst them was her close friend, Egyptian Farah Ghalia, who already holds a Bahraini passport.
Both girls had been selected to join the U16 Bahrain national team and offcials have high hopes for the side when it competes in an Asian Football Confederation U16 Women’s Championship to be held in Jordan in November.
Goalkeeper Farah, 15, a Year 11 student at St Christopher’s School, from Hamad Town, said: “My father Sherief and mother Samar are both really proud to see me on the Bahrain team. They love that I’m committed to football and dedicated to the sport.”
Her potential was frst spotted by the national’s former manager Eliana Rahbany 18 months ago when Farah was playing in a tournament staged at Ibn Khuldoon National School.
Since their return from their summer holidays both Farah and Catherine have been working to improve their soccer skills. They start special ftness sessions this week and Farah will begin her preparations with goalkeeping coach Abdulla Belal, who also played for Riffa and the national team during the 1980s and 1990s.
Coach Adel Al Marzooqi, Riffa’s former international midfelder, is thrilled with the talents of both players and is eager for Catherine to be a fully-fedged member of the squad as soon as possible.
He said: “The girls have been training hard on a regular basis preparing for this competition. Some will even be training with the senior national women’s team to get a better idea of what’s to come.
“The team is still growing together as we have recruited some new girls with good potential. The girls are working hard and I like the fact that they help each other on and off the pitch.
“Farah is an excellent goalkeeper and we are expecting good things from her. She has good skills and I think will prove herself in this competition. She even has the potential of joining the senior team soon.
“As for Catherine, I hope we fnd a solution for her in terms of the passport fast. I really want her to be with us because she is a strong asset to the squad.
“Her skills and capabilities are great and she provides solutions on the pitch. Inshallah she becomes part of the team.”
The head of the national women’s football team Shaikha Hessa bint Khaled Al Khalifa, hopes to sort out the necessary paperwork when she returns from a trip to London.
