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Bahrain women’s battling national team recently spent 11 days in the US competing against top ranked teams from across the globe in preparation for a major championship that will be held in the kingdom in January next year.
The ladies lined up alongside squads from Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Netherlands, South Korea and the US in the 11th annual Conseil International du Sport Militaire (CISM) World Military Women’s Football Championship which was held at Fort Bliss Stout Field in El Paso, Texas.
Deena Rahman, Bahrain national team’s midfield maestro, described the tournament as a ‘brilliant and useful learning experience’ for the vast majority of the younger squad members.
The head coach of Tekkers Academy proudly won her 48th cap during the trip. Now considered a veteran at 35, she enjoys helping to encourage newcomers into the national family. She said: “While we did not qualify for the second round it was a great experience for the team, many of whom were playing at this level for the first time.
“The standard of play was incredibly high and many of the players we faced regularly turn out for their full national teams.”
Bahrain played a warm-up friendly against The Netherlands before facing mighty Brazil, the new champions, losing by nine goals but came back defiantly to suffer a narrow 0-2 defeat at the hands of Germany. Their final match was against former title holders France which resulted in an 8-0 hammering. Despite the results, the players could hold their heads high.
“I was particularly proud of Fatima Isa and Dana Noor, my Muharraq Tekkers teammates, who were selected for the first time,” added Deena. “It was a great experience all around and particularly for Bahrain’s next generation of international players. It was also great preparation for the West Asian Football Federation Championship coming up in January.”
The Bahrain Football Association will be hosting the 6th WAFF Women’s Championship. The tournment is organised by West Asian Football Federation. It is usually held every two years, but occasionally at longer intervals. In 2014, the competition was staged in Jordan and the hosts won with Bahrain notching a credible third place.
