Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
After four years of playing their hearts out, the Arsenal Seniors finally clinched the coveted GulfWeekly Premiership Trophy and the title of the Arsenal Soccer School Bahrain Ladies League champions.
The ladies in red ended season seven in style after defeating Joga TFA in an intense game between two fierce rivals.
Captain Rama Salem, who had been playing in the league since its inception in 2010, is thrilled with the win and is already looking forward to next season.
The 27-year-old graphic designer, from Riffa Views, said: “I have been here since the very start when Arsenal first opened its operation and we were just a couple of girls. Week after week it grew and it has been remarkable to see how the players have developed. Every year we have just gotten stronger and stronger.
“To finally win this season is such a huge achievement for us. I am so proud of the girls and we have also introduced some new blood into the squad. I think they were the missing pieces that we have needed during all those years of heartache.
“We are definitely pumped up for the next season. I think the issue we had before was that there were so many of us and we often split up to keep the teams fair and for everyone to get some play time. But this season we thought we are a strong team so let’s just be one and let’s play like a proper Premiership team.
“We go into training, get selected and support each other. You have to be committed and these girls are committed.
“Everyone was determined to win this year and we gelled well together. I am so happy for us and we can’t wait for next year.”
Coach Liam Trigg has been guiding them throughout the season. The team gladly showed their appreciation by presenting him with a framed and signed picture of the entire squad after the Cup and Plate finals and end-of-season presentations.
Coach Trigg said: “We have gone out and won every single game. When you are winning the girls naturally enjoy coming to training.”
Next season is going to be interesting as the league will be split into two divisions with teams playing each other more than once. Promotion and relegation issues will add to the pressure.
Before the presentations, the teams competed in the Cup and Plate finals. The Plate matched Joga TFA, League runners-up, against the league’s most improved team, the Arsenal U21s. Impressive Joga ran out 4-0 winners with Sara Jalal and Alaa Al Dirazi both scoring a brace.
The league winners, Arsenal Ladies, split into two teams for their cup adventure and met up with each other in the League Cup Final. The multi-national Whites, featuring players from 10 different countries, took on the Reds, and stole a seventh-minute lead with a superb strike by Alana McConologue.
The early setback spurred on the Reds, and despite some heroic saves by Natalie Harake in the Whites’ goal, the Reds scored three in quick succession before half-time through Sam Rule (2) and Reema Al Qassab, to go into the break 3-1 ahead.
In the second half, Sam completed her hat-trick and the Reds lifted the cup to climax a fantastic season for the Arsenal Ladies – a League title and winners and runners-up in the knock-out competition.
Following the finals, GulfWeekly Editor Stan Szecowka and sports writer Mai Al Khatib-Camille presented the trophies and medals.
The ‘Player of the Season’ award, voted for by each team at the end of each game, was a very close affair, with honourable mentions going to Jennifer Loveland Rose and Lauren Moir from the Arsenal U21s, Terry Stevens from Seef Dental, Eman Ramadan, Sara Jalal and Ebba Khamees from Joga, Erin Dawson from the Eastern Flames, Huda Busheeri and Fatima Mahmoud from Venus and Sam Rule and Janet Kellagher from the Arsenal Ladies.
The winner was Alex Ziegler, 27, a midfielder from Arsenal Ladies, and an American expat completing her first season in the league. The nurse, from Amwaj Islands, said: “I love playing with Arsenal. It’s probably the biggest part of my day when I get to practice with the girls. I love the girls and its fun to be here.
“I was very humbled to receive this award and feel very honoured. Fitting in was easy and everybody made me feel so comfortable so I felt I could be myself, on and off the field.
“I also want to say thank you to my husband Mark for all his support and to all the girls. I couldn’t have done it without them.”
The next season will kick-start in January at Soccer City in Hamala.
ROLL OF HONOUR
GulfWeekly League winners – Arsenal Ladies
Runners-up – Joga TFA
Cup winners – Arsenal Ladies Reds
Cup runners-up – Arsenal Ladies Whites
Plate winners – Joga TFA
Plate runners-up – Arsenal U21s
