NETBALL – The kingdom’s netball national team, nicknamed the Bahrain Gazelles, are set to participate this weekend in the Saudi Netball Festival in Riyadh.
Ten players have been named onto the squad for the competition. They include team captain Rama Salem, vice-captains Khulood Sabah and Martine Timmer-Arends, and Jeannine Wessels, Shamsa Thomas, Danet Leite, Dana Jaberi, Bryony Russel, Sandra Le Grange, and Dionne Thurland.
The Gazelles are coached by Jo Reed, while the team manager is Narmeen Yousef and the junior administrator is Zam Zam Al Hejri.
The two-day festival will take place on Friday and Saturday and it will see the participation of the UAE’s netball national team along with a number of educational institutions from across the country.
Matches will be held at Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University in the Saudi Arabian capital.
It will be the first competition for the kingdom’s national team since their historic participation in the 13th Asian Netball Championship in Bengaluru, India, held last October. It will also be an important part of the squad’s preparations for the Inter-Gulf Netball Championship in April, set to take place in Abu Dhabi.
Sabah, who is also the Bahrain Netball director, said that participating in the Saudi Netball Festival is a great opportunity for the Gazelles to gain valuable experience and compete against talented teams, which will help them gear up for the Gulf tournament.
Sabah noted that they have been training intensively over the past several weeks and that they are eager and proud to represent the kingdom in both upcoming events.
Sabah added that the Bahraini representatives aim to finish amongst the top three when they compete in the UAE capital.
Meanwhile, Reed said that the upcoming Saudi Netball Festival will be a strong competition for the Gazelles to play in. She added that participating in such events further strengthens relations with other sides and promotes the exchange of experiences between coaches and players.
Reed highlighted that Bahrain’s players are enthusiastic ahead of the tournament. They have been training hard and have pledged to do their best in Riyadh.
For her part, Salem expressed her excitement for the Saudi Netball Festival, where they hope to do well.
She added that the competition is a testament to the growing popularity of the sport in the region, especially amongst women and young girls.
The Bahrain Gazelles have been training for the Saudi Netball Festival at Bahrain Rugby Football Club in Saar under Reed’s supervision.
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