Going for Gold
- Wednesday,
Alex Scott believes Team GB have the potential to win a medal at the upcoming Olympic Games.
The defender was yesterday named in Hope Powell’s historic 18-player squad for London 2012 and Scott insists a podium finish is well within their grasp.
She said: “I believe we are strong enough to challenge for a gold medal.
“Hope has always told us to take things one game at a time, but when you look through our squad list and how much talent and experience we have got you can see that it is a special team and I think we can go all the way.
“We have to embrace the Olympics,” continued Scott, who cites Cathy Freeman’s 400m gold medal in 2000 as one of her Olympic highlights.
“I was lucky enough to play with Christine Lilley and she always spoke about their memories of the Olympics and how many special moments it created for them. I’m hoping we can create some memories of our own. It’s all about leaving a legacy and hoping that the momentum behind women’s football carries on in this country.”
Scott has played alongside every one of her Team GB team-mates over the years – only Kelly Smith has also achieved this feat – so she is well placed to assess the quality of the two non-English players in the squad, midfielder Kim Little and defender Ifeoma Dieke.
“Kim is an amazing talent,” said Scott of her young Arsenal club mate.
“The stuff that she does in training and out on the pitch, she’s kind of got that element of surprise. She can make things happen and that’s always great to have in a team.
“Ife is a really solid defender, hard to get around. She’s a good leader as well so she’ll she will be good to have around off the pitch. She will bring a lot to the squad.”
Team GB will get together in early July and will face a warm-up match against Sweden on Friday 20 July at Middlesbrough’s Riverside Stadium.
They will kick-off their Olympic campaign when they face New Zealand at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on 25 July. This match takes place two days before the London 2012 Opening Ceremony and also marks the beginning of competitive action across the full Olympic sporting roster. Team GB will take on Cameroon in Cardiff on 28 July, before completing their group stage fixtures against reigning silver-medallists Brazil at Wembley on the 31 July.
Click here for full fixture schedule of the London 2012 Olympic Football Tournament.
The tournament kicks off on 25 July with six cities across Great Britain hosting men and women’s matches until the Finals at Wembley Stadium concluding on 11 August.
Tickets are available via www.tickets.london2012.com or 0844 847 2012
