SEVENTY-TWO young women battled it out on the football pitch to raise awareness of the importance of charitable work among the youth.

The Aisha Yateem Family Counselling Centre youth committee hosted its second fundraising event after the success of the Bingo 4 Charity which was held last month. More than BD800 was raised through entry fees and donation boxes were on site, as well as food stalls.

The one-day ladies football tournament was held at the Kick Off Academy in Saar and featured eight six-a-side teams from across Bahrain.

They included three Arsenal teams, a Kick Off Academy team and three others made up of Bahraini players.

As part of the Bahrain Young Ladies Association, the centre aims to provide protection to families by offering social, psychological and legal service to help resolve the issue of family violence in Bahrain.

From legal counselling to computer training and workshops, the centre has provided a variety of services to women over the last 11 years.

It plans to raise enough funds to make use of its shelter built in Hamad Town for abused women and children to reside in for two weeks at a time.

It also hopes to fill the library with books for women and children who rarely have the opportunity to read and educate themselves.