Little and Dieke bolster Britain squad

The first ever Great Britain and Northern Ireland women's football squad has been announced for the Olympic tournament and includes Scotland's Kim Little and Ifeoma Dieke alongside 16 England players.

England manager Hope Powell is in charge of the squad and has also been able to include experienced forward Kelly Smith, who made her first club appearance for Arsenal LFC at the weekend after four months out injured. "It was quite a challenging task, we were quite extensive in our scouting," Powell said.

"We spoke to other associations and their managers, we had those teams looked at with our own players. It shows the amount of talent we've got to choose from. It wasn't easy."

Right-back Scott, an Arsenal LFC club-mate of Little and praising of Dieke's "leadership", said of her selection: "It is a very exciting moment for me and the team. It is exciting to be part of this historic Team GB. We can't wait to get going."

The team first fixture comes on 20 July with a friendly against Sweden at Middlesbrough, a double-header with Stuart Pearce's male team playing Brazil. Powell's side open the Games against New Zealand in Cardiff on 25 July before facing Cameroon in the Welsh capital then taking on Brazil at Wembley, where the final will be held.

"I don't feel nervous at the moment, just excited," Scott added. "It's exciting to be in the first event."

Having been the two best European finishers at last year's FIFA Women's World Cup, Sweden take on global champions Japan, Canada and South Africa in the Olympics. France are in a group with holders the United States, Colombia and North Korea.

GB squad (non-England players indicated)
Goalkeepers: Karen Bardsley (Linköpings FC), Rachel Brown (Everton LFC).

Defenders: Sophie Bradley (Lincoln LFC), Ifeoma Dieke (Vittsjö GIK & Scotland), Stephanie Houghton (Arsenal LFC), Claire Rafferty (Chelsea LFC), Alex Scott (Arsenal LFC), Casey Stoney (Lincoln LFC).

Midfielders: Anita Asante (Göteborg FC), Jill Scott (Everton LFC), Fara Williams (Birmingham City LFC), Rachel Yankey (Arsenal LFC).

Forwards: Eniola Aluko (Birmingham City LFC), Karen Carney (Birmingham City LFC), Kim Little (Arsenal LFC & Scotland), Rachel Williams (Birmingham City LFC), Ellen White (Arsenal LFC), Kelly Smith (Arsenal LFC).