Ashleigh Ball knows she could be about to make history.

Great Britain's women have only ever won one medal at the Olympics, a bronze at Barcelona 20 years ago.

Although ranked fourth in the world going into the London Games, they are bang in form and have a great chance of improving on that third place finish in 1992.

Even more so than the men, the women are genuine contenders for the gold medal match.

Brighton-born Ball is fully aware of that and she insists if they fail to make the podium it will not be for a lack of preparation.

Great Britain showed their capability by winning the Olympic test event at the Riverbank Arena in May when they beat Argentina - ranked second in the world - 2-0 in the final.

It followed a bronze medal at the European Championships last year.

Ball was an important member of that squad and has been since making her international debut in 2008.

She has grown with the team over the last four years and now has more than 50 England and Great Britain caps to her name.

The 26-year-old said: “We have a strong training ethos. We have practitioners, strength and conditioning coaches and Danny Kerry, our coach, is superb. We could not ask for anything more.

“If we were paid like footballers we wouldn't have done anything different. We have worked tremendously hard and until that first game it is a case of continuing that hard work.

“We have a lot of confidence with the achievements we have made over the last two years.

“Sport is unpredictable but we are in a great position. We are capable of winning a medal and we are capable of winning gold. We have trained hard over a long period of time for that.”

Midfielder Ball, who now plays for Slough, spent the first 11 years of her life in Sussex and first picked up a hockey stick in the county.

Cheltenham is her home now but she will never forget her roots.

She said: “I was born in Brighton and I went to Great Walstead School where I first started to play hockey.

“I sometimes get back to Brighton but with all my training I haven't been able to do so for a while.”

There will certainly be plenty to celebrate in Sussex if Ball helps Great Britain to a medal.

They play in pool A alongside Netherlands, ranked No. 1 in the world, China, Korea, Japan and Belgium.

The first game is against Japan on Sunday and Ball cannot wait.

She said: “It is really amazing for us. We are so lucky to be in the right age bracket and right age group to play in these Olympics on home soil. It is really special.