World Female soccer players played match on Mount Kilimanjaro

Arusha — They came, they climbed they played and conquered, history was made on Saturday when women football players from all over the world played 90 minutes' football at the peak of mount Kilimanjaro.

It was the first football match involving women at the world's highest free standing peak and it was the first ever event since creation of football. Solely played by women, the historic match was successfully staged and played at the highest point in Africa on Mount Kilimanjaro over the weekend.

Group leader, Ailsa Dixon of the Nature Discovery, texted the Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Jumanne Maghembe with the following message: "I would like to inform you that the ladies of 'Equal Playing Field were successful in playing their match today!"

"After the match, the entire team of 60 ladies went to the Summit at Uhuru Peak and all of them managed to reach the highest point of Mount Kilimanjaro despite the tough challenges," she wrote.

Apart from being staged in an extraordinary place, the soccer match involved lady footballers from more than ten countries who started scaling the world's tallest, free standing mountain through the Londorosi Gate in an expedition which took ten days.

A total of 60 female soccer players, coaches and umpires from the United States, United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Jordan, the United Kingdom, SouthAfrica,

Rwanda, Sweden, Qatar, France, Pakistan and Germany as well as the host Tanzania took the new initiative to stage the first ever football match on Mount Kilimanjaro.

The full scale 90 minutes' match was played on Saturday, June 24 2017 when the expedition reached the escalation of 5,731 metres above sea level at the area on the mountain known as 'Crater,' which is levelled and usually used as camping height Among the soccer players was Ravji Ladha, who played for the National Female football team, Twiga Stars in 2006 and who is now fielding for the International Football Academy (IFA) in Dubai.

There was also the Canadian team striker, Sasha Andrews. Both said they were extremely pleased to venture into this first ever adventure and being part of the history in the making.

The match was the most sensational sporting event to be recorded this year both in the country and globally. The National Female Soccer team; 'Twiga Stars,' was invited for some reason they pulled out in the last minute.

The historic soccer event dubbed 'Equal Playing Field Project,' was organized in association with Nature Discoveries and Kilimanjaro Outfitters, while the Tanzania Tourists Board chips in as the government agent.

The Communications Officer for the Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB) Mr Geoffrey Eneo Tengeneza said earlier on during the day of the climb that this first ever soccer match on Kili will further promote Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania's tourism industry and the country as whole.