Women’s History Month is an annual celebration in March that highlights the contributions of women to events in history, as well as their outstanding landmark achievements.

At Guinness World Records, we have seen our female record holders reach remarkable milestones, so to mark Women's History Month we're running a series called "HER Story." 

We've spoken to some of these women about their records and their lives, to help celebrate their achievements and inspire others.

We continue the series with the women from Equal Playing Field, a pack of football pros who went to new heights to advocate gender equality on the soccer pitch.

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Who are the women of Equal Playing Field?

A team of strong females fighting for women’s right on the field was just a dream of soccer player Laura Youngston, until she found a group of individuals from all over the world who shared her ambition. 

Being one of many women who has faced gender prejudice on the pitch, Laura decided a game played at record-breaking heights might help end the discrimination of women who play football. 

With the help of an all-female team, Laura and her Equal Playing Field co-founders achieved the record for the Highest altitude game of football (soccer) - hiking Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa to play 5,714 m above sea level.

Despite difficult breathing conditions, a long-winded match and a week-long journey, the elite women, consisting of Olympians, captains and national soccer stars, persevered with the hopes that their message would spark equality, respect, and appreciation for the next generation of players.

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On becoming female record holders

"The best moment was when we reached the crater at the top of Kilimanjaro with our team, and I knew that we would make the record," said Laura.

"Prior to the attempt, I had been dreaming about the whistle blowing for kickoff, and suddenly we were finally there.

"It felt so good to be standing up there with all these other incredible women, about to make history.

"A big part of our record was having Guinness World Records recognise our match not only as the Highest altitude female football match, but also as the Highest altitude football match overall. It’s a small but crucial point that shows that women are able to compete on an equal footing.

"Growing up, I was so inspired by Guinness World Records and now that we have a record, I've found it inspires other people to take up their own challenges.

"Getting the world record has meant that what we did is an unalterable fact. We often have to prove ourselves more than men to be taken seriously, both on the football field and in the workplace. Now, we can just show the journey of our record and it stands as a testament to the dedication and determination of the squad.

"Since the game, we have had such an amazing response from women and men around the world who have been inspired by what we did. They have admired the boldness, the camaraderie of the group and the fact that we put ourselves out there and conquered the impossible."

"We’ve been overwhelmed by the responses that women from the team have had in their own countries, as 25 nationalities took part in the game.

"From our Jordanian players, Haneen and Yasmeen, appearing on TV, to our Argentinian player, Josefina, being showcased in a U2 concert, to Vikki, our Scottish Referee, being named in YWCA’s 30 under 30 list, each of the women have elevated the message that girls in sport are valued and that there should be more opportunities to play.

"I remember before the attempt began, people queued up to tell us that we wouldn’t be able to play the match at the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro.

"We often heard, 'it’s never been done before,' and, 'it’s impossible.' Instead of crushing us, we took their comments and turned it into fuel to help us achieve our goal.

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"We managed risk, planned the details and surrounded ourselves with an amazing support crew to ensure we focused on the mission and our capabilities, not what everyone else thought of us.

Since earning the record, we haven’t let anything hold us back from planning how to spread this message with more records.

In fact, we’re just about to head to Jordan to play another match at the lowest point on Earth, at the Dead Sea - going from the highest to the lowest.

"We want to celebrate women in sports and provide a platform for girls around the world push for equality in that world. It’s important for girls know they can challenge expectations and have no limits when it comes to athletics."

"Our message is clear: invest in women and girls in sport and see them thrive – and we hope to keep spreading it.

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