Ex England star Rachel Unitt is taking part in a world record attempt, on Mount Kilimanjaro, to call for better equality for women and girls in sport.
Former England international Rachel Unitt will be hitting the heights – big time! – when she sets out to help establish a world altitude football match record in a call for an equal playing field for all women and girls in sport writes TONY LEIGHTON.
In a spectacular affirmation of the ‘This Girl Can’ slogan, Unitt will be playing in an all-female game being played on 24 June at 18,799 feet on Tanzania’s famous Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa.
The ex-Wolverhampton Wanderers, Fulham, Everton and Birmingham City full-back, who celebrates her 35th birthday on 5 June, will be part of a 30-strong group of players from more than 20 countries from around the world.
“We want to climb this huge mountain to inspire women and girls all over the world,” said Unitt, whose training routine for the event includes wearing an elevation mask and weighted vest to help her get acclimatised for the challenge.
“Too many girls drop out from sport because the support and the investment is lacking,” she added. “But we want them to know that no matter what barriers or challenges they may face, they should never give up. Anything is possible.”
The 11-a-side 90-minute match, which will be entered in the Guinness Book of Records, will be the highlight of an eight-day trek that is going to be filmed for the making of a feature-length documentary.
Unitt, now a PE teacher at Walsall’s Jane Lane special needs school, said: “It’s going to be nuts! It’s an absolutely massive challenge, but I’m really excited about it and after putting so much hard work into training I can’t wait to get started.”
Jane Lane’s head Tony Milovsorov, an ex-GB marathon runner, has given Unitt time off work for the venture, for which she – along with the rest of the players taking part – is having to provide her own funding.
“It’s a bit costly,” she admitted, “but I’m passionate about the cause. I want to do my bit to raise awareness levels of women in sport, to increase respect for female athletes and encourage more girls to take up and continue playing sport.”
If anybody would like to support Unitt’s participation in the all-female record making attempt: https://www.gofundme.com/rachels-record-breaking-challenge?rcid=e158f77b3d7f4fc4985bd558840a5fc7
