In the late-1990s, when girls playing football was dismissed as unladylike and often met with ridicule, one woman in Gweru's Mkoba suburb dared to think differently.
Armed with nothing more than passion and conviction, Felistas Tongogara, affectionately known as Mai Tongogara, founded Chipembere Queens in 1999 — a girls’ football team from a drum majorettes club.
The team later turned out to be the seed of a women’s football revolution in the Midlands province. At the time, football fields were the preserve of boys and men.
Girls who showed interest were labelled rebels, and parents discouraged them from “wasting time” on a sport that society believed was not theirs to play.
But Tongogara refused to bow to patriarchy.
“People used to laugh at us. They said I was wasting time trying to make girls play football,” she recalls.
“But I saw talent and I saw dreams in those young girls. I knew if I didn’t fight for them, no one would.”
What started as a small initiative at football grounds in Mkoba 6 grew into something bigger.
Chipembere Queens became a sanctuary for many girls in Gweru — a place where they could lace up boots without shame, where they could run, dribble, and dream.
In 2003, Chipembere Queens qualified to play in Norway and for the majority of the players and executive, it was their first time to go to Europe.
After the European tour, girls soccer enthusiasm grew and Chipembere Queens became a big institution in Gweru and beyond, signing even players from outside the country.
In 2011, Gweru City Council, which was the major sponsor pulled out, but Tongogara who was an employee in the council's social welfare department did not budge.
Her resilience over the years gave birth to one of Zimbabwe’s strongest football teams now playing in the top flight Zimbabwe Women Soccer League (ZWSL).
Chipembere Queens was later to be changed ownership in May last year as the team, which had now been reunited with Gweru City Council was teetering on the verge of collapse due to lack of finances.
In came Sheasham Investment, who took over the team and subsequently changed the name to Sheasham Gweru Queens.
Speaking about the change of ownership, Sheasham president Clever Mandaza said the decision to adopt the club was based on his company's love for sport and development and empowerment of the girl child.
“Sheasham companies and the city of Gweru have had a long standing relationship since 1993. Both institutions share passion for football considering it to be the noblest of all sports,” Mandaza said.
“The partnership between these two entities is premised on the shared love for sport… Football can play a role in making the girl child exemplary.”
Amid the ownership changes, Tongogara remained within the rudimentary of girls soccer development that saw her spearhead the establishment of a female soccer league in the Midlands.
She also doubles as Sheasham Gweru Queens manager and her daughter, Shylet, a former goal keeper of Chipembere Queens, is the team medic.
Today, the Central Region Women’s Soccer League boasts a competitive structure that has produced some of the country’s finest players.
“Some of the players who passed through my hands went on to represent the Mighty Warriors. That gives me pride because it shows the work we started decades ago was not in vain,” she says with a smile.
The journey, however, has not been easy. Sponsorship has always been elusive, and the women’s game often struggles for recognition.
Yet, where resources have failed, Tongogara’s persistence has carried the dream forward. She has knocked on doors, mobilised communities, and at times dug into her own pocket to ensure young girls got a chance to play.
“There were times when teams could not even afford transport. Sometimes I would use my own resources. I could not let the girls down,” she says.
Beyond building teams, Tongogara’s work has also been about dismantling harmful stereotypes.
In a society where women in sport were seen as rebels, she has helped shift perceptions.
Today, parents in Gweru and across the Midlands proudly send their daughters to join local teams, a transformation that seemed impossible 30 years ago.
“When I started, people thought women’s football was a joke. Now, I see parents bringing their daughters to play. That is the biggest success — changing the mindset,” she says.
Her passion has not gone unnoticed. Players speak of her as a mentor and a mother figure.
“Mai Tongogara was more than an administrator. She believed in us when no one else did. She pushed us to work hard, even when things were tough,” said a former Chipembere Queens player.
Through her leadership, enthusiasm for women’s football has grown in the province. Matches in the Midlands now attract interest, and the league continues to produce stars who dream of international recognition.
For Tongogara, the mission is far from complete. She envisions a future where women’s football enjoys equal treatment with the men’s game — in resources, coverage, and respect.
“We have come a long way, but we are not yet where we want to be. Women’s football still needs strong investment and media support. If given the same platform, our girls can conquer Africa,” she says.
From the dusty pitches of Mkoba to the national stage, Mai Tongogara’s story is one of courage, resilience, and trailblazing leadership.
Against patriarchy, prejudice, and poverty, she has built a legacy that continues to inspire girls to dream — and to play.
As the whistle blows on yet another weekend of women’s league matches in the Midlands, the echoes of her vision resound: football is for everyone, and young girls deserve a place on the pitch.
