From playing with boys in Garden Compound to a Copper Queens midfield ace: The story of Mary Mwakapila

By Lushomo Namwambwa | April 8, 2020

Mary Mwakapila is one of the most recognized female football players in Zambia, thanks to her creative way of playing football on the pitch and eye for goal.

The Green Buffaloes Women’s team attacking midfielder is a key member of Coach Bruce Mwape’s squad that made history by qualifying to the Olympics.

The diminutive midfielder scored two very important goals in the campaign, The lone goal in the 1-0 win over Botswana at home and the opening goal in the 2-1 win over Cameroon at Nkoloma Stadium on 10th March, The day of the historical triumph.

The ZamFoot Crew sat down with the midfield genius to discuss her career so far and everything surrounding her rise to becoming one of the best female football players on the continent.

Q: How did u get to start playing football?

A: It all started with chipombwa for fun at a very young age playing with guys then interest grew until I joined a youth male club called D Yellow Stars in our area Garden compound from there I attracted interest from so many girls teams like Bauleni United and breakthrough Academy for girls. I joined breakthrough in 2008 played half-season then moved to Bauleni United and that’s where my career grew and I found a chance to play for the national team at U-14 level during the Norway cup in 2009.

Q) How have you managed to play for this long?

A: It has not been an easy journey but I am managing because I believe in my self and what I can bring to the table as an individual. I’m managing because I have discovered it’s my God-given talent and it has given me many more reasons to work extra hard and divide my time well looking at the level I am at now since I started in 2007/2008.

Q) Tell us a bit about yourself and where you are today?

3:I am a simple girl, Mwakapila Mary coming from a very humble background born and raised in garden compound under the roof of Mwakapila Robert and Christina njobvu.


Did my primary school at New Northmead grade 6 to 9 and later did my secondary school grades 10 to 12 at Libala secondary school in Lusaka.

In 2015 I paused my active football career and joined an organization called Grassrootsoccer (GRZ) as a peer(facilitator).GRZ is an organization that uses the power of soccer to educate, inspire and mobilize the prevention of HIV/AIDS and other STIs, as well as teaching youths about life skills and how to be an influence as a youth in the societies we come from in order to be healthy as a whole, during my time in this organization in 2015, was awarded peer leader of the year(best youth leader)

2016 got back to my soccer life as it has always been a part of me

Q) Are u happy with the growth of the game in Zambia?

A: yes I am happy looking at where we coming from women’s football and the level we are at now it’s something I can point at and say I have achieved something in my career.

Q) How many more years do you think you left with playing at the highest level?

A: I will not talk about the years because I still have so much I want to achieve in my career I am looking at the progress of our game as women it’s something that needs a little more push by me and my team hence I don’t see myself stopping until seeing ourselves on top of things I have a lot more time to improve myself and my career.

Q) Tell us about your plans for life after football?

A: Becoming a lawyer has always been in my heart since childhood but for the love of the game after I stop playing I want to be a soccer administrator at some point especially dealing with women’s and girls sport because I want to see a lot of growth in women’s empowerment through sport, I want to be an icon and an inspiration to a girl child.

Girls have always been looked down on when it comes to sport and talent in particular by others and sometimes they look down on themselves.