India Khelo Football (IKF), supported by Tyger Capital, has announced the nationwide expansion of its Naari Shakti Trials programme, extending the women-only football scouting initiative to more than 40 cities across India as it seeks to widen access to talent identification opportunities for aspiring female footballers.
The move follows a successful pilot phase conducted in Pune, Jaipur, Mathura, Ranipet, Gorakhpur and Siwan, where 346 players participated in the trials. Of those, 42 advanced into structured football development pathways, while 13 female scouts were trained as part of the programme’s broader objective of strengthening women’s representation across the football ecosystem.
Unlike conventional talent identification programmes, Naari Shakti Trials operates entirely through a women-led framework, with female scouts, referees, physiotherapists, coordinators and operational staff overseeing every stage of the process. The model was developed in response to research conducted by IKF, which highlighted significant participation barriers facing young girls interested in pursuing football.
According to the study, 62.7% of respondents expressed a serious interest in building a career in the sport, yet access and confidence remained key challenges. Notably, 98.3% of surveyed girls indicated they would be more comfortable attending trials conducted in an all-female environment, while 95.8% of participants and parents reported greater trust in programmes managed entirely by wom
Commenting on the initiative, Phani Bhushan, Founder, India Khelo Football (IKF), said, “We didn’t build Naari Shakti Trials because girls were asking for a safe space. We built it because our research showed that without one, 98% of them were never going to step onto a trial ground at all. Every girl we scout, every female scout we train, every parent who brings their daughter back for the next round — that is the system correcting itself. Tyger Capital understood that this is infrastructure, not charity. That is why this partnership works.”
Backed by Tyger Capital, the expanded programme is expected to become one of India’s largest dedicated grassroots scouting initiatives for female footballers, creating new pathways for talent discovery while contributing to the long-term development of women’s football across the country.
