India Khelo Football expands Naari Shakti Trials to unlock female football talent

In a massive boost to women’s football, the India Khelo Football (IKF) (https://indiakhelofootball.com/), with assistance from Tyger Capital, has announced the nationwide expansion of the Naari Shakti trials program. With this decision, the women-only football scouting initiative will spread its footprint across more than 40 Indian cities, widening opportunities for aspiring Indian female footballers.

The expansion comes after a successful pilot phase in Pune, Jaipur, Mathura, Ranipet, Gorakhpur, and Siwan, where 346 players participated in the trials. Out of the total participants, 42 players proceeded into structured football development pathways, while 13 of them got training under the Naari Shakti trials program’s broader objective to promote female participation in football across the nation.

Moving beyond the conventional scouting programs, the Nari Shakti trials program promotes a women-led framework, including female scouts, referees, physiotherapists, and coordinators in the trials process. The scouting model helps to identify female football talent across the country.

Referring to the scouting model, Phani Bhushan, founder of 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.”

Sportscape believes the India Khelo Football’s ambition to expand the Naari Shakti trials program will help to identify female football talent from different corners of the country. The scouting model holds potential to produce national and international-level female football players in the long run.