Industry Odisha Bureau, Aug 11: A new chapter for girls’ football in India began today as Capri Sports officially launched Nova Sports, its girls-only football development initiative, designed to create a structured pathway from grassroots participation to elite football. The initiative aims to provide girls aged 8–18 with a structured pathway that combines quality coaching, meaningful competition and long-term player development through an integrated football ecosystem.
The initiative will begin with the SuperNova Football Championship, a 7-a-side schools tournament across the U13, U15 and U17 age groups, to be held on September 5 and 6 at Depot18, Bengaluru.
Bringing together almost 50 teams from across the city, the Championship has been designed as more than just a football tournament – it is a celebration of the sport, offering a professional match-day experience for players, schools, families and coaches.
From competitive football and engagement zones to recognition awards, interactive brand experiences and shareable content moments, the Championship aims to create a memorable platform that inspires greater participation in girls’ football.
Students will also have the opportunity to register for the Nova Football Academy, a grassroots football programme, creating a structured system to identify, nurture and develop young footballers through consistent coaching and competitive opportunities.
Built around the philosophy of “Girls first. Always.”, Nova Sports has been designed exclusively for girls and not adapted from an existing boys’ programme. Every aspect of the initiative, from its internationally benchmarked coaching methodologies and girl-centred curriculum to its safeguarding standards, technology platform and competitive structure, has been intentionally created around the needs and aspirations of Indian girls.
By bringing together school football, academy training and structured competition, Nova Sports seeks to bridge the gap between grassroots participation and elite performance, creating a clear pathway for girls from their first experience of the game to the highest levels of the sport.
To deliver and scale the initiative, Capri Sports has partnered with India On Track (IOT) as the execution partner for Nova Sports. One of India’s leading grassroots sports development organisations, IOT has extensive experience in designing and delivering grassroots initiatives, having worked with prominent Global & Indian rights holders & Brands like the NBA, Premier League, LaLiga, MLB, Gujarat Titans, Apollo Tyres, Coke & Heineken to name a few.
Over the next decade, Capri Sports envisions scaling the initiative from a single city to a national footprint, with the goal of reaching more than 1.5 million girls through this initiative. This vision will be driven by two interconnected pathways – a full development pipeline and a structured competitive pathway.
While the development pipeline will focus on grassroots academies, coach education and internationally benchmarked training standards, the competitive pathway will provide regular match exposure ensuring every girl has a clear pathway to progress in the sport.
Speaking on the launch, Jinisha Sharma, Director & Promoter, Capri Sports, said, “Building the future of Indian sport starts with investing in strong grassroots ecosystems and creating opportunities early. At Capri Sports, we’ve chosen to focus much of that investment on women’s sport because we believe it represents one of India’s greatest opportunities for growth. Nova Sports is another step in that journey, helping more girls access the coaching, competition and support they need to fulfil their potential.”
“Our vision is to build a cohesive and interconnected football pathway for girls at every stage of their journey. Guided by our principle, ‘Girls First. Always’, every decision we make is viewed through the lens of what will best support their development, ambitions and wellbeing. By creating a system that combines structured development, sustained support and a high-performance environment, we want every girl – regardless of her previous experience – to have the opportunity to play, progress and realise her potential,” said Apurv Gupta, Director, Contact Sports, Capri Sports.
Ultimately, we hope the impact of Nova Sports extends far beyond the football field, shaping confidence, resilience and opportunity for every athlete who joins us, he said.
