Capri Sports on Tuesday announced the launch of Nova Sports, a girls-only football development platform designed to provide a structured pathway for female players in India from grassroots participation through to elite levels. The initiative seeks to close long-standing gaps in coaching, competitive exposure and talent identification for girls across the country.
Objective and framework
The programme will operate under the umbrella of the Capri Sports Foundation, which the company says has a long-term commitment to advancing women’s sport in India through investment in research, access, athlete support and education. Nova Sports aims to create an interconnected ecosystem linking schools, local academies, coach development and competitive opportunities to enable progression at every stage of a player’s journey.
Capri Sports said the platform is intended to address the absence of a clear, coherent pathway for girls who wish to pursue football beyond casual participation. The firm highlighted that while female participation has risen in recent years, a lack of structured development routes often forces talented players to drop out or remain unscouted.
Delivery partner and experience
To execute and scale Nova Sports, Capri Sports has partnered with India On Track (IOT) as the delivery partner. IOT is a grassroots sports development organisation with experience in designing and delivering programmes and has worked alongside global sporting properties including the NBA, Premier League, LaLiga and Formula 1, the company 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," said Jinisha Sharma, Director & Promoter, Capri Sports.
Where Nova Sports fits within Capri’s programmes
Nova Sports builds on Capri Sports’ existing portfolio of women-focused initiatives. The company cited two key elements of its ongoing work:
- The Sports Women — a platform centred on research, storytelling and industry conversations around women’s sport;
- Team Girl — a women-first sports community aimed at encouraging more women to play, watch and engage with sport.
Capri Sports said Nova Sports will specifically focus on delivering opportunities at multiple touchpoints: grassroots participation and training, coach development, competitive exposure and elite development. The intention is to create a pipeline that allows talented players to move through successive tiers of development rather than facing fragmented or ad hoc opportunities.
Expected outcomes and next steps
The company outlined a long-term goal of scaling the programme nationwide by working with schools, district academies and partner organisations to increase both access and retention of girls in the sport. By formalising a pathway, Capri Sports expects to improve talent identification, provide systematic coach education and increase competitive matches for age-group players.
Initial execution will be managed jointly with India On Track, leveraging the latter’s experience in grassroots delivery. Capri Sports indicated the programme will also draw on research and best practices developed under the Capri Sports Foundation to shape curriculum, monitoring and evaluation.
| Component | Focus |
|---|---|
| Grassroots participation | School programmes, community outreach, entry-level training |
| Coach development | Training for female and community coaches, curriculum support |
| Competitive exposure | Local and inter-school tournaments, talent ID events |
| Elite development | Advanced training, academy linkages, scouting |
While Capri Sports has not released detailed timelines or funding figures for Nova Sports, the organisation said the move forms part of its wider strategy to invest in women’s sport as a growth opportunity for Indian sport. The project follows growing calls from stakeholders for systematic development of girls’ football, which has struggled with inconsistent structures despite rising interest and improving performance at the national level.
With the launch of Nova Sports, Capri Sports joins a cohort of private stakeholders aiming to professionalise talent pathways in Indian women’s football and bolster the pipeline feeding state and national teams.
