9 June, 2026 | Mumbai: India Khelo Football (IKF), with support from Tyger Capital, has announced the expansion of its flagship Naari Shakti Trials programme to more than 40 locations across India. The initiative, India’s first all-girls, women-led football scouting programme, aims to address a critical challenge in women’s football: the lack of accessible and structured pathways for young girls to enter the sport.
The expansion follows research conducted by IKF, which found that while 62.7% of girls aspired to pursue football seriously, many faced barriers including limited opportunities, safety concerns, financial constraints and low awareness of professional pathways. The study also revealed that 98.3% of girls felt comfortable participating only in an all-female environment, while 95.8% of participants and parents reported increased confidence when trials were conducted entirely by women.
Designed to address these barriers, Naari Shakti Trials are conducted entirely by women, including scouts, coordinators, referees, physiotherapists and operations staff, creating a professional and supportive environment where girls are assessed solely on football merit.
The programme’s first phase was conducted across Ranipet, Mathura, Pune, Jaipur, Gorakhpur and Siwan, attracting 346 participants, with 42 players progressing into further pathways and 13 female scouts trained. Jaipur recorded the highest participation, with 121 girls taking part in the trials.
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.”
Gaurav Gupta, Founder, Managing Director & CEO Tyger Capital, said:
“What stood out to us was the gap between aspiration and access. The research showed that many girls wanted to pursue football seriously, yet lacked a structured pathway to do so. When participation rises simply by creating a safe, women-led environment, it becomes clear that talent has never been the constraint; access has.
At Tyger Capital, our role has always been to enable growth by expanding access to opportunities. The same principle applies here. Naari Shakti Trials is creating visibility, confidence and pathways for young girls who may otherwise never enter the system. The response across six cities has been encouraging, and we are proud to support its expansion to more than 40 locations across India.”
About India Khelo Football:
India Khelo Football (IKF) is a Section 8 non-profit phygital grassroots scouting ecosystem that annually reaches 100+ cities and villages, assesses 15,000+ players, and connects talent with 20+ ISL, I-League clubs and top academies. IKF runs nationwide trials, scout certification, mentor-led development and Career 360 programs to create professional, educational and livelihood pathways for young players. Through corporate partnerships, community outreach and talent showcases, IKF builds scalable pipelines into Indian football while promoting inclusion, especially for girls and underserved regions.
About Tyger Capital:
Tyger Capital is a non-banking financial company (NBFC) providing customized financial solutions across semi-urban and rural India. Its vision is to support micro-entrepreneurs — be it a farmer, a transporter, or a small business owner. Its subsidiary, Tyger Home Finance, provides home loans to first-time home buyers. Founded in 2017, Tyger operates through over 235 branches across eight states. It has a loan book of over ₹8,700 crores and has supported more than 200,000+ micro-entrepreneurs and homeowners. Guided by a customer-first philosophy, Tyger Capital leverages technology to make the lending process simple, quick, and accessible, aiming to be the most convenient financial partner for its customers.
