By News18,Ritayan Basu

Copyright news18

Former India captain Aditi Chauhan has relaunched the She Kicks Football League (SKFL), a multi-city competition dedicated exclusively to women.
SKFL began its 2025 season in Bengaluru on September 7 and will now travel to Kolkata, Delhi and Mumbai.
Chauhan, who has been at the forefront of developing the women’s game in India, in an exclusive interaction with News18 Sports, explained why this league is so significant.
“I think it’s been amazing. I was there last Sunday when we started this league here in Bangalore. This is the first time we’re doing this league in multiple cities. It was a nervous moment for me, but I’m really happy with the way the first day went,” she said.

According to her, the initiative is not just about competition, but about building pathways. “The vision behind doing the league and conducting this tournament was to provide a platform for the youngsters, for the girls who aspire to reach the next level or aspire to go to the national team or beyond and play professionally. Based on the feedback and the level of competition, I think we are achieving that purpose.”
The SKFL league features a diverse mix of professional, semi-professional, and amateur teams, providing a platform for both established and emerging players. Beyond the football pitch, the league has committed to donating 15% of its net profits to the Aditi Chauhan Foundation, ensuring grassroots development remains a priority.
But why start in metros like Bengaluru, Kolkata, Delhi and Mumbai rather than football “hotspots”, Chauhan is clear: “We’ve done Delhi before, we’ve done Mumbai before, but not multiple cities at once. For us, starting from metro cities made sense because we knew there is participation, and the pool of players is bigger. The idea in the future is to grow bigger and go deeper into Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. But for that, we need resources and finances. Even with these four cities, it has been hard to find sponsors.”
She also pointed out that talent today is no longer confined to traditional hubs. “If you had said this a couple of years ago, I would have agreed with you that Manipur or Haryana are hotspots. But that’s not the story now. Women’s football has grown all around the country. You have players from Bangalore, Maharashtra and Delhi. So the reality is much wider than what’s visible at first,” Chauhan said.
Accessibility, she stressed, is not just about location but also affordability. “Even in metro cities, not all girls have resources. Some come from smaller or underserved communities. We’ve even sponsored a few teams that couldn’t pay the participation fees. So this league really has a mix of all kinds of players,” she said.

Looking ahead, SKFL’s schedule will see matches in Kolkata in October, Delhi in November and Mumbai in December. Chauhan acknowledged the challenges in some centres.
“In Kolkata, players are usually paid to play small tournaments, so getting teams to pay and play here is difficult. We’re burning out of our own pocket, but we’ve committed ourselves because there is so much talent and culture of football there,” she said.
For Chauhan, SKFL is about filling gaps in the system: “Yes, there are state leagues everywhere, but not everyone gets the opportunity. A lot of our participants are under-17 girls who don’t always get the chance to play in state leagues. They train at academies, but need competitive minutes to prove themselves. That’s what She Kicks is providing.”
As the league expands, she hopes its impact will stretch beyond the pitch. “We believe in our vision, but we do need support. We can’t do everything on our own. I hope what we deliver this year brings more sponsors and more support in the future,” Chauhan concluded.