AIFF, Capri Sports Sign 15-Year Partnership to Drive Growth of Indian Women’s League

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has entered into a landmark 15-year partnership with Capri Sports aimed at strengthening the commercial and marketing landscape of women’s club football in India.

The long-term agreement covers the Indian Women’s League (IWL) and Indian Women’s League 2 (IWL 2), giving Capri Sports responsibility for leading the commercial development and marketing rights of the country’s top two tiers of women’s club football.

The partnership comes at a significant stage in the development of the women’s game in India, with the AIFF simultaneously expanding the domestic competition structure and creating additional opportunities for young players to progress through the national football system.

Under the agreement, Capri Sports will work closely with the AIFF and participating clubs to build stronger audiences around women’s club football. Its responsibilities will include efforts to increase the visibility of clubs and players, attract brands and investment, and strengthen broadcast and digital engagement around the IWL and IWL 2.

The 15-year duration provides the partnership with a long-term framework rather than focusing solely on individual seasons. The objective is to create a stronger commercial ecosystem around women’s football while helping clubs develop their own identities and connect with larger audiences. For the IWL, which represents the top level of women’s domestic club football in India, the partnership also provides an opportunity to build greater commercial value around the competition and its players.

The inclusion of IWL 2 is equally significant, as it places the second tier within the same broader commercial development pathway.

Expanding the Player Development Pathway

The commercial partnership comes alongside efforts by the AIFF to strengthen the competitive pathway for younger female footballers.

The federation has introduced dedicated youth competitions, with the Under-17 Women’s Youth League held in July and the inaugural Under-15 Women’s Youth League scheduled to begin in October.

These competitions provide additional opportunities for young players to experience organised competitive football at an early stage of their development.

The expansion of youth football also creates a more defined pathway from grassroots and age-group football towards senior club competition. With the IWL and IWL 2 operating at the senior level, the development of U-15 and U-17 competitions can help establish a broader structure for players progressing through different stages of their careers.

The long-term impact of such a system will depend on sustained participation, quality competition and opportunities for players to move into higher levels of the domestic game.

National Teams Showing Signs of Progress

The developments at club and youth level have coincided with encouraging results for India’s women’s national teams in 2026. The senior women’s national team qualified for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup through the qualifiers route, securing its place in the continental competition. At youth level, India also returned to both the AFC U-20 Women’s Asian Cup and AFC U-17 Women’s Asian Cup after lengthy absences from the respective continental competitions.

The return to these competitions provides Indian players with exposure to higher-level international football and gives the national system additional opportunities to assess and develop talent against teams from across Asia. The progress also highlights the importance of having a domestic structure capable of supporting players beyond youth competitions and into senior football.

The 15-year agreement between AIFF and Capri Sports comes as women’s football continues to develop both competitively and commercially.

For clubs, stronger marketing and commercial structures can help improve their visibility, build fan engagement and create opportunities for sponsorship and investment. For players, greater exposure can contribute to stronger recognition and potentially create more opportunities within the football ecosystem.

Broadcast and digital engagement will also be an important component of that growth. As sports audiences increasingly consume competitions through digital platforms alongside traditional broadcasting, creating consistent visibility for the IWL and IWL 2 will be central to building sustained interest.

The partnership therefore combines two important elements of the women’s football ecosystem: commercial development at the senior level and expanded competition at the youth level.

With the AIFF continuing to expand the women’s football pathway and Capri Sports taking on the commercial and marketing development of the IWL and IWL 2, the agreement establishes a long-term framework for the next phase of Indian women’s club football.

The success of that framework will ultimately be measured through stronger clubs, greater visibility for players, increased audience engagement and a sustainable domestic pathway capable of supporting India’s ambitions at the international level.