Dalima Chhibber Joins Nova Sports to Build the Next Generation of Girls’ Football in India

Indian national team footballer Dalima Chhibber has taken on a new role beyond the playing field, joining Nova Sports as its Football Culture & Player Pathways Lead. 

The appointment will see the experienced defender play a hands-on role in developing a structured pathway for young girls aspiring to build careers in football.

Based in Mumbai, Nova Sports is looking to use Chhibber’s experience as an international footballer and sports psychologist to strengthen its football development programme. Her responsibilities will include contributing to the curriculum at the Nova Football Academy, shaping player development processes, mentoring athletes and acting as a point of contact for players, coaches and parents.

The role will also extend to coach development, with a particular focus on identifying and developing more female coaches within the sport.

Chhibber's involvement is aimed at creating a system that goes beyond technical football training. According to the footballer, developing young athletes requires attention to their physical, mental and overall personal growth. 

“I’m excited to bring my experience as a player and a sports psychologist, along with my international exposure, to contribute to and help shape the Nova Sports programme and its football curriculum,” Chhibber said. She emphasised that player development involves much more than teaching technical skills.

“Developing an athlete is not just about teaching them how to kick a ball; there is so much more that goes into developing a player holistically,” she added. Her role will therefore include helping establish a development philosophy that incorporates football training alongside mental preparation, nutrition, guidance and broader athlete support. The long-term objective is to create a pathway through which young girls can see football as a potential professional career, pursue the sport with greater confidence and eventually aspire to represent India at the highest level.

Addressing Gaps in Women’s Football

Chhibber's appointment comes against the backdrop of her own experiences within Indian women's football. She believes that the sport has significant potential but still requires greater structure and support at the grassroots level.

“As players and as women footballers, we have been fighting for more structure and for people to come in and help the sport grow,” she said.

She described the entry of Capri Sports and the Nova Sports initiative as an opportunity to build a pathway connecting grassroots participation with elite football. For Chhibber, the importance of such a system lies in giving young players access to opportunities that were not available when she began playing.

SuperNova Football Championship Provides a Starting Point

Nova Sports recently held the inaugural SuperNova Football Championship (SNFC) in Bengaluru, providing an early example of its grassroots approach. The two-day 7-a-side tournament brought together school teams from across Bengaluru and gave young girls an opportunity to compete in a dedicated football environment. Chhibber attended the championship as a special guest and witnessed young players from different age groups and schools competing against one another.

Reflecting on the experience, she highlighted how different the landscape is compared with when she began playing. “When I started playing, tournaments like this didn't exist,” Chhibber said.

She described the championship as one of the major grassroots events she had seen in Indian women's football and pointed to the importance of providing young players with regular opportunities to compete. According to Chhibber, gaps around facilities, accessibility, basic structure and athlete support have historically made the development journey more difficult for aspiring female footballers.

The Nova Football Pathway is intended to address those gaps by establishing systems that support players at different stages of their development. Chhibber will contribute to the academy curriculum and operating processes while also mentoring athletes and supporting communication between players, coaches and parents. Another important component of her role will be coach development. Nova Sports intends to focus on identifying and developing more female coaches, potentially creating additional opportunities for women to remain involved in football beyond their playing careers.

This approach could help build a wider ecosystem around women's football rather than concentrating solely on player development.

For young athletes entering the Nova programme, Chhibber's presence also brings the benefit of having an established Indian international directly involved in their development. Her experience of competing at the highest levels, combined with her background in sports psychology, provides a perspective that can extend beyond technical coaching. Chhibber believes the ultimate goal should be to create an environment where young girls can dream bigger and see a realistic pathway from grassroots football to the national team.

“Not just teaching girls how to kick a ball, but developing them as players and as people holistically,” she said.

Her appointment therefore represents a significant component of Nova Sports' long-term ambitions for women's football. With grassroots competitions such as the SuperNova Football Championship providing the competitive foundation and Chhibber helping shape the development pathway, the initiative aims to create a more structured environment for India's next generation of female footballers.

For a sport where access, competition and structured development remain critical to long-term growth, bringing an experienced national team player into the heart of the programme could give young girls not only a pathway to follow, but also a role model who has already travelled it.