Indian women’s football is witnessing a wave of optimism after the national team’s successful qualification for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 in Australia. Former India captain Aditi Chauhan believes this achievement is both significant and overdue, while also taking major steps off the field to build a stronger grassroots ecosystem for women in the sport.
Talking exclusive to Zee News English; Calling the qualification a “huge achievement,” Chauhan noted that it should not come as a surprise. “We believed in this. We believed that we could qualify for the World Cup back in 2022 also when we hosted the Asia Cup. But obviously, unfortunately, because of COVID, we couldn’t continue. We couldn’t achieve that dream. But that dream lived on through the players that continued being in the national team who were part of this qualifying team as well, players like Sangeeta, Manisha who were part of our group back then,” she said.
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For Chauhan, the moment also underlines the importance of building more competitive platforms for women at the grassroots. That vision has taken shape in the relaunch of the She Kicks Football League (SKFL) a multi-city competition exclusively for girls and women. Founded by her in 2018, SKFL is designed to address the lack of structured, year-round competition in India that limits player development.
“Well actually I started SheKicks back in 2018 with the thought that every struggle that I faced, the challenges that I faced I was hoping to make a small contribution through my personal capacity to make that journey a little bit easier,” Chauhan explained. “While growing up and pursuing football in India and abroad, I had to figure out everything on my own. There were a lot of challenges that I faced and found solutions to myself without any external support. So I thought, why not try to give back and do something to make this journey a little bit easier for the next generation.”
SKFL’s 2025 edition began in Bengaluru on September 7 and will travel to Kolkata, Delhi, and Mumbai in the coming weeks. Chauhan’s aim is to gradually expand the league into tier 2 and tier 3 cities. “Like I said, the talent is everywhere. Yes, we wanted to start off with the Metro cities. We also wanted to get a word out there, get more visibility to the league, get more sponsorship and support in that area as well. Because even this time doing Metro cities, we’ve struggled with getting sponsors, convincing them for numbers rather than the impact that the league can create on the girls and in the long-term vision of not just She Kicks but also of women’s football in India,” she said.
The league’s format, starting with five-a-side and small competitions, is designed to encourage participation from a wider pool of players. The overwhelming response from the first edition in 2023, where teams even travelled from Maharashtra to Delhi, convinced Chauhan that demand for competitive football among young women is strong.
“Creating more competitions because no matter how much you train, unless you’re putting that in competitions and competing against other athletes and other footballers, you’ll never be able to improve,” Chauhan said.
With India aiming to build on its Asian Cup momentum, initiatives like SKFL could prove vital in giving aspiring female footballers the opportunities they need to dream bigger. For Chauhan, the mission is clear: making sure the next generation doesn’t face the same barriers she once did.