Capri Sports signs 15 year deal with AIFF for women’s football leagues

MUMBAI: Indian women’s football is getting a long-term game plan, with Capri Sports entering a 15-year partnership with the All India Football Federation (AIFF) covering the Indian Women’s League (IWL) and Indian Women’s League 2 (IWL 2).

The partnership will see Capri Sports take charge of the commercial development and marketing of both leagues, with the company looking to build audiences, increase the visibility of clubs and players, attract brands and investment, and expand broadcast and digital engagement.

The agreement marks Capri Sports’ latest push into women’s sport and comes alongside its recent launch of Nova Sports, a girls-first grassroots football ecosystem. The company says the two initiatives are intended to create a pathway stretching from grassroots participation to the highest levels of domestic club football.

Under the 15-year partnership, Capri Sports will work on the commercial development of the IWL and IWL 2, with a focus on creating greater value across the leagues and their wider ecosystem.

The company’s plans include strengthening the leagues’ audience base, improving visibility for players and clubs and creating opportunities for greater brand participation. Broadcast and digital engagement will also form part of its commercial strategy.

The partnership gives Capri Sports a long runway to work on the women’s football ecosystem, rather than limiting its involvement to individual seasons or short-term campaigns.

The company said its ambition is to develop the IWL and IWL 2 into competitions that attract regular fan attention, become aspirational platforms for players and offer brands a stronger association with Indian women’s football.

With Nova Sports focused on the grassroots and the IWL and IWL 2 positioned at the top of the domestic pyramid, Capri Sports is looking to connect different stages of the women’s football journey from a girl’s first touch of the ball to competing at the highest level of club football in India.