SuperNova Football Championship makes a standout debut in Bengaluru, bringing together schools to celebrate the next generation of girls' football

The inaugural SuperNova Football Championship (SNFC) concluded on Sunday at Depot18, Bengaluru, marking a strong start to Capri Sports' Nova Sports initiative. Over two days, schools competed across the U13, U15 and U17 categories, in a Championship built around the girls themselves - from the pitches to the football to everything happening around it.

Players, coaches and families who walked into Depot18 were met with a matchday experience that raised the bar for what school-level girls' football can look like - multiple pitches, a professionally run competition format, and an atmosphere that mirrored elite-level football. Schools and parents were visibly struck by the scale of the setup and the care that had gone into the experience.

The football matched the occasion. Across the two days, the Championship recorded 69 matches and 222 goals, with the standard of play unmatched at this level - every one of the teams competed to the final whistle, making for closely fought contests across all three age categories right through to the finals.

In U13, Anvesha Pandey of Greenwood High was named Top Goalscorer with 20 goals, while Tanvi Maheshwari of Headstart Academy was named Best Goalkeeper and A S Mithra Hayathi of Greenwood High was named Most Valuable Player. In U15, Aayushi Karanth of Greenwood High was the Top Goalscorer with 16 goals, Anaisha Gupta of Headstart Academy was named Best Goalkeeper and Richa Bhatta of Greenwood High was adjudged Most Valuable Player. In U17, Kakulavaerapu Krishna Manogya of DPS Bangalore East finished as Top Goalscorer with 10 goals, Preksha of DPS Bangalore East was named Best Goalkeeper and Vaishnavi M of M.S. Dhoni School, Hosur, was named Most Valuable Player.

More Than a Tournament: A Complete Football Experience

SNFC was designed to be more than a school football tournament - it was a complete football experience for players, schools, coaches and families. Alongside competitive action across multiple pitches, the Championship featured interactive engagement zones, football mini-games open to everyone, content opportunities, player recognition and partner experiences.

The engagement brought in by Nova Sports and its partners was a clear highlight for the young girls at the Championship. From foot bowling, sub soccer and target wall challenges, to ice cream and electrolyte hydration stations, to photo ops and activations like passport stamping, every touchpoint was thoughtfully designed - and thoroughly enjoyed by every girl who took part.

The semi-finals and final in each age category were streamed live on www.novasportsfootball.in, with full matches also available on SportVot's YouTube channel.

Celebrating the Community Behind the Game

SuperNova Football Championship was as much about the community behind girls' football as it was about the football itself. A big thank you to the parents who came out to cheer the girls on, and to the coaches whose guidance shapes these young athletes both on and off the pitch — fittingly, the Championship also gave us a chance to celebrate the coaches in a small way for Teachers' Day. Their support, together with that of the referees who officiated both days with care, is exactly what keeps girls playing and progressing in the sport, and we hope to see even more of it as Nova Sports grows.

Indian women's national team footballer Dalima Chhibber was present at the event as a special guest and was thrilled with the level of exposure the youngsters were getting. She stated, “It has been amazing to see the energy, enthusiasm and excitement that every young girl has brought to the Championship. I think Capri Sports deserves a lot of credit for creating a platform like this and investing in the development of girls' football. They are curious to learn, eager to explore what football can offer them and, most importantly, they are not afraid to dream big. As a player who has been on this journey for many years, it has been incredibly special to be part of this experience. The level of football has been impressive, with some standout performances, and this platform gives the girls an opportunity to showcase their skills, understand where they are in their development and where they can improve. It is a great opportunity for young girls to come together, learn from each other, make friends and discover where football can take them.”

Jinisha Sharma, Director, Capri Sports, said, “The success of the inaugural SuperNova Football Championship reinforces our belief in the opportunity to build a stronger ecosystem for girls' football in India. At Capri Sports, our investment in Nova Sports is a long-term commitment to creating meaningful opportunities for girls to play, develop and compete consistently. It has also been encouraging to see partners and brands come on board and believe in what we are building, and we are grateful to all our sponsors for supporting the first edition of SNFC. This kind of collective support is important as we look to grow the platform sustainably. Bengaluru has been a strong start, and our ambition is to build Nova Sports into a scalable platform that creates lasting impact for girls' football across the country.”

Apurv Gupta, Director, Contact Sports, Capri Sports, echoed the sentiment and said, “The success of the inaugural SuperNova Football Championship is a strong start to what we are building through Nova Sports. Bengaluru showed us just how much excitement and enthusiasm there is for dedicated competitive opportunities for girls. What stood out for us was not just the quality of football, but the energy across the entire Championship, with players coming together to create a vibrant football community. SNFC is the first step in our larger vision of building a connected pathway that combines development and competition, and we look forward to building on this momentum as Nova Sports grows.”

The Championship was supported by its partners, including Fast&Up as the Hydration Partner, Nivia as the Equipment Partner, Noto Ice Cream & Desserts as the Ice Cream Partner, Phab as the Nutrition Partner and Playdate as the Personal Care Partner. Their participation added to the overall experience for players and families while supporting the Championship's ambition of building a strong platform around girls' football.

What's Next

Building on the momentum of SuperNova Football Championship debut, Nova Sports will soon open the Nova Football Academy, extending its pathway from grassroots competition into structured, long-term football development for girls.