The Foundation
A foundation putting girls on the pitch, wherever they start from
The Aditi Chauhan Foundation is a Section 8 not-for-profit, registered in 2022 and built on access, equity and empowerment. It uses football and education to open opportunity and increase participation of girls at the grassroots level across India, so that where a girl is born never decides how far she can play.
A women's football NGO built on access, equity and empowerment
The Aditi Chauhan Foundation, or ACF, is a Section 8 not-for-profit organisation registered in 2022. It was founded so that access to football, education and opportunity is not limited by gender, geography, or socio-economic background. Its vision is for girls to grow up with confidence, agency and equal access to sport, using football as a pathway to leadership, wellbeing and opportunity. Its mission is to create safe, inclusive football ecosystems that empower girls and young women to participate, lead and thrive, on and off the field.
Access, so a girl who wants to play can find a safe place to start.
Equity, so talent, not a family bank balance, decides who goes on.
Empowerment, using football as a route to leadership and wellbeing.
Education alongside sport, so girls thrive on and off the field.
Girls in India face low grassroots participation, low awareness of careers in sport, limited access to safe and inclusive spaces, social and cultural barriers, a shortage of professional pathways and visible role models, and a sharp drop-off in confidence during adolescence. ACF exists to close that gap, one girl and one programme at a time.
Why Aditi Chauhan started the foundation
The idea took shape in England, while Aditi was completing her MSc in Sports Management at Loughborough University and playing for Premier League club West Ham United FC. There she saw first-hand how a structured football-and-education ecosystem turns girls who love the game into players with a future. India had nothing like it, so she founded ACF to build a scalable, sustainable development pathway for girls, and she leads the foundation to this day. Having captained India and become the first Indian to play in the Premier League, she is now building the system she never had. You can read her full story on the About page.
What we aim to do
These aims have guided She Kicks and the foundation from the start. They are the mission spine of everything below.
- groups Build a women-centric and women driven sporting community.
- balance Promote gender equality.
- payments Provide financial assistance, employment and physical training to women players.
- support_agent Guidance and career counselling.
- family_restroom Educate and create awareness among parents of women players.
- military_tech Develop national team players.
- hub Bring all major stakeholders into one frame.
- nutrition Health and nutrition guidance.
- shield Provide a safe and secure playing environment.
- volunteer_activism Support underprivileged female footballers.
- sports Provide training by certified coaches and good infrastructure to the players.
Four programmes your support funds
Every programme is designed to be measurable and to align with the UN Sustainable Development Goals on health, gender equality, decent work, women empowerment and partnerships. This is where a gift goes.
Workshops
15 day workshops for 50 to 100 girls, to bring more of them into the game at grassroots level.
Talent Identification
Open trials and scouting camps of two to three days across ten camps a year, 50 to 100 girls each, to find the brightest players.
Long-Term Athlete Development
Develops national team players by funding scouted U-15 girls toward the 2035 Women's World Cup, with nutrition, strength and conditioning, education, quarterly assessments and foreign exchange.
Coaches Development
Creates employment for women in sport by mentoring ten coaches a year, each on a scholarship.
For a talented girl whose family cannot fund the journey, this is the difference between quitting and playing on. A gift of any size goes straight into the programmes above. Scouted girls go on to train at the She Kicks Academy, and the strongest progress toward the club, the professional summit of the pathway.
What we have done so far
Athletes are tracked by programme across technical ability, physical and mental fitness, leadership, education, attendance, and match statistics, with quarterly reviews. To date, 2,000+ girls have been directly impacted, with 10,000+ reached across ACF activity.
location_city Delhi NCR
School programmes and club operations across schools including BBIS Dwarka, ITBP Public School Dwarka, RD Rajpal Dwarka, S.D. Adarsh Vidyalaya Gurgaon, Shiksha Bharti Dwarka and Vandana International Dwarka, averaging 200 student players per school.
festival Manipur
In January 2026, ACF hosted the Ashalata Devi Football Festival in Manipur, a 3 day camp for girls, which ultimately led to an academy providing free training. The programme currently supports 50 girls in its Under-15 group, with plans to add Under-10 and Under-13 programmes. Residual foundation funds sponsor underprivileged girls' training here and in Delhi and Bangalore, and sponsor NGO teams in the She Kicks League.
forest Dehradun
A partnership with Unison World School since 2024, running bootcamps for 200+ girls plus two weeks of technical training, with national-team footballer Sanju.
emoji_events Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kolkata
Women's-only tournaments and leagues for competitive game time and scouting. Two Bengaluru futsal internationals and two Mumbai SAFF Futsal players progressed, and a player from the Kolkata leg was signed by a top-tier club competing in the IWL and AFC Championships.
Underprivileged girls are sponsored through the foundation, as are league players who come through it. Independent coverage has connected India's recent AFC Women's Asian Cup qualification momentum to the grassroots work ACF and She Kicks drive on the ground, as reported by Zee News.
Some of our players
These are achievements already earned by girls who came through the foundation's work. Behind every one of them is a programme, a coach and a supporter who made it possible.
Nazmin
Represented Delhi at the SGFI School Nationals 2023.
Sharil
Made the top 30 state camp for the Senior Women's Nationals 2023.
Amanpreet
Made the top 40 Delhi state camp for the Senior Nationals 2024.
Dream Team FC
A player reached the top flight of Delhi's league.
Aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Goals
Every programme maps to goals the world has already agreed matter.
The parent of the whole She Kicks ecosystem
The foundation sits at the centre of everything She Kicks does. Girls are found through workshops and trials, developed at the academy, given competitive game time in the league, and the strongest progress toward the club. The She Kicks Football League donates fifteen percent of its net profits straight to the foundation, so playing and giving are wired together. Organisations that want to fund this work at scale can partner with us.
Advocacy on the Global Stage
Representing the women's game at international forums.
Donating to the foundation: your questions
What donors and supporters ask most about the Aditi Chauhan Foundation.
The Aditi Chauhan Foundation, or ACF, is a Section 8 not-for-profit organisation registered in 2022. It is built on access, equity and empowerment, and its work uses football and education to open opportunities for girls across India, regardless of geography or socio-economic background.
ACF is one such foundation, focused specifically on girls' football and education. Rather than claim to be the best, it puts its case for support on record: named programmes, measurable impact, and concrete costs, so you can see exactly what your donation to a sports NGO in India funds before you give.
Every contribution goes straight into four programmes: grassroots workshops, talent identification camps, long-term athlete development, and coaches development. A gift of any size can put a girl on the pitch.
Four programmes. Workshops bring more girls into the game at grassroots level. Talent identification runs open trials and scouting camps. Long-term athlete development funds scouted under-fifteen girls toward the 2035 Women's World Cup. Coaches development creates employment for women in sport by mentoring and funding new coaches each year.
ACF is based in Gurgaon and works across Delhi NCR school programmes, a Dehradun partnership with Unison World School, and a January 2026 festival in Manipur. It also runs women's-only tournaments for game time and scouting in Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kolkata, and continues to expand into new cities.
You can start today by writing to donations@shekicksfa.com, calling +91 85953 10341, or using the enquiry form on this page. The team will guide you through supporting a girl directly, or sponsoring a girl or an NGO team in the She Kicks League.
Former India captain and goalkeeper Aditi Chauhan founded and actively leads ACF. The idea grew during her MSc in Sports Management at Loughborough and her time playing for West Ham United FC, where she saw the impact of the UK's structured football-and-education ecosystem and, recognising its absence in India, set out to build a scalable, sustainable development pathway for girls.
ACF is the parent of the She Kicks ecosystem. Scouted girls train at the academy and can progress to the club, the professional summit of the pathway. The She Kicks Football League donates fifteen percent of its net profits to the foundation, and league players who come through ACF are sponsored by it.
Support this work
Your contribution goes straight into the programmes on this page: bringing more girls into the game, running trials, funding long-term training toward the 2035 Women's World Cup, and creating jobs for women coaches. A gift of any size can put a girl on the pitch.
Support a girl directly
Every rupee goes straight into training, kit and match time for girls who could not otherwise afford it. To donate or to sponsor a girl or an NGO team in the She Kicks League, reach the team and we will guide you through it personally.
Email donations@shekicksfa.com, call +91 85953 10341, or click on the contact button above.