GlobalSpa
28-Nov-2025
Inside the Women’s Football League — where fitness, friendship and pure joy take the field
On Sunday mornings in the national capital, while most of the city is easing into the day, there’s a burst of energy on a turf field where women are running, laughing, slipping, cheering, and learning how to kick a football — sometimes for the very first time. This is the Women’s Football League (WFL), a growing community where women show up not to compete, not to perform, but simply to play, breathe, and be themselves.
WFL’s story began when co-founders Aneesha Labroo and Shayoni Nair realised a truth most women quietly accept: somewhere between college and adulthood, recreational sport just disappears for them. While men have countless options — casual leagues, night games, WhatsApp groups buzzing with match plans — women are left with gyms, Pilates studios or nothing at all. What started as casual kickabouts has grown into one of Delhi’s most vibrant, supportive and unexpectedly joyful women-led communities.
The magic of WFL lies in how accessible it is. You don’t need to know how to dribble, run fast or even understand the rules. Many women arrive nervous, admitting they’ve never touched a football before; by the end of the session, they’re exchanging high-fives with teammates they’ve just met. The atmosphere is warm, inclusive and wonderfully pressure-free.
Over time, WFL has become a place of connection in a city and as the community grew, so did the league’s ambitions. WFL now offers coaching programmes for those who want to learn new skills, practice matches for players eager to challenge themselves, and special bootcamps with professional trainers, including Nike coaches. They’ve partnered with facilities like Claygrounds to ensure a high-quality playing environment and collaborated with fitness experts to build a more holistic approach to women’s sport. What makes the league special is the diversity it attracts — corporate professionals easing weekday stress, mothers reclaiming time for themselves, newcomers to Delhi seeking connection, former players rediscovering an old love, and complete beginners ready to try something new.
Looking ahead, the founders hope to scale WFL across the city and eventually across India. Their goal is to build a replicable model that inspires similar communities everywhere — accessible, affordable, and welcoming. WFL may have started with a football. But what it’s really building is confidence, connection and a community of women cheering each other on, one Sunday morning at a time.
