Sharif Khamayuni Mukhammad is an Afghan professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Churchill Brothers in the I-League. He has also played for the Afghanistan national team.
Kerala United Football Club is an Indian professional football club based in Malappuram, Kerala, that competes in the Kerala Premier League, a state-level football league organized by the Kerala Football Association. It's currently the fifth tier of the Indian football league system.
Women's football in India is growing in popularity under All India Football Federation, despite the earlier long-term governing body's inability to provide sufficient funds for the game.
Loitongbam Ashalata Devi, known as Ashalata Devi, is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a defender for the Indian Women's League club Gokulam Kerala and captains the India women's national team. Devi is considered one of the finest defenders from Asia.
The Indian Women's League is the women's top tier professional football league in India. Founded in 2016, currently a total of 7 teams from across the country participate in the league.
Grace Dangmei is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a forward for the Indian Women's League side Gokulam Kerala and the India women's national team. She was part of the team at the 2014 Asian Games and at the 2016 South Asian Games where she scored two goals against Sri Lanka. During the 2016 SAFF Women's Championship, she scored a goal in the first half of the final, helping India clinch its fourth consecutive title at the tournament.
Supriya Routray is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for the Indian Women's League club Kickstart and the India women's national football team. She was part of the team at the 2012 SAFF Women's Championship and 2015–16 AFC Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament. She played for Gokulam Kerala FC in Indian Women's League.
Manisa Panna is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Odisha FC and the India women's national football team. She was part of the team at the 2015–16 AFC Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament. She previously played for Gokulam Kerala in the Indian Women's League.
Dalima Chhibber is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a defender for Kickstart and Indian national team.
Gokulam Kerala Football Club is an Indian professional football club based in Kozhikode, Kerala. Founded in 2017, the club competes in I-League, the second tier of Indian football league system. They won 2020–21 I-League to become the first ever club from Kerala to do so, and became the first team to defend the league title in 2021–22. Gokulam is also the first and so far the only club from the state to qualify for a continental competition, AFC Cup, in 2022.
Sandhiya Ranganathan is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Gokulam Kerala in the Indian Women's League and the India women's national team.
Maibam Linthoingambi Devi is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Kickstart in the Indian Women's League and the India women's national football team.
Gokulam Kerala FC Women is an Indian women's football section of Gokulam Kerala FC. They participated in Indian Women's League, the women's premier football league in India. They won the first IWL In 2019–20. They then retained the title in 2021–22 and 2022–23. In 2021, they became the first club to represent India in AFC Women's Club Championship.
Manisha Kalyan is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Cypriot First Division club Apollon and the India women's national team. She won the 2020–21 AIFF Women's Emerging Footballer of the Year and the 2022–23 AIFF Women's Player of the Year awards. She is the first Indian footballer to play in the UEFA Women's Champions League.
The 2019–20 Indian Women's League was the fourth season of the Indian Women's League, the top division women's professional football league in India. The league started from 24 January 2020 and ended on 14 February 2020 with Gokulam Kerala defeating Kryphsa 3-2 in the final to clinch the title for the first time. Twelve teams participated in the league. All the matches were played in Bangalore Football Stadium, Bengaluru.
Asem Roja Devi is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a defender for the Indian Women's League club Gokulam Kerala and the India women's national team.
Adriana María "Tuti" Tirado Ortiz is a Puerto Rican footballer who plays as a midfielder, lastly for Gokulam Kerala of the Indian Women's League and the Puerto Rico women's national team.
Soumya Guguloth is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for the Indian Women's League club Gokulam Kerala and the India women's national team.
Ritu Rani is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a defender for Kickstart and the India women's national team.
Football is one of the most popular sports in Kerala. It was introduced to the land of Kerala during the pre-independence period by British officers of the Malabar Special Police (MSP) in the 20th century. MSP was camped in Malappuram and soon the natives began adopting the sport, which was mostly played in post-harvest paddy fields. Kerala enjoyed a golden age from 1985 to 1995 by making it to Santhosh Trophy finals seven times consecutively, and football became an iconic sport ever since in the south Indian state. FIFA released the film Maitanam - The Story of Football in Kerala, quoting: Football in the Indian state of Kerala runs through the fabric of its society, where football is life and life is football.
India