The Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium, also locally known as Kaloor Stadium, is a football stadium in Kochi, Kerala, India.Initially, it had a capacity 80,000 to 100,000 spectators, which was limited since 2017 for the Indian Super League (ISL), after it hosted 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup under FIFA security guidelines. It is the home ground of the ISL club Kerala Blasters FC. The stadium is touted to have hosted one of the loudest audiences for association football matches in the world.
Sree Kerala Varma College is a government-aided college in Kanattukara, Thrissur, Kerala, India. Founded in 1947 by His Highness Aikya Keralam Thampuran, the Maharaja of the erstwhile Kingdom of Cochin. Managed by the Cochin Devaswom Board, Sree Kerala Varma College is an academic institution in Kerala.
The EMS Stadium, located in Kozhikode, Kerala, India, is a multi-purpose stadium primarily used for football matches. The stadium most recently was home to the I-League team Gokulam Kerala FC, as well as their IWL women's team. Built in 1977, the stadium hosts 50,000 spectators. It is named after the first Chief Minister of Kerala E. M. S. Namboodiripad. The stadium has played host to several important football tournaments, such as Super Cup, Santhosh Trophy, and Sait Nagjee Football tournament. Gokulam Kerala has been playing their home matches at the EMS Stadium since 2017 and has had a successful run at the stadium winning their first I-League home match against East Bengal FC with a score of 2–1. The stadium is considered a historic and important venue for football in the region.
The Nair Brigade was the army of the erstwhile kingdom of Travancore in India. Nairs were a warrior community of the region. The personal bodyguard of the king Marthanda Varma (1706–1758) was also called Thiruvithamkoor Nair Pattalam. The Travancore army was officially referred as the Travancore Nair Brigade in 1818.
Football is the most popular sport in Kerala, India, followed by cricket. Kerala Blasters are the most supported football club in the state, whereas Gokulam Kerala FC derives most of its support from the Malabar region. However, larger numbers of Keralites also follow sports such as volleyball, hockey, badminton, and kabaddi. There are many stadiums across different cities. Trivandrum has various sports venues such as Trivandrum International Stadium, Jimmy George Indoor Stadium, University Stadium (Thiruvananthapuram), Chandrasekharan Nair Stadium and Central Stadium, whereas Kochi has Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium (Kochi) and Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium. An international astro turf hockey stadium is located at Kollam city. Other major stadiums are EMS Stadium in Kozhikode, Malappuram District Sports Complex Stadium in Manjeri, Kannur Indoor Stadium in Kannur, Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium in Kollam and many more. All these stadiums attest to the mass appeal of such sports among Keralites.
C. V. Pappachan is a former Indian football player and a retired police officer from Thrissur, Kerala. He captained India in a couple of tournaments.
Chandrasekharan Nair Stadium, also known as CSN Police Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium mostly used for football matches, situated in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. The stadium was named in honor of the first inspector general of the Kerala Police N. Chandrasekharan Nair in 1956. The stadium was renovated for 35th National Games.
Kerala United Football Club is an Indian professional football club based in Malappuram, Kerala, that competes in I-League 3, fourth tier of the Indian football league system.
The 2005–06 Santosh Trophy was the 60th edition of the Santosh Trophy. The tournament was held from 4 to 21 November 2005 in Kerala.
Odisha Football Club ( ) is an Indian professional football club based in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, that competes in the Indian Super League, the top flight of Indian football. Prior to the inaugural Indian Super League season, the club was founded as Delhi Dynamos Football Club. The club rebranded to Odisha Football Club, as it moved to its current base, the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. The club is owned and operated by the Dubai-based company GMS Leadership and Raj Athwal as the president of the club.
Football is by far the most popular sport in Thrissur. The city and district has contributed with numerable players, clubs, coaches, tournaments and stadiums to Indian football.
Gokulam Kerala Football Club is an Indian professional football club based in Kozhikode, Kerala. Founded in 2017, the club competes in the I-League, the second tier of Indian football league system. They won the 2020–21 I-League title to become the first 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.
Football Club Kerala is an Indian professional football club based in Thrissur, Kerala. The club made its debut in national level football through the I-League 2nd Division in 2017–18. They also compete in the Kerala Premier League.
Cricket and Football are the most popular sports in Thiruvananthapuram. The Sports Hub, Trivandrum, commonly known as Greenfield Stadium is one of the largest cricket and football stadiums in India. Athletics, shooting, volleyball, Aquatics and squash are the other popular sports.
The Super League Kerala (SLK) (officially known as the Mahindra Super League Kerala due to sponsorship reasons) is a men's professional franchise football league in the state of Kerala, India, organised by the Kerala Football Association, Scoreline Sports and the Unifed Football Sports Development Pvt. Ltd. It featured 6 clubs in the inaugural season, with matches being played at four venues across Kerala. The league operates outside the Indian football league system as an independent franchise league and does not follow promotion and relegation. The inaugural season of the league began on 7 September 2024.
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.
Forca Kochi Football Club, also known as Kochi Forca, is a professional franchise football club based in Kochi, Kerala, India, participating in the Super League Kerala. The club was founded in May 2024.
Malappuram Football Club is an Indian professional franchise football club based in Malappuram, Kerala, competing in the Super League Kerala. The club was founded in May 2024.
Calicut Football Club is an Indian professional franchise football club based in the city of Calicut, Kerala, that competes in the Super League Kerala. The club was founded in May 2024.
The 2024 Mahindra Super League Kerala is the inaugural season of the Super League Kerala, a men's professional franchise football league in Kerala, India. It is organised by the Kerala Football Association, Scoreline Sports and the Unifed Football Sports Development Pvt. Ltd. It features 6 clubs and holds matches at four venues across Kerala. The inaugural season kicked off on September 7, 2024.
