Football in Kerala

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Football is one of the most popular sports in Kerala. [1] 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. [2] 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. [3] 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. [4]

Contents

Manjappada displaying a tifo and banners during a Kerala Blasters' match at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (Kochi) Manjappada unfolding their tifo.jpg
Manjappada displaying a tifo and banners during a Kerala Blasters' match at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (Kochi)

Kerala state football team appeared in the Santosh Trophy finals 15 times and won the trophy 7 times, latest in 2022 by defeating Bengal in the final on 2 May at the Payyanadu Stadium in Malappuram. Gokulam Kerala FC won the 2020–21 I-League to become the first ever club from Kerala to win an I-League title and they created history by becoming the first team in the I-League era to defend its title, being 2021-22 I-League Champions. [5] Gokulam Kerala FC is also the first club from Kerala to qualify for a continental competition, the AFC Cup. [6] Kerala Blasters, the Indian Super League club based in Kochi, are one of the most widely supported clubs in Asia and with one of the largest social media following among the football clubs from the continent. [7] Travancore Royals Football Club (TRFC), founded on 29 November 2018, is India's first fans-owned club. [8]

Kerala Premier League, together with Kerala Super League, is the official state level tournament, succeeding Kerala State Club Football Championship, both organized by the Kerala Football Association. SBI Kerala FC is the most successful Kerala League team becoming champions 6 times while Travancore Titanium FC is most successful in the Championship, winning it 10 times.

The Sait Nagjee Cup Football Tournament is a popular international club football tournament held in Kozhikode which has been attracting large crowd since 1952. Brazilian footballer Ronaldinho has served as the brand ambassador for the Sait Nagjee Football Tournament.

Famous international footballers including Ronaldinho, [9] Maradona, [10] Roberto Carlos, [11] Thomas Tuchel [12] visited Kerala for different reasons. David James and Dimitar Berbatov managed Kerala Blasters in different season. The Hero Super Cup of 2023 was held in Kerala.

Shortlisted clubs

Most of the clubs still functioning in Kerala are founded after 1970s.

ClubHometownFoundedBest form
R B Ferguson Club Thrissur1899
Cannanore Spirited Youth's ClubKannur1941
Hindu-Muslim-Christian Club (HMC Club)Thiru-Kochi1945
Kerala football team State football team1948
Kozhikode Young ChallengersKozhikode1940s
Gymkhana Kannur, Brothers Club Kannur, Lucky Star FC Kannur, Seesa Club KannurKannur
Traders Club, Flying ArrowsKochi
Young Challengers Alappuzha, Rovers Club, Police Club Alappuzha, Town Club AlappuzhaAlappuzha
Ever Green Sports Club Tirur, Moidu Rubber Estate teamMalappuram1950s
Eagles FC Kochi1955
Alind KundaraKundara
Premier Tyres football teamKochi1971 [13]
Keltron FCKannur
FACT FCKochi
KSEB FCThiruvananthapuram
Travancore Titanium FC Thiruvananthapuram1973
Kerala United FC [14] Kozhikode1976
Kerala Police football team Thiruvananthapuram1984
SBI Kerala FC Thiruvananthapuram1986
FC Kochin Kochi1997
Chandni FC Kozhikode2000
Viva Kerala Football Club Kozhikode, Kochi2004
Malabar United FCKozhikode2007
Josco FC Kochi2007
Kovalam Football Club Thiruvananthapuram2009
Golden Threads FC Kochi2010
FC Kerala Thrissur2014
Kerala Blasters FC Kochi2014
Gokulam Kerala FC Kozhikode2017
Vaniyambalam UnitedMalappuram2022

Stadiums

StadiumCapacity
Calicut Corporation EMS Stadium, Kozhikode 100,000
Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (Kochi)
Jewaharlal Nehru Stadium Kochi ISL.jpg
Greenfield International Stadium Trivandrum
Greenfield International Stadium Kerala.jpg
Malappuram District Sports Complex Stadium
Payyanad Football Stadium, Malappuram.jpg
Thrissur Municipal Corporation Stadium
Corporation Stadium 222.jpg

Notable players

I M Vijayan, V. P. Sathyan, C. V. Pappachan, Jo Paul Ancheri, Victor Manjila, E.N. Sudhir, Mohammed Rafi, C.K. Vineeth, Anas Edathodika, Sahal Abdul Samad, Rino Anto, Rahul Kannoly Praveen, Ashique Kuruniyan, N.P Pradeep, Krishnan Nair Ajayan, Zakeer Mundampara, Usman Ashik, Muhammed Sagar Ali, Denson Devadas, C. S. Sabeeth, Mohamed Irshad, Asif Kottayil, Sushanth Mathew.

Notable tournaments

List of state level champions

(KFL/KPL) Champions(KFL/KPL) Championship season Club Football Championship Club Football Championship seasons
SBI Kerala FC 62000/01, 2003/04, 2006/07, 2008, 2015, 20165
FC Kochin21998/99, 1999/00-
KSEB22004/05, 20173
Gokulam Kerala22018, 2020/21-
Viva Kerala12005/06-
Eagles FC12014-
Indian Navy12018/19-
Kerala Blasters FC Reserves 12019/20-
Golden Threads12021/22-
Titanium FC --10
Kerala Police--7
KSRTC--3
Premier Tyres FC--3
AGORC,Thiruvananthapuram--2
Central Excise RC--1
Keltron FC --1
FC Kochin --1
Kochin Port Trust--1
Josco FC --1

Notable academies

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Many sports are played by the people in Kerala including both traditional sports and sports from other countries. Association football is the most popular sport in Kerala, followed by cricket. Kerala Blasters are the most supported football club in the whole state and participates in the Indian super league the top tier of Indian football. Whereas Gokulam Kerala FC a club which plays in the I-league 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 large stadiums in Kerala across different cities. Trivandrum city has various sports venues such as Trivandrum International Stadium, Jimmy George Indoor Stadium, University Stadium (Thiruvananthapuram), Chandrasekharan Nair Stadium and Central Stadium whereas Kochi city has stadiums such as 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.

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References

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  2. ↑ "How Kerala shrunk football to make it its own". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 2021-11-05. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  3. ↑ Kumar, Laxmi Mohan (2022-11-10). "Football Fever: Recollecting Kerala's Craze For The Sport Amidst Cut-Out Wars & World Cup Debates". thelogicalindian.com. Archived from the original on 2023-02-01. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  4. ↑ "Kerala's passion for football and its links to anti-imperialism". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 2023-02-01. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  5. ↑ PTI (2022-05-14). "Gokulam Kerala become first team to defend title in I-League era, beating Mohammedan SC 2-1". The Hindu. ISSN   0971-751X. Archived from the original on 2023-02-04. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
  6. ↑ Dey, Sayak Dipta. "Gokulam Kerala FC win I-League, qualify for AFC Cup". www.sportskeeda.com. Archived from the original on 2021-03-27. Retrieved 2023-02-05.
  7. ↑ "'ചരിത്രമെഴുതി മഞ്ഞപ്പട'; 'ഏഷ്യയില്‍' അഞ്ചാം സ്ഥാനവുമായി കേരളാ ബ്ലാസ്റ്റേഴ്‌സ്". News18 Malayalam (in Malayalam). Archived from the original on 2023-02-08. Retrieved 2023-02-08.
  8. ↑ "The Travancore Royals Football Club Is Amplifying Women's Presence In The Field Of Sports Through Their Women's Day Campaign". PinkLungi. 2022-03-04. Archived from the original on 2023-02-01. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  9. ↑ "Brazilian superstar Ronaldinho arrives in Kerala". sportstar.thehindu.com. 2016-01-24. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
  10. ↑ "Throwback: When Diego Maradona visited Kerala | Goal.com". www.goal.com. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
  11. ↑ admin (2021-05-19). "Roberto Carlos - People Of Kerala Were Like Brazillian Football Fans | IFTWC - Indian Football Team For World Cup" . Retrieved 2023-04-08.
  12. ↑ "'Ayurvedic rejuvenation': Former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel explains reason behind visit to India". Hindustan Times. 2022-10-30. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
  13. ↑ "Fifty years to those memories; Premier Tires Football Club Celebrates Golden Jubilee | Sports | Deshabhimani". Time News. 2022-05-25. Archived from the original on 2023-02-02. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
  14. ↑ Kumar, Ajith (26 September 2012). "Quartz SC goes on signing spree". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 16 December 2019. Retrieved 26 September 2012.
  15. 1 2 3 "Major triumphs by football clubs from Kerala". OnManorama. Archived from the original on 2023-02-01. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  16. ↑ "I-League 2020-21: Gokulam Kerala crowned champions". ESPN.com. 2021-03-27. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  17. ↑ "Gokulam Kerala beat Mohammedan to the 2021-22 I-League championship | Goal.com". www.goal.com. Archived from the original on 2023-02-01. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  18. ↑ "Gone are the glory days". sportstar.thehindu.com. 2013-07-12. Archived from the original on 2023-02-02. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
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  21. ↑ "Young Blasters – Kerala Blasters FC". Archived from the original on 2023-02-01. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  22. ↑ "Gokulam Football Foundation". Gokulam Kerala FC. Archived from the original on 2023-02-01. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
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