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{{Short description|Association football governing body in Kerala}}
{{Moresources|date=July 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2019}}
{{Infobox organization
|name = Kerala Football Association
|image = KFA_New_Logo.png
|size = 200px
|abbreviation = KFA
|formation = {{start date and age|1948}}<br />{{small|(as ''Travancore-Cochin Football Association'')}}<ref>{{cite book|author=Kausik Bandyopadhyay |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V-sMYjZkpigC |title=A Social History of Indian Football: Striving to Score |publisher=Routledge |date=2006 | isbn=9780415348355 }}</ref>
|headquarters = [[Kochi]]
|region_served = [[Kerala]], [[India]]
|membership = 14 district associations
|leader_title = President
|leader_name = Tom Jose
|leader_title2 = Secretary
|leader_name2 = Anil Kumar P.
|parent_organization = [[All India Football Federation]] (AIFF)
|website =
}}

The '''Kerala Football Association''' (abbreviated ''Kerala FA''), formerly the '''Travancore-Cochin Football Association''', is one of the 37 [[Indian state football associations]] that are affiliated to the [[All India Football Federation]] (AIFF).<ref name="Kerala FA">{{cite web |url= http://www.the-aiff.com/pages/content/index.php?action=state&id=18 |title= All India Football Federation - About AIFF - State Associations |work= AIFF |accessdate= 2012-03-25 |url-status= dead |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20120321145438/http://www.the-aiff.com/pages/content/index.php?action=state&id=18 |archivedate= 2012-03-21 }}</ref> It sends state teams for [[Santosh Trophy]] and [[Senior Women's National Football Championship]].

== History ==
[[Association football|Football]] has been a passion of thousands of Malayalees for the last several decades—much before the state of Kerala was formed on 1 November 1956. Kerala Football Association was formed in 1948 to directly oversees the development of football in Kerala from grassroots to senior level.

Later the headquarters of KFA was moved to [[Kollam]] after P. Laxmanan Pillai was elected president and K. Thankappan honorary secretary. KFA saw a new breed of organizers taking over the reins in the 1970s with former mayor of [[Cochin]] A. K. Seshadri becoming its president.
=== 2021 privatization ===
On 9 October 2021, Kerala Football Association signed a twelve year long deal with Meeran Sports LLP and Scoreline Sports Pvt Ltd. The deal was inspired from masterplan prepared by [[Rob Baan]], former technical director of AIFF. The consortium is responsible for getting investments worth around Rs 350 crore into the football ecosystem over the 12-year period.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|date=2021-10-11|title=Explained: Kerala FA's 12-year commercial rights deal and the plan to revamp football in the state|url=https://www.deccanherald.com/sports/football/explained-kerala-fas-12-year-commercial-rights-deal-and-the-plan-to-revamp-football-in-the-state-1039629.html|access-date=2021-10-11|website=Deccan Herald|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=Rayan|first=Stan|title=Meerans-Scoreline bags Kerala Football Association's commercial rights for 12 years|url=https://sportstar.thehindu.com/football/kerala-football-association-meerans-scoreline-commerical-rights-deal-indian-football-news/article36917744.ece|access-date=2021-10-11|website=Sportstar|language=en}}</ref> As per the agreement, consortium will form Kerala Super League, initially planned to further develop youth local players in senior transition.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />

== Evolution ==
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! colspan="2" |League/Years
! rowspan="2" |1948
! rowspan="2" |1948–1952
! rowspan="2" |1952–1970
! rowspan="2" |1970–1998
! rowspan="2" |1998–2007
! rowspan="2" |2007–2013
! rowspan="2" |2013–2015
! rowspan="2" |2013–2016
! rowspan="2" |2016–2017
! rowspan="2" |2017–2021
! rowspan="2" |2021–2023
! rowspan="2" |2023–
|-
|
!Tier
|-
| rowspan="3" |League
|1
| rowspan="7" bgcolor="#A1E6FF" |Formation
of Kerala Football Association
| colspan="3" |'''None'''
| bgcolor="gold" |[[Kerala Football League]]
|None
| colspan="5" bgcolor="gold" |[[Kerala Premier League]]
| bgcolor="gold" |[[Kerala Super League]]
|-
|1
| colspan="10" |'''None'''
|bgcolor="silver" |[[Kerala Premier League]]
|-
|1
| colspan="5" |'''None'''
|bgcolor="#cc9966"|[[Kerala Women's League]]
| colspan="3" |'''None'''
| colspan="2" bgcolor="#cc9966" |[[Kerala Women's League]]
|-
| colspan="2" rowspan="4" |Tournament
| colspan="2" |'''None'''
| colspan="6" bgcolor="gold" |[[Kerala State Club Football Championship]]
| colspan="2" |Discontinued
|-
| colspan="11" bgcolor="#DEFF97" |Senior Inter-District Men's Football Championship
|-
| '''None'''
| colspan="6" bgcolor="#A4FF54" |[[Sait Nagjee Football Tournament]]
| colspan="4" |Not conducted
|}

==R B Ferguson Club==
[[R B Ferguson Club]] is the oldest football club in [[Kerala]] and [[South India]]. It was established on 20 February 1899 in [[Thrissur]] (Thrissivaperur).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thrissur-online.in/city-guide/sports-in-thrissur |title=Sports in Thrissur |publisher=Thrissur Online |access-date=2020-10-16 }}</ref><ref name="SHREEKUMAR2020">{{cite book|author=S.S. Shreekumar |title=The Best Way Forward: For India's Football |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KdH7DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA107|year=2020 |location=Bangalore |publisher=H.S.R.A. Publications|isbn=978-81-947216-9-7|page=107 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://digitalpaper.mathrubhumi.com/232068/Thrissur/20-February-2014#page/10/2|title=Ollur's football club turns 115 years today|publisher=Mathrubhumi.com|access-date=2013-06-27 |type=subscription required}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Anirudh Menon |url=https://www.sportskeeda.com/football/blast-from-the-present-kerala-resurgence-into-football-prominence |title=Blast from the Present: Kerala's resurgence into football prominence |website=SportsKeeda |access-date=2020-10-16}}</ref> The club was named after the Kochi police superintendent, R B Ferguson.

==Kerala Premier League==

As a step to give more competence and professionalism for the football clubs in Kerala, KFA launched the [[Kerala Premier League]] in January 2014. Twelve teams participated in the first season.

== References ==
<references />

==External links==
* https://www.the-aiff.com/association/495
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120326125653/http://footballkerala.com/ Football Kerala]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120326125854/http://footballkerala.com/category/kerala-football-tournaments/kerala-state-club-championship/ Kerala State Football Championship]
*[https://archive.today/20130125115739/http://www.hindu.com/2011/05/26/stories/2011052668732200.htm Revive the Kerala State League, says Jo Paul Ancheri]

{{Football in India}}
{{Football in Kerala}}
{{Indian state football associations}}

[[Category:Football governing bodies in India]]
[[Category:Football in Kerala]]
[[Category:1948 establishments in India]]
[[Category:Sports organizations established in 1948]]
[[Category:Organisations based in Kochi]]

Kerala Football Association - Revision history

WikiDwarfBOT at 17:56, 21 July 2023