Football is one of the most popular sports in Kerala.[1] Malabar, the northern region of Kerala, is the main powerhouse of Kerala football, 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]
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. 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.
History
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.
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.
Administration
Football in Kerala is administered by the Kerala Football Association[13] It sends state teams for Santosh Trophy and Rajmata Jijabai Trophy.
The Department of Sports and Youth Affairs, under the Government of Kerala, along with the Kerala State Sports Council, is responsible for the development of sports, including football, in the state.[14]
State team
| State teams of Kerala | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| File:Football pictogram.svg | File:Football pictogram.svg | ||
| Football (Men's) | Football (Women's) | ||
Kerala football team is governed by the Kerala Football Association (KFA) and is a member of the All India Football Federation (AFC) since 1948, the national governing body for indian football. There are other Kerala football team for women's also.
Performance
The following list includes the performance of all of Kerala's state teams at major competitions.
Men's team
The Kerala football team represents Kerala in Indian state football competitions, including the Santosh Trophy.[15]
| Tournament | Best performance |
|---|---|
| Santosh Trophy | Template:Sort |
| National Games | Template:Sort |
| B.C. Roy Trophy | Template:Sort |
| Mir Iqbal Hussain Trophy | Template:Sort |
| M. Dutta Ray Trophy | Template:Sort |
Women's team
Template:Main Kerala women's football team represents Kerala in the Rajmata Jijabai Trophy.[16] They have appeared in the Santosh Trophy finals once, and were the runners-up at their maiden attempt at the 2005–06 Senior Women's National Football Championship edition against the reigning champions Manipur at Rourkela.[17]
| Tournament | Best performance |
|---|---|
| Rajmata Jijabai Trophy | Template:Sort |
| National Games | Template:Sort |
Affiliated district associations
All 14 districts of Kerala are affiliated with the Kerala Football Association.
| No. | Association | District | President |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alappuzha District Football Association | Alappuzha | |
| 2 | Ernakulam District Football Association | Ernakulam | |
| 3 | Idukki District Football Association | Idukki | |
| 4 | Kannur District Football Association | Kannur | |
| 5 | Kasaragod District Football Association | Kasaragod | |
| 6 | Kollam District Football Association | Kollam | |
| 7 | Kottayam District Football Association | Kottayam | |
| 8 | Kozhikode District Football Association | Kozhikode | |
| 9 | Malappuram District Football Association | Malappuram | |
| 10 | Palakkad District Football Association | Palakkad | |
| 11 | Pathanamthitta District Football Association | Pathanamthitta | |
| 12 | Thiruvananthapuram District Football Association | Thiruvananthapuram | |
| 13 | Thrissur District Football Association | Thrissur | |
| 14 | Wayanad District Football Association | Wayanad |
Competitions
District level
Template:Col-begin Template:Col-2
Men's senior
- Inter-District State Championship Senior Men
Men's youth
- Inter-District State Championship Junior Boys
- Inter-District State Championship Sub-Junior Boys
Women's senior
- Inter-District State Championship Senior Women
Club level
Template:Col-begin Template:Col-2
Men's senior
- Kerala Premier League (5th division of Indian football league system)
- Super League Kerala
- N.I. David Memorial Trophy
Women's senior
- Kerala Women's League (3rd division of Indian football league system)
Evolution of the football system
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).[13] It sends state teams for Santosh Trophy and Senior Women's National Football Championship.
History
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.[18][19] As per the agreement, consortium will form Kerala Super League, initially planned to further develop youth local players in senior transition.[18][19]
Evolution
| League/Years | 1948 | 1948–1952 | 1952–1970 | 1970–1998 | 1998–2007 | 2007–2013 | 2013–2015 | 2013–2016 | 2016–2017 | 2017–2021 | 2021–2023 | 2023– | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tier | |||||||||||||
| League | 1 | Formation
of Kerala Football Association |
None | Kerala Football League | None | Kerala Premier League | Kerala Super League | ||||||
| 1 | None | Kerala Premier League | |||||||||||
| 1 | None | Kerala Women's League | None | Kerala Women's League | |||||||||
| Tournament | None | Kerala State Club Football Championship | Discontinued | ||||||||||
| Senior Inter-District Men's Football Championship | |||||||||||||
| None | Sait Nagjee Football Tournament | 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).[20][21][22][23] 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
- ↑ Following the football World Cup craze in Kerala. The Hindu(2022-12-22). Retrieved 2023-02-01.
- ↑ How Kerala shrunk football to make it its own. The Times of India. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
- ↑ Football Fever: Recollecting Kerala's Craze For The Sport Amidst Cut-Out Wars & World Cup Debates, Kumar, Laxmi Mohan. thelogicalindian.com(2022-11-10). Retrieved 2023-02-01.
- ↑ Kerala's passion for football and its links to anti-imperialism. The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
- ↑ Gokulam Kerala become first team to defend title in I-League era, beating Mohammedan SC 2-1. The Hindu(2022-05-14). Retrieved 2023-02-04.
- ↑ Gokulam Kerala FC win I-League, qualify for AFC Cup, Dey, Sayak Dipta. www.sportskeeda.com. Retrieved 2023-02-05.
- ↑ 'ചരിത്രമെഴുതി മഞ്ഞപ്പട'; 'ഏഷ്യയില്' അഞ്ചാം സ്ഥാനവുമായി കേരളാ ബ്ലാസ്റ്റേഴ്സ്. News18 Malayalam. Retrieved 2023-02-08.
- ↑ 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). Retrieved 2023-02-01.
- ↑ Brazilian superstar Ronaldinho arrives in Kerala. sportstar.thehindu.com(2016-01-24). Retrieved 2023-04-08.
- ↑ Throwback: When Diego Maradona visited Kerala | Goal.com. www.goal.com. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
- ↑ Roberto Carlos - People Of Kerala Were Like Brazillian Football Fans | IFTWC - Indian Football Team For World Cup, admin(2021-05-19). Retrieved 2023-04-08.
- ↑ 'Ayurvedic rejuvenation': Former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel explains reason behind visit to India. Hindustan Times(2022-10-30). Retrieved 2023-04-08.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 All India Football Federation - About AIFF - State Associations.
- ↑ About Us - Kerala State Sports Council.
- ↑ West Bengal, Kerala & Punjab drawn together in tantalizing group in 75th edition of Hero Santosh Trophy. the-aiff.com. All India Football Federation(6 January 2022). Retrieved 2 March 2022.
- ↑ Kerala Football Association.
- ↑ Kerala hope for a new dawn in women's football. The Times of india(29 November 2021).
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Explained: Kerala FA's 12-year commercial rights deal and the plan to revamp football in the state. Deccan Herald(2021-10-11). Retrieved 2021-10-11.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Meerans-Scoreline bags Kerala Football Association's commercial rights for 12 years, Rayan, Stan. Sportstar. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
- ↑ Sports in Thrissur. Thrissur Online. Retrieved 2020-10-16.
- ↑ The Best Way Forward: For India's Football{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. H.S.R.A. Publications(2020). ISBN 978-81-947216-9-7
- ↑ Ollur's football club turns 115 years today. Mathrubhumi.com. Retrieved 2013-06-27.
- ↑ Blast from the Present: Kerala's resurgence into football prominence. SportsKeeda. Retrieved 2020-10-16.
External links
- https://www.the-aiff.com/association/495
- Football Kerala
- Kerala State Football Championship
- Revive the Kerala State League, says Jo Paul Ancheri
Template:Football in India Template:Football in Kerala Template:Indian state football associations
Stadiums
The league and tournaments are generally played at the following Stadiums:
_in_2022.jpg){kind=link}
Note. † denotes stadiums that have hosted international football matches.
National clubs from Kerala
Current clubs from Kerala, that are playing in any of divisions of Indian football.
| Club | Hometown | Founded | Best form |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kerala United FC[1] | Kozhikode | 1976 |
|
| Kerala Police football team | Thiruvananthapuram | 1984 |
|
| Kovalam Football Club | Thiruvananthapuram | 2009 | |
| Golden Threads FC | Kochi | 2010 |
|
| FC Kerala | Thrissur | 2014 | |
| Kerala Blasters FC | Kochi | 2014 |
|
| Gokulam Kerala FC | Kozhikode | 2017 |
|
List of state level champions
| (KFL/KPL) champions | (KFL/KPL) Championship season | Kerala State Club Football Championship | Kerala State Club Football Championship seasons | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SBI Kerala FC | 6 | 2000/01, 2003/04, 2006/07, 2008, 2015, 2016 | 5 | |
| FC Kochin | 2 | 1998/99, 1999/00 | - | |
| KSEB | 2 | 2004/05, 2017 | 3 | |
| Gokulam Kerala | 2 | 2018, 2020/21 | - | |
| Viva Kerala | 1 | 2005/06 | - | |
| Eagles FC | 1 | 2014 | - | |
| Indian Navy | 1 | 2018/19 | - | |
| Kerala Blasters FC Reserves | 1 | 2019/20 | - | |
| Golden Threads | 1 | 2021/22 | - | |
| 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 footballers
Template:Incomplete list The state of Kerala has contributed many legends to Indian football, such as:
- I M Vijayan
- V. P. Sathyan
- 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
- Muhammed Sagar Ali
- Denson Devadas
- C. S. Sabeeth
- Mohamed Irshad
- Asif Kottayil
- Sushanth Mathew
Notable academies
- A.C. Milan Academy Kozhikode under A.C. Milan[5]
- Kerala Blasters FC Reserves and Academy[6]
- Gokulam Football Foundation under Gokulam Kerala FC[7]
- Muthoot Football Academy
- Parappur Football Academy (PFC KERALA)
See also
References
- ↑ Quartz SC goes on signing spree. The Hindu(26 September 2012). Retrieved 26 September 2012.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Major triumphs by football clubs from Kerala. OnManorama. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
- ↑ I-League 2020-21: Gokulam Kerala crowned champions. ESPN.com(2021-03-27). Retrieved 2023-02-01.
- ↑ Gokulam Kerala beat Mohammedan to the 2021-22 I-League championship | Goal.com. www.goal.com. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
- ↑ Milan Academy Kozhikode. AC Milan. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
- ↑ Young Blasters – Kerala Blasters FC. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
- ↑ Gokulam Football Foundation. Gokulam Kerala FC. Retrieved 2023-02-01.