Football in Kerala
Overview of football in Kerala
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]
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.
Kerala Football Team [5] Gokulam Kerala FC is also the first club from Kerala to qualify for a continental competition, the AFC Cup .[6] All India Sevens Football is one and only most fan based football in Kerala, All India Sevens Football Clubs more fans than some ISL & I-League clubs, 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] Malappuram based Kerala United FC is I-League third division club from Kerala
Kerala Premier League is the official state level tournament, Super League Kerala is Franchise football league of Kerala 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.
Club
Hometown
Founded
Best form
R B Ferguson Club
Thrissur
1899
Cannanore Spirited Youth's Club
Kannur
1941
Hindu-Muslim-Christian Club (HMC Club)
Thiru -Kochi
1945
Kerala football team
State football team
1948
Kozhikode Young Challengers
Kozhikode
1940s
Gymkhana Kannur, Brothers Club Kannur, Lucky Star FC Kannur, Seesa Club Kannur
Kannur
Traders Club, Flying Arrows
Kochi
Young Challengers Alappuzha, Rovers Club, Police Club Alappuzha, Town Club Alappuzha
Alappuzha
Ever Green Sports Club Tirur, Moidu Rubber Estate team
Malappuram
1950s
Eagles FC
Kochi
1955
Sports Academy Tirur (SAT)
Tirur
Premier Tyres football team
Kochi
1971[13]
Keltron FC
Kannur
FACT FC
Kochi
KSEB FC
Thiruvananthapuram
Travancore Titanium FC
Thiruvananthapuram
1973
Kerala United FC [14]
Kozhikode
1976
Kerala Police football team
Thiruvananthapuram
1984
SBI Kerala FC
Thiruvananthapuram
1986
National Football League II Champions (2): 1998–99, 2004
Kerala Premier League Champions (6): 2000–01, 2003–04, 2006–07, 2008, 2014–15 , 2015–16
Kerala State Club Football Championship Champions (6): 1996, 2002, 2008, 2013, 2015, 2017
FC Kochin
Kochi
1997
Chandni FC
Kozhikode
2000
Viva Kerala Football Club
Kozhikode , Kochi
2004
Malabar United FC
Kozhikode
2007
Josco FC
Kochi
2007
Kovalam Football Club
Thiruvananthapuram
2009
Golden Threads FC
Kochi
2010
FC Kerala
Thrissur
2014
Golden Threads FC , Kerala Blasters FC
Kochi
2010, 2014
Gokulam Kerala FC
Malappuram
2017
Real Malabar FC Kondotty, Luca Soccer Club
Kondotty
2021, 2017
Stadiums
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
"പ്രീമിയർ ടയേഴ്സ് ഫുട്ബോൾ ടീമിന് 50 വയസ്സ്" . Mathrubhumi . Archived from the original on 2023-02-02. Retrieved 2023-02-02 . </ref>
Chakola Cup in Thrissur
Golden Jubilee Trophy
Nehru Cup
Mamman Mappila Cup
Sree Narayana Cup
List of state level champions
(KFL/KPL) Champions
(KFL/KPL) Championship season
Club Football Championship
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 academies
References
State teams Clubs
League competitions Cup competitions Stadiums Others