Football in Kerala

Football in Kerala
The stadium during a match
Governing body	Kerala Football Association (KFA)[1]
Audience records
Single match	100,000 (India vs Iraq 1997 Nehru Cup semi-final)[2]

Football is one of the most popular sports in Kerala.[3] 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.[4] 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.[5] 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.[6]

Manjappada displaying a tifo and banners during a match

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.[7] Gokulam Kerala FC is also the first club from Kerala to qualify for a continental competition, the AFC Cup.[8] 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.[9] Travancore Royals Football Club (TRFC), founded on 29 November 2018, is India's first fans-owned club.[10]

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,[11] Maradona,[12] Roberto Carlos,[13] Thomas Tuchel[14] 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[15] It sends state teams for Santosh Trophy and Senior Women's National Football Championship.

State team

State teams of Kerala
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

Kerala men's football team

The Kerala football team represents Kerala in Indian state football competitions, including the Santosh Trophy.[16]

Tournament	Best performance
Santosh Trophy	Champions (1973–74, 1991–92, 1992–93, 2001–02, 2004–05, 2017–18, 2021–2022)
National Games	Gold (1987, 1997)
B.C. Roy Trophy	Champions (1968–69, 1971–72, 1972–73)
Mir Iqbal Hussain Trophy	Champions (1981–82, 1983–84)
M. Dutta Ray Trophy	Champions (1995)

Women's team

Main article: Kerala women's football team

Kerala women's football team represents Kerala in the Senior Women's National Football Championship.[17] 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.[18]

Tournament	Best performance
Senior Women's National Football Championship	Runners-up (2005–06)
National Games	Bronze (1999)

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 in Kerala

District Level

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

Men's Senior Kerala Premier League (5th division of Indian football league system) Super League Kerala (franchise league) Malabar Premier League N.I. David Memorial Trophy

Women's Senior Kerala Women's League (3rd division of Indian football league system)

Evolution of the football system

Years		1948	1948–1952	1952–1970	1970–1998	1998–2007	2007–2013	2013–2015	2013–2016	2016–2017	2017–2021	2021–2023	2024–
Level
Men's
State leagues	1	Formation of Kerala Football Association (KFA)	None			Kerala Football League	None	Kerala Premier League					Kerala Super League
	1		None										Kerala Premier League
	2												Kerala Premier League Second Division
Tournament			None		Kerala State Club Football Championship						Discontinued
			Senior Inter-District Men's Football Championship
			None	Sait Nagjee Football Tournament						Not conducted
Women's
State leagues	1		None					Kerala Women's League	None			Kerala Women's League

Stadiums

The league and tournaments are generally played at the following Stadiums:

Stadium	Capacity
Calicut Corporation EMS Stadium, Kozhikode	50,000	Kozhikode EMS Stadium
Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (Kochi) †	40,000
Greenfield International Stadium Trivandrum	50,000
Malappuram District Sports Complex Stadium	30,000
Thrissur Municipal Corporation Stadium	15,000

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[19]	Kozhikode	1976	Kerala Premier League Champions (1): 2022-23
Kerala Police football team	Thiruvananthapuram	1984	Federation Cup Winners (2): 1990, 1991[20] Kerala State Club Football Championship Winners (6): 1985, 1987,1995, 1998, 2014, 2016
Kovalam Football Club	Thiruvananthapuram	2009
Golden Threads FC	Kochi	2010	Kerala Premier League Champion (1): 2021–22
FC Kerala	Thrissur	2014
Kerala Blasters FC	Kochi	2014	Indian Super League Runners-up (3): 2014, 2016, 2021–22 Kerala Premier League Champions (1): 2019-20 (reserve team)
Gokulam Kerala FC	Kozhikode	2017	I-league Champions (2): 2020-21,[21] 2021-22[22] Durand Cup Champions (1): 2019[20] Kerala Premier League Champions (2): 2017-18, 2020–21

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

The state of Kerala has contributed many legends to Indian football, such as:

• 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 academies

• A.C. Milan Academy Kozhikode under A.C. Milan[23]
• Kerala Blasters FC Reserves and Academy[24]
• Gokulam Football Foundation under Gokulam Kerala FC[25]
• Muthoot Football Academy

See also

• Sevens football
• Football in Thrissur

References

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2. "STADIUM". waytokickoff.com. Archived from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
3. Kumar, PK Ajith (22 December 2022). "Following the football World Cup craze in Kerala". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
4. "How Kerala shrunk football to make it its own". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 5 November 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
5. Kumar, Laxmi Mohan (10 November 2022). "Football Fever: Recollecting Kerala's Craze For The Sport Amidst Cut-Out Wars & World Cup Debates". thelogicalindian.com. Archived from the original on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
6. "Kerala's passion for football and its links to anti-imperialism". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
7. PTI (14 May 2022). "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 4 February 2023. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
8. Dey, Sayak Dipta. "Gokulam Kerala FC win I-League, qualify for AFC Cup". www.sportskeeda.com. Archived from the original on 27 March 2021. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
9. "'ചരിത്രമെഴുതി മഞ്ഞപ്പട'; 'ഏഷ്യയില്‍' അഞ്ചാം സ്ഥാനവുമായി കേരളാ ബ്ലാസ്റ്റേഴ്‌സ്". News18 Malayalam (in Malayalam). Archived from the original on 8 February 2023. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
10. "The Travancore Royals Football Club Is Amplifying Women's Presence In The Field Of Sports Through Their Women's Day Campaign". PinkLungi. 4 March 2022. Archived from the original on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
11. "Brazilian superstar Ronaldinho arrives in Kerala". sportstar.thehindu.com. 24 January 2016. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
12. "Throwback: When Diego Maradona visited Kerala | Goal.com". www.goal.com. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
13. admin (19 May 2021). "Roberto Carlos - People Of Kerala Were Like Brazillian Football Fans | IFTWC - Indian Football Team For World Cup". Retrieved 8 April 2023.
14. "'Ayurvedic rejuvenation': Former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel explains reason behind visit to India". Hindustan Times. 30 October 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
15. "All India Football Federation - About AIFF - State Associations". AIFF. Archived from the original on 21 March 2012. Retrieved 25 March 2012.
16. "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. Archived from the original on 6 January 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
17. "Kerala Football Association".
18. "Kerala hope for a new dawn in women's football". The Times of india. 29 November 2021.
19. 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.
20. "Major triumphs by football clubs from Kerala". OnManorama. Archived from the original on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
21. "I-League 2020-21: Gokulam Kerala crowned champions". ESPN.com. 27 March 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
22. "Gokulam Kerala beat Mohammedan to the 2021-22 I-League championship | Goal.com". www.goal.com. Archived from the original on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
23. "Milan Academy Kozhikode". AC Milan. Archived from the original on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
24. "Young Blasters – Kerala Blasters FC". Archived from the original on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
25. "Gokulam Football Foundation". Gokulam Kerala FC. Archived from the original on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023.