Football is one of the most popular sports in Kerala. 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. 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. 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.
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. Gokulam Kerala FC is also the first club from Kerala to qualify for a continental competition, the AFC Cup. 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. Travancore Royals Football Club (TRFC), founded on 29 November 2018, is India's first fans-owned club.
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, Maradona, Roberto Carlos, Thomas Tuchel 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 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.
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
The Kerala football team represents Kerala in Indian state football competitions, including the Santosh Trophy.
Tournament Bestperformance Santosh Trophy National Games B.C. Roy Trophy Mir Iqbal Hussain Trophy M. Dutta Ray Trophy
Women's team
Kerala women's football team represents Kerala in the Rajmata Jijabai Trophy. 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.
Tournament Bestperformance Rajmata Jijabai Trophy National Games
Affiliated district associations All 14 districts of Kerala are affiliated with the Kerala Football Association.
No. Association DistrictPresident 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
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 N.I. David Memorial Trophy
Women's senior Kerala Women's League (3rd division of Indian football league system)
Evolution of the football system
Stadiums The league and tournaments are generally played at the following Stadiums:
StadiumCapacityCalicut Corporation EMS Stadium, Kozhikode50,000 Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (Kochi) †40,000Greenfield International Stadium Trivandrum50,000Malappuram District Sports Complex Stadium30,000Thrissur Municipal Corporation Stadium15,000 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. +ClubHometownFoundedBest formKerala United FCKozhikode1976 Kerala Premier League Champions (1): 2022-23Kerala Police football teamThiruvananthapuram1984 Federation Cup Winners (2): 1990, 1991 Kerala State Club Football Championship Winners (6): 1985, 1987,1995, 1998, 2014, 2016Kovalam Football ClubThiruvananthapuram2009Golden Threads FCKochi2010 Kerala Premier League Champion (1): 2021–22FC KeralaThrissur2014Kerala Blasters FCKochi2014Indian Super League Runners-up (3): 2014, 2016, 2021–22 Kerala Premier League Champions (1): 2019-20 (reserve team)Gokulam Kerala FCKozhikode2017 I-league Champions (2): 2020-21, 2021-22 Durand Cup Champions (1): 2019 Kerala Premier League Champions (2): 2017-18, 2020–21
List of state level champions +(KFL/KPL) champions (KFL/KPL) Championship seasonKerala State Club Football ChampionshipKerala State Club Football Championship seasonsSBI Kerala FC62000/01, 2003/04, 2006/07, 2008, 2015, 2016 5FC Kochin 21998/99, 1999/00 -KSEB22004/05, 20173Gokulam Kerala22018, 2020/21 -Viva Kerala12005/06 -Eagles FC 12014 -Indian Navy12018/19 -Kerala Blasters FC Reserves12019/20 -Golden Threads12021/22 -Titanium FC - -10Kerala Police - -7KSRTC - -3Premier Tyres FC - -3AGORC,Thiruvananthapuram - -2Central Excise RC - -1Keltron FC - -1FC Kochin - -1Kochin Port Trust - -1Josco FC - -1
Notable footballers
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 Kerala Blasters FC Reserves and Academy Gokulam Football Foundation under Gokulam Kerala FC Muthoot Football Academy Parappur Football Academy (PFC KERALA)
See also Sevens Football Association Football in Thrissur
References