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. 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.
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.
Football in Kerala is administered by the Kerala Football Association[13] It sends state teams for Santosh Trophy and Senior Women's National Football Championship.
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.
The following list includes the performance of all of Kerala's state teams at major competitions.
The Kerala football team represents Kerala in Indian state football competitions, including the Santosh Trophy.[14]
See main article: Kerala women's football team. Kerala women's football team represents Kerala in the Senior Women's National Football Championship.[15] 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.[16]
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 | |||
| 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 | |||
| 13 | Thrissur District Football Association | Thrissur | ||
| 14 | Wayanad District Football Association | Wayanad |
The league and tournaments are generally played at the following Stadiums:
Current clubs from Kerala, that are playing in any of divisions of Indian football.
| Kerala United FC[17] | 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 |
|
| 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 |
The state of Kerala has contributed many legends to Indian football, such as: