Sports in Kerala

Football is the most popular sport in Kerala, India, followed by cricket. Kerala Blasters are the most supported football club in the state, whereas Gokulam Kerala FC derives most of its support from the Malabar region.[1] However, larger numbers of Keralites also follow sports such as volleyball, hockey, badminton, and kabaddi. There are many stadiums across different cities. Trivandrum has various sports venues such as Trivandrum International Stadium,[2] Jimmy George Indoor Stadium, University Stadium (Thiruvananthapuram), Chandrasekharan Nair Stadium and Central Stadium, whereas Kochi has Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium (Kochi)[3] and Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium.[4][5] An international astro turf hockey stadium is located at Kollam city.[6] Other major stadiums are EMS Stadium in Kozhikode,[7] Malappuram District Sports Complex Stadium in Manjeri, Kannur Indoor Stadium in Kannur, Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium in Kollam[8] and many more.[9] All these stadiums attest to the mass appeal of such sports among Keralites.

In addition to the multi-sport events organized by private entities, the government of Kerala conducts the annual Kerala State School Olympics for students from all districts in the state. This initiative aims to promote sports and physical education among school children.

Football

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Main article: Football in Kerala
Football at the Malappuram District Sports Complex Stadium

Football enjoys the most fan following among the sports in the state. Football was introduced to the land of Kerala during 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, who played in post-harvest paddy fields.[10]

R B Ferguson Club is the oldest football club in Kerala and one of the oldest in India. The first Indian professional football club FC Kochin was from Kerala. The northern (Malabar region) and middle parts of Kerala, especially Malappuram and Thrissur, are famous for football-crazy. produced many Indian International footballers such as I. M. Vijayan, V. P. Sathyan, C. V. Pappachan, Jo Paul Ancheri, Victor Manjila, E.N. Sudhir and C. A. Liston.

Most of the professional football clubs in India have many Kerala footballers including Indian internationals 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, and many more.[11]

Sevens football

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Main article: Sevens Football

Seven-a-side football is particularly popular in Malabar. Its tournaments runs from November to May. In Kerala and Tamil Nadu, All India Sevens Football used to register more attendance than 11’s football. In 1950s, national players who came for the Sait Nagjee Football Tournament in Kozhikode also participated in the local sevens tournaments. All India Sevens Football moved to enclosed grounds with ticketed entry by 1970s. As tournaments increased, the Sevens Football Association (SFA) was formed in 1983. Around 50 official tournaments are held each season. Sevens tournaments have been known for recruiting foreign players, mainly from Africa. Despite the popularity, the Kerala Football Association KFA did not recognise sevens football until 2017 and had even banned I. M. Vijayan once for playing All India Sevens Football. Talking about the issue, C. K. Vineeth said: We talk about academies, but let me ask you how many top-class footballers have these academies produced? All India Sevens Football have an endless number of top footballers. There was a time when Kerala didn't have a single football tournament. It was sevens which kept the game alive.[10] Some of the football players who started their career in All India Sevens Football are I. M. Vijayan, Jo Paul Ancheri, V. P. Sathyan, Anas Edathodika, and Ashique Kuruniyan.[12]

Indian Super League

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Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Kerala during an ISL match.
A view of Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium before the 2016 ISL final

Football became popular in Kerala decades ago. Kochi currently has a club called Kerala Blasters which competes in the Indian Super League, India's top football league.[13] It is one of the most widely supported clubs in the country, as well as one of the most followed sports clubs from Asia on social media.[14][15][16] The club is also the three time runner-up of the league.

I-League

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Gokulam Kerala represents Kerala in the I-League. They went on to play for the first time in the 2017–18 I-League. Gokulam Kerala played all their matches at the EMS Stadium which is located in the heart of Kozhikode. Although the club did not have a good beginning, they went on to defeat big clubs like East Bengal, Mohun Bagan and Punjab FC by the end of the season.[17] Travancore Royals FC from capital city Trivandrum is first fans owned football club in India.[18]

Kerala Premier League

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Sports Academy Tirur vs Kerala United FC

Kerala Premier League is a football league organised by Kerala Football Association played in the state of Kerala, India. It was founded in 2013, competed by 10 football clubs from the state.[19]

Hockey

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International Hockey Stadium in Kollam

Hockey is the pride game of city of Kollam and Kollam district. There are a lot number of Kollam city based players in Indian hockey team as well as Kerala Hockey Team.

Kollam is famous for its players and the passion for the game. So to support the city's passion towards hockey, Government of Kerala have built a most modern state of the type astro turf hockey stadium within the city, which is first of its kind in the state. International Hockey Stadium in Kollam is having a total seating capacity of 5,000[20] built at a cost of Rs.17.55 Crores (US$2.84 Million).[21] The stadium is now the home-ground of Kerala Hockey Team. Comparing to other sports, hockey is not much popular in Kerala. But the most popular hockey player from Kerala is P R Sreejesh. He has captained Indian team on several occasions.[22]

Athletics

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Kerala has a rich history of producing world class athletes. Athletes like T. C. Yohannan, Suresh Babu, P.T.Usha, Shiny Wilson, K. M. Beenamol, Tintu Lukka, Anju Bobby George, Preeja Sreedharan, Renjith Maheshwary are amongst the best Kerala has produced.[23]

Volleyball

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Volleyball, another popular sport, is often played on makeshift courts on sandy beaches along the coast. Jimmy George, born in Peravoor, Kannur, was arguably the most successful volleyball player ever to represent India. At his prime he was regarded as among the world's ten best players.[24]

Cricket

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In 1800, commander Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington of British East India Company made Thalassery (then Tellicherry) his administrative base. Wellesley and his colleagues used to play cricket in nearby ground. The local natives engaged as substitute players whenever the English officers were short of players. The locals were from the dhobi community and fishermen who lived along the beach. As a child, Colin Cowdrey played in Thalasserry. In 1830, the Tellicherry Cricket Club (TCC) was formed. The earliest record of a match in Thalassery is a report from Malayala Manorama of 1890, about a match between Thalassery and Kannur. By the 1930s, Thalassery had become a cricket hub, attracting teams from other states.[25] During World War I (1914 – 1918), an exhibition match was conducted in Thalasserry for raising funds for the war.[26]

Sreesanth (right-arm fast-medium, played 26 tests and 53 ODIs for India) is often regarded as the most successful cricketer from Kerala. Tinu Yohannan, son of Olympic long jumper T. C. Yohannan, also represented India, 3 times in tests and ODIs and Sanju Samson, Indian batsman, who already joined Indian team. K. N. Ananthapadmanabhan (344 first class wickets) is also a famous domestic cricket from Kerala, who took 344 wickets in first class cricket. Kochi Tuskers, a short lived former Indian Premier League team, represented Kochi, Kerala. Sports Hub Trivandrum and Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium (Kaloor International Stadium) are the two international cricket stadiums in Kerala.[27]

Water-polo

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Kerala is considered one of the best Indian states regarding water-polo. Malayalee clubs, teams, players, both women and men, are some of the most valuable in India, winning several national championships.[28]

Traditional sports

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Vallam kali

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Vallam kali is a boat race in the backwaters of Kerala. It is a form of canoe racing, and uses paddled war canoes. It is mainly conducted during the season of the Onam in spring. Vallam kali includes races of many kinds of paddled longboats and 'snake boats'.[29]

Gatta gusthi

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Gatta gusthi is a form of submission wrestling native to Kerala. It is competed inside an open ring on ground known as godha, usually on a beach; wrestlers are called phayalvans.[30] The sport comprises around 100 techniques.[31] Gatta gusthi was popular in the state until late 1960s with the arrival of freestyle wrestling and karate. The freestyle form is known simply as gusthi.[32]

Nadan Panthu kali

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Nadan panthu kali is a team sport played in rural villages of Kottayam district and Muvattupuzha Taluk. Villages like Manaracd, Puthuppally, Thottakkadu, Thirvanchoor, Meendam, Manganam, Kurichy, Valakom etc. are the places where this game is played. This game is played using a small ball made of leather and filled with cotton or coconut fibre. Each team consist of 7 players each. The game is played for six Innings (vara). Each inning, both the teams are allowed to do "vettu" where they initiate the scoring and other team prevents from the scoring. Scoring points follow the sequence like otta, petta, pidiyan, thalm, Keezhu, Indan and then it repeats. The team which score the most points from the innings wins. Annual Tournaments are conducted at these villages every year.[33]

List of stadiums in Kerala

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The following is a list of major stadiums in Kerala in the order of their capacity.

Sports Hub Trivandrum
Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium
# Stadium Capacity City District Main Use Tenants
1 Sports Hub Trivandrum 50,000 Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram Cricket, Football Kerala Cricket Association
2 EMS Stadium 50,000 Kozhikode Kozhikode Football Gokulam Kerala FC
3 Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium 40,000 Kochi Ernakulam Cricket, Football[34] Kerala Blasters FC,

Kerala Cricket Association

4 Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium 40,000 Kollam Kollam Football,

Rugby

5 Jawahar Municipal Stadium 30,000 Kannur Kannur Football
6 Chandrasekharan Nair Stadium 25,000 Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram Football
7 Malappuram District Sports Complex Stadium 25,000 Manjeri Malappuram Football Kerala United FC
8 University Stadium 20,000 Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram Football, Cricket
9 Krishnagiri Stadium 20,000 Wayanad Wayanad Cricket[35] Kerala Cricket Association
10 Thrissur Municipal Corporation Stadium 15,000 Thrissur Thrissur Football FC Kerala
11 Maharaja's College Stadium 15,000 Kochi Ernakulam Multi-purpose[36]
12 Fort Maidan Stadium 10,000 Palakkad Palakkad Cricket Kerala Cricket Association
13 Thrissur Aquatic Complex 10,000 Thrissur Thrissur Swimming
14 Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium 10,000 Kochi Ernakulam Multi-purpose
15 FACT Stadium 5,000 Kochi Ernakulam Multi-purpose
16 International Hockey Stadium 5,000 Kollam Kollam Hockey[37]
17 Jimmy George Indoor Stadium 2,000 Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram Multi-purpose
18 Pala Municipal Stadium Pala Kottayam Football, Athletics
19 Senior Ground Kunnamkulam Thrissur Football, Athletics
20 District Stadium Kalpetta Wayanad Football, Athletics
21 Dr. Ambedkar Stadium Kochi Ernakulam Football

References

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  1. ^ "KPL: Blasters edge Gokulam to emerge champs". OnManorama. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  2. ^ "Oommen Chandy inaugurates new Trivandrum International Stadium".
  3. ^ "Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium, Kochi (Kaloor International Stadium)".
  4. ^ "Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium".
  5. ^ "Chandrasekharan Nair Stadium (CSN)".
  6. ^ "Astro turf hockey stadium in Kollam". TNIE. 23 December 2009. Archived from the original on 5 September 2014.
  7. ^ "Corporation Stadium, Kozhikode".
  8. ^ "Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
  9. ^ "Indoor Stadium, Mundayad".
  10. ^ a b Rayson P. Tennyson (3 September 2019). "How Kerala shrunk football to make it its own". The Times of India. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  11. ^ "Indian Football: Legends from the 'football mad' state of Kerala | Goal.com". www.goal.com. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  12. ^ "Sevens Football: Top five players who went on to represent India". Khel Now. 4 May 2020. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  13. ^ "From Blasters to Gokulam: How Kerala rediscovered its passion for football". The Indian Express. 14 May 2022. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
  14. ^ Salikha, Adelaida. "Top FIVE Asian Clubs With Highest Social Media Followers, Up to October 2018 | Seasia.co". Good News from Southeast Asia. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  15. ^ "Indian Football: Five most-followed clubs on social media". Khel Now. 18 June 2020. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  16. ^ "Kerala Blasters online fan base swells to 4.3 million, becomes 10th most followed football club in Asia". My Khel. 12 October 2019. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  17. ^ "Gokulam Kerala beat Mohun Bagan 2-1 to win Durand Cup". Zee News. 24 August 2019. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  18. ^ "Make way for the first fan-owned football club". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  19. ^ "KFA Announces Kerala Premier League". Football News India. Archived from the original on 17 May 2014. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
  20. ^ [1] Astro-turf hockey stadium - The New Indian Express
  21. ^ "Crores Spent; Game for Future? - The New Indian Express". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 21 January 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2014.
  22. ^ "'Dronacharya of Kerala hockey' Sreedhar Shenoy passes away". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  23. ^ "Olympics moments: PT Usha misses bronze by a whisker". DNA India. 21 May 2012. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  24. ^ "Sportal ---- Sports Portal -- GOVERNMENT OF INDIA --". Archived from the original on 14 May 2008.
  25. ^ Radhakrishnan, M. G. (20 May 2002). "A coastal town in Kerala celebrates the bicentenary of its cricket tradition". India Today. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  26. ^ K., Sreejith (2021). The Middle Class in Colonial Malabar: A Social History. Routledge. p. 91. ISBN 9781000464191. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  27. ^ "Kochi can host cricket and football alike, says GCDA". Mathrubhumi. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  28. ^ "Kerala Swimmers Win Second Straight Gold in Water Polo". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  29. ^ "The Boat Races of Kerala". Outlook India. 24 May 2018. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  30. ^ Sathyendran, Nita (11 May 2017). "All set for the ring". The Hindu. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  31. ^ Sreemol, T. C. (13 January 2017). "Phogat effect: Kochi girls learning Gatta Gusti". The Times of India. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  32. ^ Times News Network (24 July 2016). "Gatta champs grapple to keep the sport alive". The Times of India. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  33. ^ "Strike the ball in six different ways in this barefoot game". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  34. ^ "Nehru Stadium". ESPNcricinfo.
  35. ^ "Scenic Krishnagiri Stadium Warms up for First International Match". The New Indian Express.
  36. ^ "Maharaja College Ground". ESPNcricinfo.
  37. ^ "Crores Spent; Game for Future? - The New Indian Express". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 21 January 2015. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
  • Chandran, VP (2018). Mathrubhumi Yearbook Plus - 2019 (Malayalam ed.). Kozhikode: P. V. Chandran, Managing Editor, Mathrubhumi Printing & Publishing Company Limited, Kozhikode.
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