I think healthy rivalry is needed when you are going to have two teams from Kerala in the same division. I hope my hometown TVM gets a football team too .
Why the coastal belt of Kerala capital is in love with football
As the crimson sun prepares to set in the deep-blue yonder, Simon Jose and friends have a ball with a quick session of rondo at the Valiyathura beach to warm up. Soon, they regroup into two teams, while the goalkeepers set up ‘posts’ out of makeshift wooden poles along the sands still warm from the day’s heat.
For youngsters from the coastal belt of the district that stretches about 74 km from Pozhiyoor near Kanyakumari to Anjuthengu close to Kollam, the beautiful game is “in their blood.” At a time when the city loses its natural playgrounds to rapid urbanisation and resorts to artificial turfs, sun-kissed beaches have been serving football fans from the coastal community well. With “prestigious” cups and trophies up for grabs throughout the year sustaining the spirit among a number of coastal football clubs, soccer is “oxygen” to many from here.
“Earlier, football was seen as a poor man’s sport. But now, there’s more money coming in, bringing bigger opportunities for players from the coastal belt as well. It’s thanks in no small measure to the growing popularity of Indian Super League (ISL), which has ramped up the glam quotient of the game,” says Ebin Rose, coach of Kovalam FC and former Santosh Trophy winner from Vizhinjam. Launched in 1999, Kovalam FC is the only club from the district currently playing in the Kerala Premier League, with their home turf at the University Stadium.
The fishing hamlet of Pozhiyoor in South Kollemcode, some 35 km from the city, is also known as ‘Santosh Trophy Village’ for the sheer number of players from here who have made it to the prestigious tournament. “We always keep the ground open. Any one is free to come and have a game at any time of the day,” says John Bosco, coach of St Mathews Recreation Club (SMRC), which trains about 200 players.
Every FIFA World Cup since 2002, Pozhiyoor has been hosting its own ‘Model World Cup’, an occasion when the young players boot up and don the jerseys of their allotted countries in a bid to lift the “biggest trophy of all.” But Pozhiyoor’s World Cup has a surprise wild card entry as well… India. “It’s our dream that India plays in the ultimate tournament and we realise that this way,” adds John with a chuckle.
St Barthalomeo Football Academy (SBFA) at Poovar recently launched its own YouTube channel that chronicles the club’s achievements and even “live-streams” their matches. As part of the channel’s promotion, the club organised a “best goal” and “best comment” contest on its Facebook page wherein club jerseys were given away as prizes. The club celebrated National Girl Child Day on January 24 with a short tournament for women.
Vettucaud has gifted us some players who made the grade on the big stages, such as former Indian striker Thomas Sebastian, former Santosh Trophy captain Sylvester Ignatius and Jobby Justin who currently features in the ISL. Celin John, coach of St Mary’s Sports Club, Vettucaud, one of the oldest sports clubs in the city, points out the impact of its academy, Mary’s India Soccer Academy, in helping hone young talents from coastal areas. “Our chief aim is to build a culture of football and donate good players to the national team,” he says.
Most of the coastal clubs enjoy strong support from the church for the cause of the beautiful game. For one thing, it weans the youth away from “latching on to damaging habits and getting themselves involved in anti-social activities or even gadget addiction.” Apart from the parishes bankrolling, Celin speaks about “local football patrons” working in West Asia chipping in with sponsorship.
Patrick Pereira of Coastal Sports Club, Valiyathura, underlines the number of tournaments and matches organised in the coastal belt in a given year. “Many kids grow up playing a lot of tournaments, keeping the fun and enthusiasm going. So there’s no dearth of match experience during formative years for their development,” says the former Santosh Trophy selector. Several clubs are now gearing up for the annual Don Bosco Football tourney in the short but lively ‘3s football’ format, where in a team fields just three players, scheduled for next month.
Puthiyathura-based Joy Sports and Arts Club Secy (JSAC), formed in 1967, is already abuzz as its much-awaited JSAC tournament is around the corner. “This tourney is organised in the World Cup format and is held once in four years,” says Baby John, the club’s secretary. Francis Jefferson of Jaihind Football Club, Puthenthope, whose annual Jaihind trophy sees some fiery contests, agrees about how regular fixtures keep the momentum going.
With greater exposure, coaches too endeavour to take the game to the next level, with many incorporating modern training methods. Like Pallam Suresh of Mary Matha Sports and Arts Club (MMSAC), Pallam, who picks up useful coaching tips from YouTube videos. At 6 am every day, whether cold or windy, his players show up for practice. “We don’t have a designated ground and I train my kids on the Pallam beach. Many of our players have been selected in better schools and universities on the sports quota,” says Suresh. Four young footballers from MMSAC now play in the Chennaiyin FC junior team in the I-league. “We get good support from the people here. It’s a matter of pride for many parents too,” he adds.
Church-funded Little Flower Football Academy (LiFFA) was set up at Manvila in 2015 with the goal of bringing talented players from fishing community and backward families to the fore. “Currently, 50 kids, all from various coastal hamlets of the district train under Under 14 and Under 18 categories here now,” says Cleofas Alex, LiFFA head coach and former Tamil Nadu team trainer.
Some of the players who have made the cut too attribute their success story to the “fighting spirit” naturally instilled in them from playing barefoot under challenging conditions. “There’s a lot of difference between playing on the beach and a grass turf. You need a lot more stamina when you run on the sand and this automatically conditions you physically. You can then learn other techniques of the game from a good coach,” says 18-year-old Prathap Arose from Puthiyathura, who plays as a striker. Prathap has just signed for FC Thrissur for the club’s I-League U-18 squad.
Twenty-three-year-old Melvino Fernandes from Valiya Veli, who plays for AGS, says another “asset” of his sports life on the beaches are the friendships. “Despite the rivalry, ultimately there’s a sense of togetherness and camaraderie, especially when our friends and relative come and watch the game. After all, football is a common love for us,” says Melvino.
FC Kerala hope to still have a shot at I-League qualification
FC Kerala are playing in the I-League 2nd Division for the second time after the 2017-18 season and they hope to take the next step into the I-League soon.
Sport, Interrupted: Kerala's cult football leagues at (sixes and) Sevens
These past two months were supposed to be peak season for the Sevens. A popular form of football (seven-a-side, as the name suggests) played across Kerala on dirt pitches with thousands cramming into temporary stands, Sevens is now on crisis-management mode.
KM Lenin, President of the Sevens Football Association (SFA), says, "This pandemic has put us in a right fix. March and April are usually good months for us, but now we have had to stop many tournaments. Five had to be stopped mid-way, twenty never started."
The typical Sevens season starts in November and winds up by May-end (they do not play during Kerala's long, heavy monsoon season). There are around 600 tournaments of varying sizes conducted by various bodies and club associations, 60 to 70 of which can be classified as major tournaments with average earnings (to organisers) of around INR 5 lakh. The SFA officially conducts 40-50 tournaments a season.
Mohammad Ashraf Bava, manager of the Malappuram SuperStudio team, says they cooperated with authorities as soon as they were informed of the government's decision to stop public gatherings. "The collector came and asked us to stop play at our Malappuram Kottapadi ground, and we immediately did it. Whatever losses we may suffer, it is nothing compared to the lives of our players, right?"
The teams and the association had already invested heavily in the building of the galleries (the temporary wooden stands that can seat up to ten thousand) at grounds, but they are willing to write it off. "Financial losses are natural, but we see it all in a sportsman's spirit," says Bava.
These losses extend to gallery-makers who had those 20-odd tournaments eyed up, light and sound infrastructure providers, and of course the players.
Player contracts in Sevens football work on the play-and-get-paid approach. Bava says that earlier this meant dividing the winnings between each player equally, but these days it is a lot more professional, with wages matching skill sets. He says that the association has a fixed minimum rate, but better players demand, and get, higher wages. The average a local player makes would be between Rs.1,000 to 2,500 per match, whereas a foreigner of quality would make, on average, between Rs. 2000 to 4000 per match.
Now, there is no play. And no pay, either.
It is the predicament of the star foreign players that have both Bava and Lenin most worried. While local players will also have to forego good money, they are at least locked down in the safety of their homes, in their own land. That is not the case for the 115 foreigners, mostly West African, the Association says are stuck in Kerala.
"They generally send money back home to their families through the season, and save up during this last [profitable] period but that has not happened," says Lenin.
He says the association is working with the teams to ensure food and accommodation are being provided to the players, with the association providing a subsidy of 5,000 rupees per team, to the 33 teams that have registered under them, a sum of INR 1.65 lakh. That works out to just under INR 1,500 per foreign player.
KT Ahmedkutty, owner of the Jawahar Mavoor team, adds, "We are each individually pitching in as and where we can. Imagine if we had been stranded in a foreign land and if the few people we knew there turned their backs on us!"
Bava, meanwhile, says that they are regularly following up with the Foreign Regional Registration Office (FRRO) to ensure the players are not mired in visa troubles. They come to India on six-month visas, just long enough to play the season, and are not allowed to seek any other form of employment whilst here. "The FRRO have promised that the moment the flights out of India start, they will help in sending [the players] back home," says Bava.
The Jawahar Mavoor team posing for a picture before a game. Most of the Sevens' 115 foreign players are mostly West African. KT Ahmedkutty
Everyone is working out what to do on the go. Sevens football has not seen a stoppage like this before.
"Never, since I started my club way back in 1969," says Ahmedkutty, with more than a hint of melancholy in his voice. "This game is rooted in society here. The anticipation builds up a couple of months before the season starts. Like how we all look forward to festivals. Once it starts, the game occupies all our evenings. Now..." You can almost picture the shrug.
"You know how liquor addicts get withdrawal symptoms when they can't have their daily drink? I have those when there is no football. It is driving me insane," he says.
Ahmedkutty is planning for the future, though. "Next time, we will all be a little more careful about spending on our foreign imports. Besides, we have to account for the fact that they may not be able to return soon. I am, for one, looking within India now -- especially at players from Mizoram and Manipur. I have already spoken to a few friends there and we are making deals happen," he says.
None of the three were willing to talk specifics about budgets, however. In addition, they refrained from detailing the scale of losses they have encountered this season and may face in the next, merely stating that expenses differed from team to team, and organisation to organisation. The one message they all conveyed, though, was that the financial health of the entire ecosystem depended on the sponsors they could attract.
Which is why the question of a restart is tricky.
Unlike in regular football, a la I-league and the ISL, there is no TV revenue to fall back on, and closed-door games are simply not an option. Sponsors come for local eyeballs, and without that, "what's the point?" as Lenin asks.
"You know how liquor addicts get withdrawal symptoms when they can't have their daily drink? I have those when there is no football. It is driving me insane."KT Ahmedkutty
Their sustenance is dependent on returning to a world where people can sit in galleries, shoulder-to-shoulder and watch the game. A pre-Covid-19 world, as it were.
Bava says it is complicated by the very nature of their sport. "Football is a contact sport. Look at cricket. They are worried about just handling the ball. People do not even need to touch each other, and they are worried. Imagine us, then."
He says that the teams and the association are in constant discussion, but the variables (NRIs coming in from the Gulf, Keralites coming back from other states, the uncertainty of what happens when lockdown is lifted) are too high right now to make an informed decision. "If cinema halls open by November, we'll open for business too," he laughs.
Meanwhile, he says, "all we can do is pray the world can rid itself of this deadly phenomenon."
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Why the coastal belt of Kerala capital is in love with football
As the crimson sun prepares to set in the deep-blue yonder, Simon Jose and friends have a ball with a quick session of rondo at the Valiyathura beach to warm up. Soon, they regroup into two teams, while the goalkeepers set up ‘posts’ out of makeshift wooden poles along the sands still warm from the day’s heat.
For youngsters from the coastal belt of the district that stretches about 74 km from Pozhiyoor near Kanyakumari to Anjuthengu close to Kollam, the beautiful game is “in their blood.” At a time when the city loses its natural playgrounds to rapid urbanisation and resorts to artificial turfs, sun-kissed beaches have been serving football fans from the coastal community well. With “prestigious” cups and trophies up for grabs throughout the year sustaining the spirit among a number of coastal football clubs, soccer is “oxygen” to many from here.
“Earlier, football was seen as a poor man’s sport. But now, there’s more money coming in, bringing bigger opportunities for players from the coastal belt as well. It’s thanks in no small measure to the growing popularity of Indian Super League (ISL), which has ramped up the glam quotient of the game,” says Ebin Rose, coach of Kovalam FC and former Santosh Trophy winner from Vizhinjam. Launched in 1999, Kovalam FC is the only club from the district currently playing in the Kerala Premier League, with their home turf at the University Stadium.
Every FIFA World Cup since 2002, Pozhiyoor has been hosting its own ‘Model World Cup’, an occasion when the young players boot up and don the jerseys of their allotted countries in a bid to lift the “biggest trophy of all.” But Pozhiyoor’s World Cup has a surprise wild card entry as well… India. “It’s our dream that India plays in the ultimate tournament and we realise that this way,” adds John with a chuckle.
St Barthalomeo Football Academy (SBFA) at Poovar recently launched its own YouTube channel that chronicles the club’s achievements and even “live-streams” their matches. As part of the channel’s promotion, the club organised a “best goal” and “best comment” contest on its Facebook page wherein club jerseys were given away as prizes. The club celebrated National Girl Child Day on January 24 with a short tournament for women.
Vettucaud has gifted us some players who made the grade on the big stages, such as former Indian striker Thomas Sebastian, former Santosh Trophy captain Sylvester Ignatius and Jobby Justin who currently features in the ISL. Celin John, coach of St Mary’s Sports Club, Vettucaud, one of the oldest sports clubs in the city, points out the impact of its academy, Mary’s India Soccer Academy, in helping hone young talents from coastal areas. “Our chief aim is to build a culture of football and donate good players to the national team,” he says.
Most of the coastal clubs enjoy strong support from the church for the cause of the beautiful game. For one thing, it weans the youth away from “latching on to damaging habits and getting themselves involved in anti-social activities or even gadget addiction.” Apart from the parishes bankrolling, Celin speaks about “local football patrons” working in West Asia chipping in with sponsorship.
Patrick Pereira of Coastal Sports Club, Valiyathura, underlines the number of tournaments and matches organised in the coastal belt in a given year. “Many kids grow up playing a lot of tournaments, keeping the fun and enthusiasm going. So there’s no dearth of match experience during formative years for their development,” says the former Santosh Trophy selector. Several clubs are now gearing up for the annual Don Bosco Football tourney in the short but lively ‘3s football’ format, where in a team fields just three players, scheduled for next month.
Puthiyathura-based Joy Sports and Arts Club Secy (JSAC), formed in 1967, is already abuzz as its much-awaited JSAC tournament is around the corner. “This tourney is organised in the World Cup format and is held once in four years,” says Baby John, the club’s secretary. Francis Jefferson of Jaihind Football Club, Puthenthope, whose annual Jaihind trophy sees some fiery contests, agrees about how regular fixtures keep the momentum going.
With greater exposure, coaches too endeavour to take the game to the next level, with many incorporating modern training methods. Like Pallam Suresh of Mary Matha Sports and Arts Club (MMSAC), Pallam, who picks up useful coaching tips from YouTube videos. At 6 am every day, whether cold or windy, his players show up for practice. “We don’t have a designated ground and I train my kids on the Pallam beach. Many of our players have been selected in better schools and universities on the sports quota,” says Suresh. Four young footballers from MMSAC now play in the Chennaiyin FC junior team in the I-league. “We get good support from the people here. It’s a matter of pride for many parents too,” he adds.
Church-funded Little Flower Football Academy (LiFFA) was set up at Manvila in 2015 with the goal of bringing talented players from fishing community and backward families to the fore. “Currently, 50 kids, all from various coastal hamlets of the district train under Under 14 and Under 18 categories here now,” says Cleofas Alex, LiFFA head coach and former Tamil Nadu team trainer.
Some of the players who have made the cut too attribute their success story to the “fighting spirit” naturally instilled in them from playing barefoot under challenging conditions. “There’s a lot of difference between playing on the beach and a grass turf. You need a lot more stamina when you run on the sand and this automatically conditions you physically. You can then learn other techniques of the game from a good coach,” says 18-year-old Prathap Arose from Puthiyathura, who plays as a striker. Prathap has just signed for FC Thrissur for the club’s I-League U-18 squad.
Twenty-three-year-old Melvino Fernandes from Valiya Veli, who plays for AGS, says another “asset” of his sports life on the beaches are the friendships. “Despite the rivalry, ultimately there’s a sense of togetherness and camaraderie, especially when our friends and relative come and watch the game. After all, football is a common love for us,” says Melvino.
https://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/why-the-coastal-belt-of-kerala-capital-is-in-love-with-football/article30701461.eceFC Kerala hope to still have a shot at I-League qualification
FC Kerala are playing in the I-League 2nd Division for the second time after the 2017-18 season and they hope to take the next step into the I-League soon.
https://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/football/2020/may/17/fc-kerala-hope-to-still-have-a-shot-at-i-league-qualification-2144546.html
Sport, Interrupted: Kerala's cult football leagues at (sixes and) Sevens
These past two months were supposed to be peak season for the Sevens. A popular form of football (seven-a-side, as the name suggests) played across Kerala on dirt pitches with thousands cramming into temporary stands, Sevens is now on crisis-management mode.
KM Lenin, President of the Sevens Football Association (SFA), says, "This pandemic has put us in a right fix. March and April are usually good months for us, but now we have had to stop many tournaments. Five had to be stopped mid-way, twenty never started."
The typical Sevens season starts in November and winds up by May-end (they do not play during Kerala's long, heavy monsoon season). There are around 600 tournaments of varying sizes conducted by various bodies and club associations, 60 to 70 of which can be classified as major tournaments with average earnings (to organisers) of around INR 5 lakh. The SFA officially conducts 40-50 tournaments a season.
The teams and the association had already invested heavily in the building of the galleries (the temporary wooden stands that can seat up to ten thousand) at grounds, but they are willing to write it off. "Financial losses are natural, but we see it all in a sportsman's spirit," says Bava.
These losses extend to gallery-makers who had those 20-odd tournaments eyed up, light and sound infrastructure providers, and of course the players.
Player contracts in Sevens football work on the play-and-get-paid approach. Bava says that earlier this meant dividing the winnings between each player equally, but these days it is a lot more professional, with wages matching skill sets. He says that the association has a fixed minimum rate, but better players demand, and get, higher wages. The average a local player makes would be between Rs.1,000 to 2,500 per match, whereas a foreigner of quality would make, on average, between Rs. 2000 to 4000 per match.
Now, there is no play. And no pay, either.
It is the predicament of the star foreign players that have both Bava and Lenin most worried. While local players will also have to forego good money, they are at least locked down in the safety of their homes, in their own land. That is not the case for the 115 foreigners, mostly West African, the Association says are stuck in Kerala.
"They generally send money back home to their families through the season, and save up during this last [profitable] period but that has not happened," says Lenin.
He says the association is working with the teams to ensure food and accommodation are being provided to the players, with the association providing a subsidy of 5,000 rupees per team, to the 33 teams that have registered under them, a sum of INR 1.65 lakh. That works out to just under INR 1,500 per foreign player.
KT Ahmedkutty, owner of the Jawahar Mavoor team, adds, "We are each individually pitching in as and where we can. Imagine if we had been stranded in a foreign land and if the few people we knew there turned their backs on us!"
Bava, meanwhile, says that they are regularly following up with the Foreign Regional Registration Office (FRRO) to ensure the players are not mired in visa troubles. They come to India on six-month visas, just long enough to play the season, and are not allowed to seek any other form of employment whilst here. "The FRRO have promised that the moment the flights out of India start, they will help in sending [the players] back home," says Bava.
Everyone is working out what to do on the go. Sevens football has not seen a stoppage like this before.
"Never, since I started my club way back in 1969," says Ahmedkutty, with more than a hint of melancholy in his voice. "This game is rooted in society here. The anticipation builds up a couple of months before the season starts. Like how we all look forward to festivals. Once it starts, the game occupies all our evenings. Now..." You can almost picture the shrug.
"You know how liquor addicts get withdrawal symptoms when they can't have their daily drink? I have those when there is no football. It is driving me insane," he says.
Ahmedkutty is planning for the future, though. "Next time, we will all be a little more careful about spending on our foreign imports. Besides, we have to account for the fact that they may not be able to return soon. I am, for one, looking within India now -- especially at players from Mizoram and Manipur. I have already spoken to a few friends there and we are making deals happen," he says.
None of the three were willing to talk specifics about budgets, however. In addition, they refrained from detailing the scale of losses they have encountered this season and may face in the next, merely stating that expenses differed from team to team, and organisation to organisation. The one message they all conveyed, though, was that the financial health of the entire ecosystem depended on the sponsors they could attract.
Which is why the question of a restart is tricky.
Unlike in regular football, a la I-league and the ISL, there is no TV revenue to fall back on, and closed-door games are simply not an option. Sponsors come for local eyeballs, and without that, "what's the point?" as Lenin asks.
Their sustenance is dependent on returning to a world where people can sit in galleries, shoulder-to-shoulder and watch the game. A pre-Covid-19 world, as it were.
Bava says it is complicated by the very nature of their sport. "Football is a contact sport. Look at cricket. They are worried about just handling the ball. People do not even need to touch each other, and they are worried. Imagine us, then."
He says that the teams and the association are in constant discussion, but the variables (NRIs coming in from the Gulf, Keralites coming back from other states, the uncertainty of what happens when lockdown is lifted) are too high right now to make an informed decision. "If cinema halls open by November, we'll open for business too," he laughs.
Meanwhile, he says, "all we can do is pray the world can rid itself of this deadly phenomenon."
https://www.espn.in/football/india/story/4106141/sport-interrupted-keralas-cult-football-leagues-at-sixes-and-sevens
Can cricket co-exist with football at JNI Stadium Kochi? Experts speak
https://khelnow.com/football/jni-stadium-kochi-football-cricket-expert-opinion
Former Gokulam Kerala assistant manager dies of COVID-19
https://sportstar.thehindu.com/football/muhammad-alloush-former-gokulam-kerala-fc-assistant-manager-passes-away-coronavirus/article31947884.ece