Football in Kerala

Football is one of the most popular sports in Kerala. 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 and 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. All India Sevens Football is one and only most fan based football in Kerala, All India Sevens Football Clubs more fans than some ISL & I-League clubs, 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, Malappuram based Kerala United FC is I-League third division club from Kerala

Kerala Premier League is the official state level tournament, Super League Kerala is Franchise football league of Kerala 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.

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.

Shortlisted clubs
Most of the clubs still functioning in Kerala are founded after 1970s.

Notable players


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 tournaments

 * All India Sevens Football
 * Kerala Premier League (formerly Kerala Football League)
 * Kerala Super League
 * Kerala State Club Football Championship
 * Scissors Cup
 * Sait Nagjee Football Tournament
 * GV Raja Trophy
 * Chakola Cup in Thrissur
 * Golden Jubilee Trophy
 * Nehru Cup
 * Mamman Mappila Cup
 * Sree Narayana Cup

Notable academies

 * Milan Academy Kozhikode
 * Kerala Blasters FC Reserves and Academy
 * Gokulam Football Foundation
 * Muthoot Football Academy
 * AIFA Koppam