Kerala – Page 2 – Football News India

Premier Skills Phase 2 training kicks off in India

November 7, 2015 footballnewsindia Leave a comment

The second phase of the hugely successful Premier Skills initiative, run by the Premier League and the British Council will take place from 2 to 7 November 2015 in Thiruvananthapuram, Keralaat Lakshmibai National College of Physical Education (LNCPE).

Premier Skills is a partnership between the Premier League and the British Council. It uses football as a tool to help develop both community coaching and English language skills. The programme trains sports coaches, referees and youth leaders, enhancing their existing football skills, whilst also developing their leadership skills and a greater understanding of the role football can play in tackling other social issues.

In November 2014, for the Phase 1 training, coaches and referees of the Premier Skills Kolkata Goalz programme, belonging to Kerala Football Association, Goa Football Association, Sports Authority of India, and three NGOs, were trained at Sports Authority of India (SAI) and Lakshmibai National College of Physical Education (LNCPE), Kerala. Phase 2 consists of two training programmes: Coach Education (2 – 7 November 2015) and Referee Development (2 – 4 November 2015). The coach education programme will be attended by 36 Indian coaches and 24 Indian referees will participate in the referee programme. These coaches and referees (from Goa and Kerala) have been chosen from the Phase 1 participants.

During the programme, the coaches and referees will receive training from qualified Premier Skills coaches, giving them the skills and support to develop their own community football projects and development as referees and coaches. The coaches’ training programme will be led by experienced Premier Skills Head Coach Jeremy Weeks supported by Robert Perret, Sports Development Manager with Crystal Palace FC Foundation and Cheryl Edwards, Community Coach at Aston Villa Football Club. The referee training programme will be led by Graham Laws, Referee Coach at Professional Game Match Officials Limited supported by Michael Edward Murphy, Assistant Referee Coach.

The training will end with a demonstration of skills that the coaches and referees have learnt over the course of the programme. This will be showcased on Friday 6 November and Sunday 7 November, at SAI, LNCPE, Thiruvananthapuram.

The course in Thiruvananthapuram is being jointly organised by the British Council and Premier League in association with Sports Authority of India (SAI), Lakshmibai National College of Physical Education, All India Football Federation (AIFF), Kerala Football Association (KFA) and Goa Football Association (GFA).

In addition to coaching, a range of free materials, including a dedicated website, has been created under Premier Skills for teachers and learners of English that utilise exciting Premier League content and the British Council’s world-class expertise in English.

Premier League Executive Chairman, Richard Scudamore, said:

“I am thrilled that Premier Skills will return to India this week for Phase 2 of the project. In the UK, Premier League clubs have a long-held commitment to investing in and supporting local community and education programmes and that is now being mirrored internationally, with Premier Skills operating in 25 countries. Given the increasing interest in football in India we are proud to support the country’s growing enthusiasm for the sport by providing more highly trained coaches and referees to pass on their expertise through Premier Skills.”

Mei-kwei Barker, Director, British Council South India said

“We are delighted to present Premier Skills, Phase 2 training programme, our very successful partnership project with the Premier League in South India. It combines English and football, two universal languages and with the support of our local partners in India — Sports Authority of India (SAI), Lakshmibai National College of Physical Education, All India Football Federation (AIFF), Kerala Football Association (KFA) and Goa Football Association (GFA) — we have been able to provide this opportunity. As part of Phase 2 training, the Coach Education and Referee Development programmes will be attended by successful coaches and referees from Phase 1 of the project. We hope the coaches and referees find this training useful and are able to make the most impact in their respective communities”.

The Programme

Coach Education Programme: 2 – 7 November 2015

The Coach Education curriculum aims to develop a group of local master trainers at the end of the programme. It will help to develop community coach skills and knowledge. The training will be in three parts, over 18 – 24 months and involves attendance at and graduation from each part of the training. There will be learning and practical tasks that must be completed between each of the training. Those that are successful will need to demonstrate continued progress throughout the 3 Phases and with the tasks that they will be asked to complete between the training phases. Successful Phase 3 Graduates will become Premier Skills Coach Educators – and they will have an opportunity to train and develop new Premier Skills Community Coaches to support the work of their organisation.

Referee Development programme: 2 – 4 November 2014

The Referee Development programme is a two phase programme which offers participants an introduction to refereeing at grassroots level. Participants include referees that are already working in community football programmes but who have received minimal or no formal training to improve their refereeing skills and knowledge.

For more on Premier Skills visit http://www.britishcouncil.org/society/sport/current-programmes/premier-skills.

Kerala Blasters – ISL Season II Preview

October 6, 2015 footballnewsindia Leave a comment

Kerala Blasters had an amazing first season, they exceeded all expectations by reaching the finals of first season. Blighted with ownership issues KBFC remained low key during the ISL auction but picked up some good players in the player draft. They have roped in an experienced Coach in Peter Taylor who will replace David James who was the marquee player/ manger last season. Trevor Morgan, former East Bengal coach remains as the assistant coach.

Blasters have recruited former Westham Goal Keeper Stephen Bywater, who will replace David James as the foreign keeper this season. Experienced custodian Sandip Nandy and Mohun Bagan goal Keeper Shilton Paul are the other goal keepers in the squad. Bywater will be the first choice keeper, otherwise we will see Sandip Nandy replacing him in the lineup.

Blasters have recruited former New Castle defender Peter Ramage who is expected to play a crucial role this season. Former Spanish International and World Cup winner Carlos Marchena (Marquee Player), Sandesh Jhinghan and Marcus Williams are the other stand out players in defense.

In the middle of the park, Blasters have a variety of options. Portuguese player Joao Coimbra and former Barca trained Josu is expected to start in the middle. CK Vineeth with his blistering pace could earn spot on the left. The other options in midfield are Cavin Lobo, Shankar, Mehtab Hussian Ishfaq Ahmed, Pulga and Peter Carvalho.

The real struggle for Blasters last season was scoring goals. They managed to score only 11 goals last season and out of that 5 were scored by Iain Hume who has then moved on to reigning champions ATK. Management seems to have put in a lot of thought to avoid the goal drought by signing some good talent upfront. The forward line-up of Chris Dagnall, former Arsenal man Sanchez Watt, Antonio German, Mohammed Rafi and Manandeep Singh, is quite a formidable one.

Blasters conceded only 11 goals last season, the lowest among all the teams. They will be looking to improve upon this record this season. With a great home support, Blasters could again be the surprise package of this season.

United SC Sign Former East Bengal Goalkeeper Abhijit Mondal

August 12, 2015 footballnewsindia Leave a comment

United SC registered 11 players at IFA including Abhijit Mondal, Sashti Duley!

United Sports Club on Tuesday registered a total number of eleven players at the IFA Office ahead of 2015-16 Calcutta Football League (Premier Division).

The former United SC keeper Abhijit Mondal, who was member of club’s maiden Durand Cup winning squad in 2010, making his return at the club after spending two successful seasons at East Bengal.

“It feels great to become a member of purple family again. I still remember when we won the Durand Cup in 2010, we also had a young team like this year therefor I am very much hopeful to repeat that performance once again,” Mondal said.

Meanwhile the club has also signed seasoned campaigner Sashti Duley along with a host of young but talented footballers like Usman Ashik, Sreanshu Das, Ajay Nag, Md. Rashid, Shaibuddin KK, Subhajit Biswas, Suhair VP, Sahbaz Salil and Md. Rafi.

Kerala Footballer Ananthu Murali Signs 3-year Deal with DSK Shivajians F.C.

August 3, 2015 footballnewsindia Leave a comment

Football has always been a passion for Ananthu Murali. The 18 year old footballer from Thrissur started his footballing career at the age of 6 with Red Star Football Academy. He has played for the Thrissur district Football team in U-13, U-14 categories and has also been the captain in the ’11-’12 season. He was also the captain of the Kerala state junior football team in the interstate tournament in 2014. Ananthu was one among the 5 footballers and the only player from Kerala who were sent to Bayern Munich for training in 2014 by Bajaj Allianz.

Sportico Ventures Pvt Ltd, the renowned Sports management company based out of Cochin spotted Ananthu during his training with the National Junior team in Goa. The company arranged a trial for him at the DSK Shivajians F.C. in Pune. He trained with the top players in the team and proved his potential on the first day itself. After a week’s trial and scouting, Ananthu has signed a 3-year contract with the I-League second division club and will be representing the team in the coming season.

When stars arrive, they leave a trail…

July 4, 2015 footballnewsindia Leave a comment

As we went down the green winding paths of a small village in Kannur, little boys in brown shorts clutched their toys and stared at us. For them, a sudden furor in their otherwise quiet neighborhood was a surprise. For us, it was an even bigger surprise, knowing the roots of one of Indian football’s best attacking wingers.

Having been brought up in a normal middle class family, Vineeth C K’s father was a school teacher and his mother, a housewife. He went to a boarding school, and would write back longingly for peanut bars and biscuits, ending his weekly correspondence with a big signoff of kisses. His mother fondly remembered the letters, and spoke of his tantrums as a child. Nothing has changed – Vineeth’s popularity in Kannur is nothing less than that of a movie star. He knows it well, but addresses warmly, scolding them at times, and being the child they all knew him as. This is the love we saw, showered during his wedding to his college sweetheart, last month. People swarmed the house, had funny flex banners put up, and Vineeth walked through all this nonchalantly, like he expected nothing less. For all these people, he was “muth” (Malayalam for ‘pearl’), the true son of the soil, who made it big from his humble roots, from the green patches of their land to a world of Indian football.

The Facebook profile pictures of many in Kannur, for a long time to come, would be a selfie with the captain of the India Football Team – Sunil Chhetri, who attended the wedding of his teammate. While the star player of Indian football attended the two day long celebrations in Kannur, news of his arrival flashed across the village, and into the city. Vineeth had indeed made them proud – here was the finest Indian football player posing for photographs, eating Thalassery Biriyani, and interacting with them like one amongst them. Chhetri patiently posed for every photo, shook every hand that got stretched, said “Nice to meet you” to every single smile that came his way, hugged and kissed little starry eyed children, and stayed grounded through it all. Chhetri’s presence made people believe that the game they loved and worshipped was rooted strongly with players who knew not just their game, but also never forgot their journey of hard work and dedication.

Vineeth’s journey to the Indian Football team is one of hard work, patience and dedication, and so is the story of every player who plays the game of football in India today. With authorities turning a near blind eye to the game and its growth, the stories of such successes is what makes it worth to believe in the magic of a beautiful game called football.

Sreedhanya decided to pen this light note after attending Vineeth CK’s wedding in Kerala.

Farook College is the Champions – Kozhikode “A Divsion League”

May 5, 2015 footballnewsindia Leave a comment

Farook College is the Champions of Kozhikode “A Division League”, the top tier league in the city. In the final match they defeated Universal Soccer Academy 4-5 in tie breaker to lift the trophy. Farook College went unbeaten in all their eight matches in the league en-route to the title.

Final, played in the Corporation stadium saw Farook College taking the lead in the 35th minute. They conceded a late goal which took the match to tie-breakers. Champions presented with a rolling trophy by Kozhikode Mayor in a function that marked the end of the league.

Malabar Premier League – Facts and Figures

May 2, 2015 footballnewsindia Leave a comment

First edition of Malabar Premier League recently got concluded. MSP Delta Force emerged champions of the first season. Here are some facts and figures from the first edition of the tournament. The numbers and facts were sourced from various news reports that appeared about Malabar Premier League.

Facts and Figures

Earnings from ticket sales for the 1st edition of the tournament was around 7.5 lakhs. Where as the expenditure for running the league was around 75 lakhs.
The prize money for the 1st edition was 1 lakh and the runners-up bagged 50,000 INR. Semifinalists were rewarded with 25000 INR.
First edition of MPL gave opportunities for an array of players. MSP Delta Force team comprised mainly of MSP School students and other teams had many college students in their ranks too.
15 matches were played in the 1st edition and 55 goals were scored.
2nd edition of Malabar Premier League could see foreign players in action for teams.
MPL organizers are looking to get accreditation for the tournament from AIFF. If AIFF doesn’t recognize the tourney, foreigners cannot take part.
Second edition of MPL will also feature team from other districts in the Malabar region. First edition only featured teams from Malappuram

Kerala to kick start women’s football league

April 18, 2015 footballnewsindia Leave a comment

Kerala football federation is planning to kick-start a women’s football league in the state. The first ever league for women will kick off in Wayanad later this month according to reports in Malayalam media.

Kerala football federation is acting at the behest of AIFF, who has instructed all state associations to set up women’s football league. Apparently, the national body is planning for a Women’s league in the lines of Indian Super League.

Wayanad, the hilly district in the north of Kerala will also be hosting the second season of Kerala Premier League. KFA is planning to start the women’s league before the finals of Kerala Premier League. Reports suggest that teams from ten districts have already registered for the Women’s league. Ernakulam, Idukki, Kasaragode and Palakkad are the districts that do not have a team now. While all district associations are enthusiastic about the league, they are facing problems in finding sponsors for the teams.

The championship will kick-off on 22nd April and the finals will be played on 30 April 2015. Teams are divided in two groups – A & B. Group A consists of Wayanad FC, Alleppey Womens FC, Kottayam Dinesh Soccer Club and Kozhikode Quartz FC. Group B will consist of Kovalam FC, Marthoma College FC (Pathanamthitta), Kollam Football Academy and Kannur WFC.

The main attraction would be the Wayanad FC team who apparently has recruited a host of national level players in to their team. P.V Priya who has earlier coached Indian U-19 team also coaches them. Other strong contender for the title would be Kovalam FC from Thrivananthapuram.

Hopefully this league will provide much needed fillip for women’s football in the state.

Malabar Premier League to kickoff on April 11

March 3, 2015 footballnewsindia Leave a comment

With the aim of providing a good platform for football players in Malappuram, district sports council and the district football association has joined hands to launch Malabar Premier league. The first edition of the league will kickoff on April 7 and will go on till April 30.

The logo and crest for the tournament was unveiled by minister Kunhalikutty in Malappuram yesterday. In attendance were the office bearers of district sports council and football association along with former Indian internationals Sharaf Ali, I.M Vijayan and Kurikesh Mathew.

Malabar Premier League which was conceived to provide much needed fillip for the sport in Malappuram, which is considered as the Mecca of football in Kerala, has got a nod from Kerala Football Association too.

The tournament will Kick off at the recently renovated Kottapady stadium. District Sports Council and the District Football Association will market and brand the league. Malappuram district would be divided in to eight zones and one team from each zone can participate in the league. Teams from each zone can selected players who are registered with KFA. Apart from the players from the district, teams can include players from other regions upon registering them for the tournament.

The onus of the league is provide a platform to perform for the players in the district and in-turn use the income from the league to prop up basic sports facilities in the district.

Kerala Announce team for the Final Round of Santosh Trophy 2015

February 19, 2015 footballnewsindia Leave a comment

Kerala Football Association today announced the team that will be participating in the final round of Santosh Trophy 2015to be held in Punjab from 1st to 16th March.

Team :

Goal keepers :

Nishad (Malappuram), Midhun (Kannur), Akhil Soman (Kottayam)

Defenders :

Surjith V V (Captain, Thriussr) , Sajith T (Kasaragod), Johnson N (Trivandrum), Sreerag V G (Thrissur), Rahul Raj (Trivandrum), Othello Tabia (Goa)

Midfielders :

Shyjumon (Trivandrum), Jimshad (Malappuram), Sajesh M (kannur), Jijo Joseph (Thrissur), Ashkar V S (Malappuram), Usman Ashique (Palakkad), Seeson S (Trivandrum), Muneer K (Wayanad), Sujil N S (Idukki)

Midfielders :

Suhair V P (Palakkad), Nazarudeen (Malappuram),

Reserves :

Danny (Defender, Trivandrum) Kiran C Krishnan (Goal keeper, Tamil Nadu)

Management :

Chief Coach : P K Rajeev

Asst Coach : Bino George

GK Coach : K K Hameed

Physio: Ashly T G

Manager : Achu S.

Schedule :

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