Football
Super League Kerala: Six franchises for inaugural season unveiled
The Super League Kerala (SLK) will kick off early in September. The venues for the league have also been selected, said SLK CEO Mathew Joseph.
Logos of the six franchises of Super League Kerala have been unveiled on Saturday at an event in Kochi. (Photo credit: Special Arrangement)
Six franchises for the much-awaited Super League Kerala (SLK) has been announced on Sunday.
The six franchises - Kochi Pipers FC, Calicut FC, Thrissur Roar FC, Kannur Squad FC, Thiruvananthapuram Kombans FC, and Malappuram FC - have been unveiled at a press conference. The franchises will represent six regions of the state.
The inaugural season of SLK will kick off in early September.
The league is expected to open opportunities across sectors such as sports and entertainment, retailing business, tourism, leisure, travel, and hospitality.
At the same time, the league will play a pivotal role in nurturing local talent. In that direction, over 100 young talents have already been spotted from every nook and corner of Kerala by the franchises.
Besides the local players, the league will also accommodate foreign players, especially from North America, who are quite high in demand due to Argentine and Brazilian national teams' popularity in Kerala, and Europe.
In football-crazy Kerala, SLK will certainly redefine the fandom and meaning of football to the masses, said Kerala sports minister V Abdurahiman.
SLK CEO Mathew Joseph said stadiums and venues have already been selected keeping in mind a fair spread of accessibility for football fans.
"The selected venues will promise an unparalleled and unprecedented experience for spectators," he said.
'SLK will bring back amazing days'
Welcoming the league, Bhaichung Bhutia, who graced the event, said, "If India has to qualify for the World Cup, then Kerala has a huge role to play. We need to produce 11 players like IM Vijayan and Jo Paul Anchery, and I hope SLK will do that," said Bhutia.
The state's most renowned footballer IM Vijayan, meanwhile, hopes the league will bring back the glory days of Kerala football.
"During our days, there were several tournaments which was the main reason why seven to nine players from Kerala once attended the national camp together. I hope SLK will bring those amazing days back," said former Indian captain and AIFF technical committee chairman IM Vijayan.
Hailing the league, Kerala Football Association (KFA) president Navas Meeran said, "Currently, in an ambitious initiative aimed at promoting football and attracting more talent across Kerala, over 5,000 upcoming players are undergoing training and competitions in five groups for the Chakola Trophy tournament."
