The Hidden Golden Age | Sports | Deshabhimani

It is time to remember the days when football was marked in Kerala along with the revival on the field. Kerala had a golden age full of clubs, competitions and crowds.

The wonderland of tournaments

1970–90 period. Kerala had nine All India Championships. Sreenarayana Trophy at Kannur Nehru Stadium, Seth Nagji Cup at Kozhikode Corporation Stadium, Chacolo Gold Cup at Thrissur Municipal Stadium, Jubilee Cup at Kollam, Nehru Trophy at Ernakulam, KFA Shield at Kottayam at Changanassery and Thiruvananthapuram Mammon Trophy.

The Rover’s Cup and the Nagoya were the first tournaments to bring in foreign teams. Thousands flocked to watch the 1997 semifinals against Iraq at the Nehru Trophy, including women. The game had to be stopped for 20 minutes. The Merdeka Cup also made a splash. The stars of the world came down before my eyes.

Monuments of unique football

Well known players in India were part of big clubs. Football clubs all over Kerala like Alind Kundara, Premier Tires, Young Challengers, Customs, FACT, Keltron, KSEB, Titanium, KSRTC, Lucky Brothers.

Even before the Kerala Football Association became part of the Indian Football Federation, there was harmony among the players. It was started by the Malabar District Football Association which created a miracle in the 1954 Rovers Cup. The superstars were TA Rahman and J Antony.

Premier Tires, the birthplace of international players, enriched Kerala football in the 1970s. The Kerala Police team filled the field in the 1990s. Later SBT became the passion of Kerala. These teams have proven that playing professional football together can bring benefits. FC Cochin became the first professional club in India, but it did not continue.

Sign time

Nationalism was the hallmark of the Santosh Trophy. Nowhere else is there a football tournament that competes between states or provinces.

Every player who goes down to the Santosh Trophy has the same intensity and enthusiasm that the country plays for. Kerala has become its source of energy. This sentiment was sown in 1973 when Kerala won the Santosh Trophy for the first time under TKS Money. O Chandrasekharan, TKS Mani, CC Jacob, TA Jaffer, VP Sathyan, Kurikesh Mathew, CV Pappachan, KT Chacko, U Sharafali, Jiju Jacob and IM Vijayan were among the talents who made it to the Santosh Trophy. VP Sathyan was also the captain of the Indian team when he led Kerala to the Santosh Trophy title in 1992. Kerala’s champion teams were also India’s XI in 1973, 1992 and 1993.

(Lesson of stumbling tomorrow)