Football Club Kochin was an Indian

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

club based in

Kochi Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of K ...

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

. In the 1990s, it was the only football club from Kerala to play in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

, then top tier of

Indian football league system The Indian football league system is the league structure of football club competitions in India. The highest level of men's club football competition in India is the Indian Super League. Indian Women's League, founded in 2016, is the highest l ...

. FC Kochin played at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in

Kaloor Kaloor is a downtown region in the city of Kochi, in the state of Kerala, India. It is from the Ernakulam North Railway Station. Kaloor Junction is also the name of a major intersection in this part of the city, intersecting the two major art ...

. They have also competed in

Kerala Premier League Kerala Premier League is a state-level top football league organized by the Kerala Football Association and played in the state of Kerala, India. For sponsorship reasons it is officially known as the Scoreline Kerala Premier League. Structur ...

under license from

Kerala Football Association The Kerala Football Association (abbreviated ''Kerala FA''), formerly the Travancore-Cochin Football Association, is one of the 37 Indian state football associations that are affiliated to the All India Football Federation (AIFF). The Kerala F ...

(KFA), until their dissolvent in 2002.

History

Formation and journey

Football Club Kochin was founded in April 1997, with aims to develop the structure of

in the state of

. Paul Varghese is the chief Patron behind the making of the club and K.J.Varoo was the first Manager.

M. P. Kurian was the founder cum chairman of the FC Kochin Trust and M. K. Joseph was the founder cum chairman of the FC Kochin Limited Company. These organisations played a key role behind the development of the club during the late 1990s. After the fall of Kerala Police FC, FC Kochin filled the void of football in the state. FC Kochin was unique because of promoting modern footballing infrastructure. It's considered as the first professional club in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, whose motto was ''"a new approach to the game"''. The development of FC Kochin lit a spark in Kerala, with the football-mad people embracing the club with open arms. In the 1997–98 Indian National Football League, the FC Kochin finished on fourth position with 29 points in 18 league matches and club captain

Raman Vijayan Raman Vijayan (born 4 June 1973) is a former Indian football player, founder of Noble Football Academy And RamanVijayan Soccer School. He also worked as commentator for the Indian Super League on Star Sports Tamil. Raman is one of two Indian f ...

won the golden boot with 10 goals.

Durand victory

FC Kochin began their 1997

Durand Cup The Durand Football Tournament, commonly known as Durand Cup, is an annual domestic football competition in India which was first held in 1888 in Shimla. Hosted by the Durand Football Tournament Society (DFTS) and All India Football Federation ...

campaign by beating seven times Durand champion,

Border Security Force The Border Security Force (BSF) is India's border guarding organisation on its border with Pakistan and Bangladesh. It is one of the seven Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) of India, and was raised in the wake of the 1965 war on 1 December 1 ...

by 21. In the next match, they thrashed Kolkata giant, Mohammedan Sporting by 50 with Vijayan scoring his first hat-trick for Kochin followed by goals from Raman Vijayan and B. Deepu. They went into the knock-out of their first Durand Cup as group-topper which attracted many Keralites settled in the capital to watch their match. In the semifinal, they locked horns with the then best team,

JCT FC Jagatjit Cotton & Textile Football Club (formerly known as JCT Mills FC; abbreviated as both JCT FC, or simply JCT) was an Indian professional football club based in Phagwara, Punjab. Founded in 1971, the club was sponsored by Jagatjit Cotton ...

. In the final, they emerged as champions in the prestigious tournament, defeating

Mohun Bagan AC Mohun Bagan Athletic Club is an Indian professional sports club based in Kolkata, West Bengal. Founded in 1889, its football section is one of the oldest in India and Asia. The club is most notable for its victory over East Yorkshire Regiment ...

by 3–1, under captaincy of

Jo Paul Ancheri Jo Paul Ancheri (born 2 August 1976) is an Indian former professional football player who captained the Indian Football team. He was named the AIFF Player of the Year by the All India Football Federation in 1994 and 2001. He currently works ...

star

I. M. Vijayan Inivalappil Mani Vijayan (born 25 April 1969), also known by the nickname Kalo Harin (Blackbuck), is a former professional football player who also captained the India national football team. He played as a striker, where he formed a successf ...

also led the team later. Foreign players like

Mykola Shevchenko Mykola Shevchenko is a former Ukrainian football player and football manager. He also managed Indian I-League side Churchill Brothers. Playing career Born in Ukraine, Shevchenko played for National Football League sides Churchill Brothers ...

of Ukraine,

Josiah Seton Josiah Seton (born March 23, 1979) is a Liberian footballer ( striker). He is a member of the Liberia national football team. Seton previously played for Sabah FA Sabah Football Club ( ms, Kelab Bolasepak Sabah) is a football club with own ...

of Liberia, Obinna Winners Onyia of Benin and Ali Abubakkar of Ghana were included in the squad for both the

and NFL of 1997.

Scissors Cup

In 1997, FC Kochin participated in the

Scissors Cup The Scissors Cup was an Indian football tournament held in Kerala in South India, organized by the All India Football Federation (AIFF). It was instituted in 1992 and was abolished in 1997. History The Scissors Cup was started in 1992 in Ke ...

and reached to the final, that held in

. The final, against Bahraini side West Riffa club, turned out to be a damp squib with the game abandoned due to a power cut in the stadium. The Bahraini team were adjudged winners after a coin toss.

NFL 1998

In the coming years they were not able to replicate the form they showed in their first season, although they managed to come fourth in the national football league in 1998. The next three seasons saw them finishing sixth, fourth and fourth again in the

. This was the time when FC Kochin was coached by T.K. Chathunni, one of the best football coaches in India.

Home stadium

FC Kochin used the

Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium The Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium, locally known as Kaloor Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium in Kochi, Kerala, India. The stadium has a capacity of 60,000 spectators. For Indian Super League matches it is restricted to 39,000. The ...

also known as ''Kaloor Stadium'', for their home matches in both of the

National Football League (India) The National Football League (NFL) was a league competition featuring football clubs from India. Founded in 1996 through the All India Football Federation (AIFF), the NFL was the first football league in India to be organized on a national scal ...

and

. The stadium has a capacity of 60,000 spectators. Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (Kochi)

Achievements

FC Kochin had contributed substantially to the advancement of Kerala football within its short span. The most prestigious achievement for FC Kochin was winning the

in New Delhi in 1997. In that year, they clinched Kerala State Football League title, defeating

State Bank of Travancore State Bank of Travancore (SBT) was a major Indian bank headquartered in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, and was a major associate of State Bank of India. SBT was a subsidiary of the State Bank Group, but also had private share-holders. It was ...

. FC Kochin had also put up a consistent performance in the

, until their relegation in

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

Rivalries

FC Kochin shared rivalries predominantly with Kerala-based clubs Kerala Police FC, SBI Kerala, Titanium XI and Quartz Calicut, whom they faced in domestic and regional tournaments.

Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors

''The official sponsors of FC Kochin'' (1998–2002)

Former players

This list comprises notable Indian and foreign footballers, who played for FC Kochin (between 1997 and 2004) in the National Football League of India. Some of them have also represented their respective countries before or after joining the club. *

(1997—1998), (1999—2001) * Keith Jennings (1998—2000) * Friday Elahor (1997—1998) * Pewou Bestman (2001—2002) *

(1997) *

Mahesh Gawli Mahesh Gawli (born 23 January 1980) is an Indian football coach and former footballer who played as a centre-back and represented India national football team on 68 occasions between 2000 and 2011. Club career Gawli was born in Goa and began ...

(1998—1999) * Eugene Gray (1999—2001) *

Noel Wilson Noel Anthony Wilson (born 24 December 1979) is a former Indian professional footballer who played as a midfielder for FC Kochin, Churchill Brothers, Mohun Bagan, Mohamedan Sporting and Mumbai FC, in the I-League. He has represented the India ...

(1998—2000) * Obinna Winners Onyia (1997—1998) *

(1997—1998), (1999—2001) *

Sunday Seah Sunday Seah (born January 7, 1978) is a retired Liberian professional footballer who last played as a goalkeeper for UMC Roots FC. Club career Born in Monrovia, Seah began playing club football with local side Junior Professional at age 13. He ...

(1999—2001) * C. V. Pappachan (1998—1999) * Isaac Tondo (1999—2000)

Honours

League

* Kerala State Football League **Champions (2): 1998–99, 1999–00 **Runners-up (1): 2003–04

Cup

**Champions (1): 1997 *

IFA Shield The IFA Shield is an annual football competition organized by the Indian Football Association. The IFA is the governing body of football in the state of West Bengal, came into existence in 1893. Named after the association, the IFA Shield tourn ...

**Runners-up (1): 1997 * Kerala State Championship **Champions (1): 1997 * All India Central Revenue Cup **Champions (1): 1999 * Central Railway Open **Champions (1): 1997 * Scissors Cup **Runners-up (1): 1997 * Mcdowell's Cup **Runners-up (1): 1997

Withdrawal

With reduced sponsorship money after declining performance, and with Indian Football Federation failing to pay the dues to the club, it faced a financial crunch. Unpaid salaries and exodus of good players led to a low performance of the club in the top league. The club finished at 11th position in 2001–02 season and got relegated to Second Division. The club played Second Division twice, but failed to get promoted to Premier Division. The club could never resurrect itself after that, and went defunct in 2002 after it was revealed that the club had not paid salaries since 2000 after running up 2.5 crores in losses a season.

Managerial history

* A. M. Sreedharan (1997–1999) * K. Bharathan (1999) *

T. K. Chathunni T. K. Chathunni is an Indian football coach and a former player from Chalakudy, Kerala. Coaching career He has managed most of football clubs in India like FC Kochin, Dempo S.C., Salgaocar F.C., Mohun Bagan A.C., Churchill Brothers S.C., Chirag ...

(1999–2001) * A. M. Sreedharan (2000–2001) * T. A. Jaffar (2001) *

Karel Stromšík Karel Stromšík (born 12 April 1958) is a former football goalkeeper from Czechoslovakia. He was a member of the national team that competed at the 1982 FIFA World Cup, playing 2 group games after replacing the injured Stanislav Seman in the se ...

(2001–2002)

Notes

References

External links

* *
FC Kochin
at Global Sports Archive
FC Kochin
at WorldFootball.net {{DEFAULTSORT:Kochin, FC Association football clubs established in 1998 Association football clubs disestablished in 2002 Football clubs in Kerala Defunct football clubs in India Works association football clubs in India 1998 establishments in Kerala 2002 disestablishments in India Culture of Kochi Sport in Kochi Football clubs in Kochi