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Kerala Blasters Football Club (), commonly referred to as The Blasters, is an Indian professional football 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 ...
,
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 Ca ...
, that competes in the
Indian Super League The Indian Super League (ISL) is an Indian professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the Indian football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Organised by the All India Football Federa ...
, the top tier of
football in India Football in India has historically been among the top 3 most popular sport in terms of players participation and TV viewership, together with long time number one cricket and re-emerging kabaddi. India's current top domestic football league is ...
. The club was established in May 2014 during the inaugural season of the Indian Super League. The club played their inaugural match on 13 October 2014, losing 1–0 to
NorthEast United NorthEast United FC is an Indian professional football club based in Guwahati, Assam that competes in the Indian Super League, the top flight of Indian football. The club was founded on 13 April 2014 during the inaugural season of Indian Supe ...
. The Blasters are the three time runners up of the Indian Super League. They first entered the final in
2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wa ...
, where they lost 1–0 to  ATK after an injury time goal from them. In
2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...
, they were again defeated 4–3 by ATK, this time through penalties in the final. The club entered the final for the third time in 2022, where they were defeated 3–1 by
Hyderabad FC Hyderabad Football Club is an Indian professional football club based in Hyderabad, Telangana. The club competes in the Indian Super League, the top flight of Indian football. Founded on 27 August 2019, the club replaced Pune City after th ...
through penalties. The Blasters plays home games at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi. In most of the seasons since the club's founding, Kerala Blasters have held the record for the highest league attendance, regularly attracting audiences of over 40,000 per game. The Blasters shares rivalry with fellow
South India South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union terr ...
n neighbours Bengaluru FC and Chennaiyin FC, with whom they contest in the
South Indian Derby The South Indian Derby, also known as the Southern Derby or Southern Rivalry, is the name given to a football derby contested by any two of the three professional football clubs from South India—Bengaluru FC, Chennaiyin FC and Kerala Blaste ...
. The Blasters are one of the most widely supported clubs in
Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...
and has one of the largest social media following among the football clubs from the continent. The club is also known for their fan base, including the supporters' group called
Manjappada Manjappada (; ) are an organised supporters' group of the Kochi based professional football club Kerala Blasters FC, which competes in Indian Super League, the top tier league of Indian football. One of the largest and most active fan groups i ...
, which has gained a reputational for being one of the most vocal and passionate fan clubs in Asia. The club's crest features an
elephant Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantida ...
holding a football with its trunk, denoting Kerala's deep connection with the sport. The club's traditional kit consist of
yellow Yellow is the color between green and orange on the spectrum of light. It is evoked by light with a dominant wavelength of roughly 575585 nm. It is a primary color in subtractive color systems, used in painting or color printing. In th ...
and
blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when ...
colours scheme, with yellow being the primary colour and identity of the club ever since the beginning.


History


Formation

In early 2014, the
All India Football Federation The All India Football Federation (AIFF) is the national governing body of football in India. It is a member of FIFA, the international governing body of football and affiliated to Asian Football Confederation. It is affiliated to Ministry ...
—the governing body of
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 ...
in India, announced they would accept bids for the ownership of eight franchises from selected cities for the inaugural season of Indian Super League (ISL). On 13 April 2014, it was announced the rights to the
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 ...
franchise had been won by former
India national cricket team The India men's national cricket team, also known as Team India or the Men in Blue, represents India in men's international cricket. It is governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), and is a Full Member of the International ...
captain
Sachin Tendulkar Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar (; ; born 24 April 1973) is an Indian former international cricketer who captained the Indian national team. He is regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket. He is the all time highest run-sco ...
and entrepreneur Prasad V Potluri. On 27 May 2014, the club's official name, Kerala Blasters FC, was announced. Indian international
Mehtab Hossain Mehtab Hossain (born 5 September 1985) is an Indian professional footballer and coach who last played for Madan Maharaj as a defensive midfielder. During his career, Hossain has played for both of the Kolkata football giants, Mohun Bagan an ...
was the first player signed by the club, as he was the first one to be picked up by the Blasters during the first domestic draft. The management also selected seven other Indian players for their inaugural season. On 13 August 2014, former England international goalkeeper
David James Dewi, Dai, Dafydd or David James may refer to: Performers *David James (actor, born 1839) (1839–1893), English stage comic and a founder of London's Vaudeville Theatre *David James (actor, born 1967) (born 1967), Australian presenter of ABC's ''P ...
was chosen as the first head coach and marquee player of the team. On 21 August 2014, the club participated in the international draft; the management selected seven foreign players for the team. Michael Chopra,
Iain Hume Iain Edward Hume (born 30 October 1983) is a Canadian football manager and former professional soccer player who played as a forward. He began his career at Tranmere Rovers in 2000, and six years later moved to Leicester City for an initial £50 ...
, Pulga, Erwin Spitzner, Pedro Gusmão, Cedric Hengbart and Raphaël Romey were the seven foreign players drafted to Kerala Blasters. Along with them, the club directly signed
Penn Orji Penn Ikechukwu Orji (born 4 April 1991) is a Nigerian football player who plays for Vasco S.C. in the Goa Professional League as a central midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may pla ...
, Jamie McAllister, Andrew Barisic, Stephen Pearson and
Colin Falvey Colin Falvey (born 20 June 1985) is an Irish former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. Career Ireland Falvey was born in Cork. He was a trainee and youth player at English clubs Gillingham and Carlisle United, but began his ...
in the remaining foreign players slots.


Inaugural season

Kerala Blasters played their first game on 13 October 2014 against NorthEast United at the
Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, also known as Sarusajai Stadium, is a football stadium in Guwahati, Assam, India. It is the current home ground of NorthEast United FC. Besides hosting football matches, the stadium is also used for athletics ...
; they lost the game 1–0 after Koke scored in the 45th minute. On 21 October, the club's first-ever goal was scored by Iain Hume during their second match, which was against Chennaiyin. Despite Hume's goal, the Blasters lost the game 2–1. The Blasters first win came in their fourth game, which was played against
Pune City Pune (; ; also known as Poona, ( the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million As of 2021, Pune Metropolitan Region is the largest i ...
;
Chinadorai Sabeeth C. S. Sabeeth is an Indian football player who plays as a striker for ASOS Rainbow in the CFL Premier B. He represents Karnataka football team in the Santosh Trophy. Career Early career Sabeeth was born in The Nilgiris District of Gudalu ...
and Penn Orji scored the club's goals, leading to a 2–1 victory. After playing their first five matches away from home, Kerala Blasters hosted their first home match on 6 November 2014 against Goa. A goal by
Milagres Gonsalves Milagres Gonsalves (born 24 January 1987) is an Indian footballer who last played for Dempo in the I-League 2nd Division. Career Growing up in the then quiet village of Agassim, Milagres had to go through a lot of hardship spending hours trav ...
led to a 1–0 victory in front of 49,517 fans at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (Kochi). The Blasters qualified for the
playoffs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eit ...
on 9 December 2014 with a 1–0 victory over Pune City. After finishing in fourth place during the regular season, the side played their first semi-finals match on 13 December 2014 against Chennaiyin. Despite not being considered the favourite to win the two-legged tie, they won the first leg at home 3–0 with goals from
Ishfaq Ahmed Ishfaq Ahmed (born 17 March 1983) is a former Indian footballer who currently works as the assistant coach of Kerala Blasters FC in Indian Super League. He is also a member of the AIFF technical committee. Ishfaq is one among the two professi ...
, Iain Hume, and
Sushanth Mathew Sushanth Mathew (born 18 May 1981) is a retired Indian professional footballer who played as a defender or midfielder, who currently works as a technical director and coach in academies. Career Sushanth was born in the Ambalavayal, Wayanad, ...
. During the second leg in
Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
, the Blasters were about to suffer a massive setback. Despite entering the second leg with a three-goal advantage, Chennaiyin drew the tie level by winning in regular time 3–0. In
extra time Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is played only ...
, however, Stephen Pearson scored the decisive goal in the 117th minute to win the tie 4–3 to enter the final. In the final, Kerala Blasters played ATK at the
DY Patil Stadium The DY Patil Stadium, also known as DY Patil Sports Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium at D. Y. Patil campus at Nerul in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It was designed by Hafeez Contractor. It is a privately owned ground and is the home of D.Y. P ...
in
Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the secon ...
. Hume should have given Blasters the lead after 55 minutes, but he took too long alone in front of the goalkeeper, allowing the defenders to eventually block his shot. The match was destined to go to extra time until ATK were given a corner kick in the last minute, and headed the ball at the near post. As a result, the Blasters lost the match 1–0 despite dominating it throughout the 90 minutes.


2015 season

After the 2014 season, the club announced David James would not return to the club as the head coach and marquee player, and on 12 May 2015, it was confirmed that former England Under-20 head coach Peter Taylor would take over the manager role at the club. The club signed a new roster of foreign players, which includes
Carlos Marchena Carlos Marchena López (; born 31 July 1979) is a Spanish retired footballer, and a manager. Mainly a central defender with an aggressive approach, he also played as a defensive midfielder. Most of his professional career (nine years) was spen ...
as the marquee signing. The first match of the season was played at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium against NorthEast United where the Blasters won 3–1 with goals from
Josu Josué Prieto Currais (born 27 February 1993), commonly known as Josu, is a Spanish footballer who plays as a left back or a left midfielder for CF Peralada. Club career Journeyman Born in Langreo, Asturias, Josu emerged through FC Barcelona' ...
,
Mohammed Rafi Mohammed Rafi (24 December 1924 – 31 July 1980) was an Indian playback singer and musician. He is considered to have been one of the greatest and most influential singers of the Indian subcontinent. Rafi was notable for his versatility and ...
, and
Sanchez Watt Herschel Oulio Sanchez Watt (born 14 February 1991) is an English professional footballer who last played as a forward or winger for Wealdstone. He has represented England at under-16, under-17 and under-19 levels, and he is also eligible ...
. They drew their next match against
Mumbai City Mumbai City Football Club is an Indian professional football club based in Mumbai, Maharashtra that competes in the Indian Super League, the top flight of Indian football. The club was founded in August 2014, during the inaugural season of ...
and then lost their next four matches, which led to the dismissal of Peter Taylor as head coach. Assistant coach Trevor Morgan was in charge for one match before Terry Phelan was named as the head coach for the rest of the season. The Blasters ended their second season in the last place of the league table.


2016 season

In an effort to rebuild the team after failing to qualify for the semi-finals in the previous season, the Blasters announced the signing of
Steve Coppell Stephen James Coppell (born 9 July 1955) is an English professional football manager and former player. As a player, he was a highly regarded right winger known for his speed and work rate. He won domestic honours with Manchester United and re ...
as their head coach on 21 June 2016. A week later, the club announced the signing of
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
international
Aaron Hughes Aaron William Hughes (born 8 November 1979) is a Northern Irish former professional footballer who played as a defender. Hughes played mainly at centre back, but was also used at right back or left back, as well as anywhere in midfield. He i ...
as their marquee player for the season. The season began with a 1–0 defeat away from home against NorthEast United. The Blasters struggled early in the season, as they failed to score goals. After the return of
C.K. Vineeth Chekiyot Kizhakkeveettill Vineeth (born 20 May 1988), commonly known as C. K. Vineeth, is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a forward for RoundGlass Punjab in the I-League. Personal life Born in Kannur district in the state of K ...
from his loan-spell with Bengaluru FC, Blasters solved their goal-scoring issue. He scored four goals from his first five matches which includes a winner against FC Goa and a brace over Chennaiyin FC. In order to qualify for semi-final, Blasters needed to avoid a defeat against North East United FC. Vineeth's only goal in the 66th minute helped Blasters to beat North East United 1-0 to seal the second place behind Mumbai City FC in the league table. After finishing in second place during the regular season, the Blasters played third-placed
Delhi Dynamos Odisha Football Club () is an Indian professional football club based in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, that competes in the Indian Super League, the top flight of Indian football. Prior to the inaugural Indian Super League season, the club was founded ...
in the first leg of the semi-finals, which took place in Kochi. The Blasters won the match 1–0 through Kervens Belfort's 65th-minute goal. During the second leg in Delhi, the Dynamos won in extra time 2–1, which meant the scores became tie on aggregate and the match went to penalty shootout where the Blasters won it 3–0 to enter the final. In the final, the Blasters played host to ATK and got the lead early through Mohammed Rafi before ATK equalized soon after and the match went into a penalty shootout. Despite taking the lead early in the shootout, the Blasters lost 4–3; it was their second finals defeat in three seasons.


2017–18 season

After losing in the previous season's finals, Steve Coppell rejected a new contract extension so the club appointed former Manchester United assistant manager
René Meulensteen Reinhard Jozef Petrus Meulensteen (born 25 March 1964) is a Dutch former footballer and coach who is currently assistant coach of the Australia national soccer team. He spent the early parts of his career working in the Netherlands before taking ...
as their new manager. Blasters released all of their foreign players and signed some more, including former Manchester United players
Dimitar Berbatov Dimitar Ivanov Berbatov ( bg, Димитър Иванов Бербатов; born 30 January 1981) is a Bulgarian former professional footballer. A striker, he captained the Bulgaria national team from 2006 to 2010, and is the country's all-ti ...
and
Wes Brown Wesley Michael Brown (born 13 October 1979) is an English former professional association football, footballer who played as a defender (association football), defender. Brown began his career with Manchester United F.C., Manchester United, jo ...
. Sandesh Jhingan was appointed as the captain and the club re-signed their leading goalscorer from the first season Iain Hume. The Blasters won only one of their first eight games that season, leading to the sacking of Meulensteen. Fan-favourite manager David James returned to the squad as caretaker. The Blasters won five of the remaining ten matches and finished sixth in the 2017-18 Indian Super League season. They were eliminated in the first round of the Super Cup.


2018–19 season

Having failed to qualify for the previous season's semi-finals, the Blasters signed a three-year deal with manager David James. With a new roster, Kerala Blasters had one of their worst seasons ever, won only one and drawn six of their twelve fixtures, leading to the sacking of James. This was the season that witnessed the club's rising star
Sahal Abdul Samad Sahal Abdul Samad (born 1 April 1997) is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder or winger for Indian Super League club Kerala Blasters and the India national team. Club career Early life and youth career Sahal was born in ...
's emergence as Blasters' mainstay in midfield. After the international mid-season break, the Blasters appointed
Nelo Vingada Eduardo Manuel "Nelo" Martinho Bragança de Vingada (born 30 March 1953) is a Portuguese football manager. Managerial career Early years Vingada was born in Serpa. His first steps as a professional football manager were in Belenenses, and then ...
as their new manager for the remaining six matches. Of the remaining games, the team had only one win and three draws and finished ninth in the league. They were eliminated from the Super Cup in the qualifying round of the tournament.


2019–20 season

After a disappointing season, the Blasters appointed
Eelco Schattorie Eelco Schattorie (born 18 December 1971) is a Dutch football manager. Career Born in Swalmen, Schattorie started as a youth and assistant coach, later becoming the caretaker manager and finally Technical Director for Youth Development with Du ...
as their new manager. The club released all of their foreign players and signed a new roster that included Cameroon-born Raphaël Messi Bouli and former Nigeria international
Bartholomew Ogbeche Bartholomew Owogbalor Ogbeche (born 1 October 1984) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Indian Super League club Hyderabad. He is the all-time top scorer in Indian Super League history. He played his club football i ...
as forwards. Blasters beat their arch-rivals ATK on the season's first day. Throughout the season, the team was hit by injury concerns. Defender Sandesh Jhingan, who captained the club for the last two seasons, was out of action with an ACL injury and newly signed Brazilian defender Jairo Rodrigues was also injured. Both defenders missed the entire season and Rodrigues played a few matches in the start. Gianni Zuiverloon and Mario Arqués and other players were also hit by minor injuries in the season; they missed some of the crucial fixtures. The Blasters finished the season in seventh place in the table.


2020–21 season

From the 2020-21 season onwards, the management decided to build a new strategy at the club. As a part of this, the Blasters appointed Karolis Skinkys as their new
sporting director A sporting director, or director of sport, is an executive management position in a sports club. The role is well known as a manager role for European football clubs, which are sometime also "sports clubs", offering many types of sports. The sport ...
on 15 March 2020. On 22 April 2020, the club officially announced the appointment of Kibu Vicuña as their new manager. Fan-favourite defender Sandesh Jhingan left the club on 21 May 2020 by mutual consent, ending his six-year association with the Blasters. The Blasters decided to rely more upon young Indian players and extended the contracts of Sahal and Rahul KP until 2025. They signed
Nishu Kumar Nishu Kumar Tashni (born 5 November 1997) is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a full-back for Indian Super League club Kerala Blasters. Club career Youth career: 2009–2015 Nishu Kumar began his career with Chandigarh Football A ...
on a four-year deal from Bengaluru FC. The Blasters only extended the contract of Sergio Cido among the foreign players and signed a new roster of them under the supervision of the new sporting director. Due to
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
, the seventh season of ISL was decided to take place in 3 venues in
Goa Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the ...
behind closed doors. Same as in the previous season, the team suffered an early setback, with this time, captain Sergio Cidoncha suffering a ligament injury on his right ankle during their third match against Chennaiyin FC, ruling out for the remainder of the season. It took the Blasters seven games to register their first victory of the season, winning against Hyderabad FC 2–0. The team were affected by injuries, lesser compared to the previous season. They lost 18 points from winning position, which includes 4 losses after taking the early lead. The club had the worst defensive performance in their history conceding 33 goals in 18 games and had only 3 wins. On 17 February 2021, after a 4–0 loss against Hyderabad FC on 16 February, Kibu Vicuna and the management decided to part ways on mutual consent. Assistant manager
Ishfaq Ahmed Ishfaq Ahmed (born 17 March 1983) is a former Indian footballer who currently works as the assistant coach of Kerala Blasters FC in Indian Super League. He is also a member of the AIFF technical committee. Ishfaq is one among the two professi ...
was appointed as the interim head coach for the remaining 2 games of the season. The club's fortunes remained largely unchanged in the season as they finished tenth place in the league table.


2021–22 season

After another disappointing season, the club appointed
Ivan Vukomanović Ivan Vukomanović ( sr-Cyrl, Иван Вукомановић; born 19 June 1977) is a Serbian professional football manager and former player who is the current head coach of Indian Super League club Kerala Blasters. Playing career Vukomanović ...
as their head coach on 17 June 2021. The Blasters started their pre-season camp in July 2021, and played the most number of friendlies across all ISL clubs prior to the season. In August, the club confirmed their participation in the 2021 Durand Cup, thus competing in the tournament for the first time in its history. After three league stage matches, they were knocked out of the tournament, following their defeat over
Delhi FC Delhi Football Club is an Indian professional football club based in Delhi. Founded in 1994, the club competes in both I-League and Delhi Premier League. The club will compete in 2023–24 I-League, the second tier of Indian football, follow ...
on 22 September. On 19 November, the Blasters played their first match of the
2021–22 Indian Super League season The 2021–22 Indian Super League season is the 8th season of the Indian Super League (ISL) Since its formation and 26th season of the top division of the Indian football league system. The start date and fixtures for the first 11 rounds were a ...
against ATK Mohun Bagan, which they lost 4–2. The club won their first match of the season by defeating Odisha on 5 December by 2–1. This victory was Kerala Blasters' first ISL victory in 11 months. After their defeat in the opening match of the season, the Blasters remained unbeaten for the next 10 games, until they were beaten by the southern rivals Bengaluru on 30 January. In between the unbeaten run, the Blasters moved to the top spot in league table for the first time in 7 years during the middle of the season. After Mumbai City's defeat against Hyderabad on 6 March, the Blasters qualified for the
playoffs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eit ...
for the first time since the 2016 season. When the regular phase of the season ended, Vukomanović's Blasters side broke many club records in terms of the number of wins, total number of goals and clean-sheets, points-per-game, and achieved a positive goal difference for the first time in the club's history. With the Blasters winning 2–1 on aggregate against Jamshedpur from both the
semi-finals A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...
, they qualified for the finals of the ISL for the third time in their history. They faced Hyderabad in the
final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: * Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...
on 20 March, which they lost in the
penalty shoot-out The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...
. It was the club's third defeat in an Indian Super League final.


2022–23 season

On 4 April 2022, the club announced a three-year contract extension of head coach Ivan Vukomanović till 2025. It was the first time that the club has renewed the contract of a first-team head coach in its history.


Crest, colours and kits

The crest and colours for Kerala Blasters were announced at the club's official launch on 15 September 2014.


Crest

The club's crest is designed around the
elephant Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantida ...
, one of
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 Ca ...
's main symbols, to reflect its place in Kerala's culture and festivities, and to represent the state's sporting legacy. The elephant holds a football with its trunk, denoting the state's deep connection with the sport. The elephant is a symbol of unity, power, and pride; it also symbolises the heritage, culture, spirit, and passion of Kerala, and its love for football.


Colours

Since its inception, the club colours have been yellow and blue. Yellow is the club's primary colour as well as its main identity. According to former co-owner Sachin Tendulkar, yellow stands for determination and faith. During their inaugural season, the club wore yellow shirts and blue shorts and this was used until the 2016 season. For the 2017–18 season, the Blasters introduced an all-yellow kit with a different shade of yellow. Here the blue remained as the secondary colour that flows across the side of the shirt. This kit was used for the 2018–19 season, after which the team returned to its traditional yellow and blue kit with the same shades as the previous season. In 2020, a new jersey in the club's customary yellow and blue colours was launched, with this time, the blue coming in the arms. The kit which pays homage to the state of Kerala also had horizontal lines that run along the breadth of the jersey. The club's
away colours Away may refer to: Film and television * ''Away'' (2016 film), a 2016 British film * ''Away'' (2019 film), a 2019 animated silent film * ''Away'' (TV series), a 2020 science fiction drama on Netflix Literature * ''Away'' (play), a 1986 play by M ...
for the first three seasons were yellow shirts and white shorts. For the 2017–18 season, the club introduced the all-black jersey with yellow stripe on the bottom of arms and shorts and this was used until the 2019–20 season. In 2020, the Blasters launched a new blue away kit with a distinctive pattern. This kit was launched by the club as a dedication to their fans, who were missed at the stands due to
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
. In 2020, the Blasters launched a contest for the fans to design the club's first-ever third kit for the 2020–21 season. The third kit which had a white and gold colour scheme, designed by one of the fan was released by the club as an honour to the sacrifices and contribution of the frontline workers, who have been relentlessly working to win the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.


Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors


Stadium

Kerala Blasters play their home matches at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in the city of Kochi. The stadium is multipurpose but is mostly used for football. It has hosted games of both the Indian national football and cricket teams, and has hosted
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 ...
and
I-League The I-League (known as Hero I-League for sponsorship ties with Hero MotoCorp) is the second-tier men's professional football competition of the Indian football league system. It is currently contested by 12 clubs across the country with the w ...
clubs
FC Kochin Football Club Kochin was an Indian association football club based in Kochi, Kerala. In the 1990s, it was the only football club from Kerala to play in the National Football League, then top tier of Indian football league system. FC Kochin play ...
and
Chirag United Club Kerala Viva Kerala Football Club (also known as Chirag United Club Kerala) was an Indian professional association football club based in the city of Kochi, Kerala, India. The club was originally formed in 2004, as ''Viva Kerala''. They participated in ...
. The stadium was also a venue for the
Indian Premier League The Indian Premier League (IPL), also known as TATA IPL for sponsorship reasons, is a men's T20 franchise cricket league of India. It is annually contested by ten teams based out of seven Indian cities and three Indian states. The leagu ...
side
Kochi Tuskers Kerala Kochi Tuskers Kerala was a franchise cricket team that played in the Indian Premier League (IPL) representing the city of Kochi, Kerala. The team was one of two new franchises added to the IPL for the 2011 season, alongside Pune Warriors India ...
and was selected as a venue for the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup. As a part of the FIFA event, the stadium was renovated and new seats were fitted and its capacity was reduced to 50,000 and later to 41,000, taking into account security issues. The stadium received the Best Pitch of the Season Award of the League in the 2018-19 season of Indian Super League. In 2019,
Greater Cochin Development Authority Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) is the statutory body overseeing the development of the city of Kochi in the state of Kerala, India. Headquartered at Kadavanthra, GCDA oversees the development of the major part of Greater Cochin a ...
proposed the installation of solar panels in the stadium, which would make it the first such venue in Kerala and the third in the country to be powered by solar energy.


Support

Kerala Blasters are known in the ISL for their fanatical supporters. Averaging over 55,000 fans a game, the Blasters had the highest average attendance in most of the seasons they have played and it fell to 37,500 in 2017 because safety regulations reduced the stadium's capacity to 41,000 as a part of 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup where Kochi was a venue. According to former India international player
Pappachen Pradeep Naduparambil Pappachen Pradeep (born 28 April 1983), commonly known as NP Pradeep, is a retired Indian professional footballer who played as a defender. Pradeep hails from Moolamattom in Kerala. He was also the captain of India's U23 team. He ...
, "In Kerala, the people support football tirelessly. It doesn't matter if the team wins or loses, they are always there in high numbers. I've played at places like Kolkata, where if the team loses two-three matches on the spin, the numbers in the stadium diminish. There is nothing like that in Kerala." However Kerala Blasters have seen reduction in the average attendance below 30,000 on two seasons. During 2018–19 season, the Blasters had an average attendance of 16,432 and it became 17,500 in 2019–20 season. According to
Fox Asia Fox was a pan-Asian pay television channel, owned and operated by Fox Networks Group Asia Pacific, a subsidiary of Disney International Operations. The network operated six subnetworks, all solely branded as Fox; one pan-Asian feed meant for ...
, , the Blasters are the fifth most-popular Asian club on social media, becoming so in 2018 within the four years of its existence and were the youngest club among the list. They are also the most followed Indian club on social media. In February 2021, Kerala Blasters became the first Indian club to attain two million followers on Instagram. According to a research in 2021, the club has the joint-fastest growing social media account on Instagram in Asia and sixth across the world in terms of fans interaction among all the football clubs. The Blasters are also known for having one of the most vocal and passionate supporters group known as
Manjappada Manjappada (; ) are an organised supporters' group of the Kochi based professional football club Kerala Blasters FC, which competes in Indian Super League, the top tier league of Indian football. One of the largest and most active fan groups i ...
. Founded in 2014, they are one of the largest and most active supporters group in the country. The group has also won the award for the 'Best Fan Club' at the Indian Sports Honours for two times in 2017 and 2020.


Rivalries


South Indian Derby

The club's main rivals are their
South India South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union terr ...
n neighbours, Chennaiyin FC and Bengaluru FC.


Chennaiyin FC

Kerala Blasters have developed a rivalry with fellow southern club Chennaiyin FC from the inaugural season of the Indian Super League itself. Former Chennaiyin head coach and player
Marco Materazzi Marco Materazzi (; born 19 August 1973) is an Italian former professional footballer and manager. Early in his career, Materazzi played with various Italian teams in Serie B and Serie C, and with Everton in the Premier League. He spent two p ...
was sent off when the clubs played each other in the 2014 semi-final and was then given a one-match suspension in 2016 after he was involved in a scuffle between a Chennaiyin player and a Kerala Blasters player. This incident led Kerala Blasters fans to wear masks of
Zinedine Zidane Zinedine Yazid Zidane (; born 23 June 1972), popularly known as Zizou, is a French professional football manager and former player who played as an attacking midfielder. He most recently coached Spanish club Real Madrid and is one of the mos ...
at the return leg in Kochi, intensifying the rivalry between the clubs. The meetings between the two clubs later came to be known as the
South Indian Derby The South Indian Derby, also known as the Southern Derby or Southern Rivalry, is the name given to a football derby contested by any two of the three professional football clubs from South India—Bengaluru FC, Chennaiyin FC and Kerala Blaste ...
. Bengaluru FC became a part of the South Indian Derby, when they joined Indian Super League in 2017.


Bengaluru FC

The Blasters have also developed a rivalry with
Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...
-based club Bengaluru FC, which started in 2017 before Bengaluru began playing in the ISL. The rivalry stems from the competition between both clubs fan bases; Manjappada of the Blasters and Bengaluru's West Block Blues. The South Indian Derby between the Blasters and Bengaluru is often known as the ''Real South Indian Derby''.


Rivalry with ATK Mohun Bagan

The Blasters shares an intense rivalry with the
Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...
based club ATK Mohun Bagan. Even before the inception of Indian Super League, the states of Kerala and
West Bengal West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fou ...
had a long lasting rivalry in the Santosh Trophy. The club's rivalry with ATK started at the 2014 final, which ATK won in extra time. Both clubs once again met at the final in
2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...
, which the Blasters lost on penalties. In 2020, ATK merged with the football section of
multi-sport A multi-sport event is an organized sporting event, often held over multiple days, featuring competition in many different sports among organized teams of athletes from (mostly) nation-states. The first major, modern, multi-sport event of interna ...
club
Mohun Bagan 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 ...
to form ATK Mohun Bagan.


Ownership and finances

In April 2014, it was announced that the former India cricket captain Sachin Tendulkar, along with PVP Ventures, won the bidding for the Kochi franchise in Indian Super League. A consortium named Blasters Sports Ventures Private Limited (BSVPL) was established to oversee the administration and operations of the club. Tendulkar said that he took a stake in the club because he wanted to help popularise football in India and to see Kerala return to its former glory as a footballing state. In May 2014, he said; "People used to call me Master Blaster. I'm supporting Kerala, Kochi team. I hope the entire Kerala will be behind our football team. That's why we thought of naming it as Kerala Blasters FC." PVP group owned 60 percent of the club. In October 2015, Securities and Exchange Board of India, imposed a fine of ₹30 crore on PVP Group for not complying with diclosure terms, pushing the club into financial uncertainty. To overcome the financial crisis, Tendulkar partnered with the club's main sponsor
Muthoot Group The Muthoot Group is an Indian multinational conglomerate headquartered in Kochi, Kerala. It has interests in financial services, information technology, media, healthcare, education, power generation, infrastructure, plantations, precious me ...
, bought 40 percent from PVP Group's stake and acquired the majority stake at the club. In June 2016, it was confirmed that a consortium led by industrialist
Nimmagadda Prasad Nimmagadda Prasad (born 11 October 1961) is an Indian industrialist from Andhra Pradesh, India. He is known for his ventures in the Pharmaceutical and Television industries, and is involved in philanthropic activities through Nimmagadda Fou ...
,
Telugu film Telugu cinema, also known as Tollywood, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Telugu language, widely spoken in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Telugu cinema is based in Film Nagar, Hy ...
actors
Chiranjeevi Chiranjeevi (born Konidela Sivasankara Varaprasad; 22 August 1955) is an Indian actor, film producer and former politician, who predominantly works in Telugu cinema. Chiranjeevi starred in over 150 feature films in Telugu, as well as some fil ...
,
Nagarjuna Nāgārjuna . 150 – c. 250 CE (disputed)was an Indian Mahāyāna Buddhist thinker, scholar-saint and philosopher. He is widely considered one of the most important Buddhist philosophers.Garfield, Jay L. (1995), ''The Fundamental Wisdom of ...
and film producer
Allu Aravind Allu Aravind (born 10 January 1949) is an Indian film producer and distributor in Telugu cinema under his banner Geetha Arts. He co-owns the Indian Super League club ''Kerala Blasters FC''. A part of the Allu–Konidela family, Aravind is t ...
have purchased 80 percent stake at the club. The 20 percent stake of the club remained with Tendulkar. In September 2018, Tendulkar sold his remaining stake at the club to its majority shareholders for personal reasons, stating; "A piece of my heart will always beat for Kerala Blasters". In January 2021, the consortium was renamed as Magnum Sports Private Limited. The consortium also includes Anil Yerramreddy, the global CEO of MOURI Tech. Nikhil Bhardwaj, son of the majority shareholder Nimmagadda Prasad is the director of the club. Magnum Sports Private Limited also owns the Pro Kabaddi League team
Tamil Thalaivas Tamil Thalaivas is a Kabaddi team based in Tamil Nadu that plays in the Pro Kabaddi League. The team is owned by the consortium called Magnum Sports Private Limited, the parent company of Indian Super League club Kerala Blasters FC. Actor V ...
and in 2020, entered in a partnership with Serbian
volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Sum ...
club Radnicki Belgrade to form Radnicki Blasters, which plays in the Serbian First Division tournaments.


Sponsorship

On 29 September 2014, it was announced Kerala-based Muthoot Pappachan Group would be the title sponsor for Kerala Blasters. Under the original agreement, the company would sponsor the Blasters for one season with the option to extend the sponsorship. On 24 October that year, a month later, the Blasters announced the German sports manufacturer Puma would be the kit sponsors for the 2014 season. Both sponsorships continued in 2015 and Muthoot remained as title sponsor into the 2016 season. In June 2019, the Blasters signed a five-year deal with Jain University to be the presenting sponsor of the club. In September 2020, the club signed a long-term deal with Statsports as their performance partner. On 7 November 2020, the Blasters announced its association with BYJU'S, the world's largest
EdTech Educational technology (commonly abbreviated as edutech, or edtech) is the combined use of computer hardware, software, and educational theory and practice to facilitate learning. When referred to with its abbreviation, edtech, it often refer ...
company, as their new title sponsor on a five-year deal. In December 2021, the Blasters announced its association with MOURI Tech, an enterprise solutions provider as official partners ahead of the 2021–22 season.


Players


First-team squad


Out on loan


Personnel


Current technical staff


Management

{, class="wikitable" , - ! scope="col", Position ! scope="col", Name ! scope="col", , - , Director of Operations , Nikhil Bhardwaj , , - , Sporting Director , Karolis Skinkys , , - , Technical Advisor of Reserves & Head of Grassroots Development , Tomasz Tchórz , , - , Director of Academy and Women's Team , Rajah Rizwan , , - , Team Manager , Manish Kochar , , - , Chief Financial Officer , Mohit Thadi , , - , Chief Marketing Officer , Antony Manu , , - , Chief Revenue Officer , Joby Joseph , , -


Statistics and records


Season by season

{, class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: center" ! rowspan="2" , Season ! colspan="8" ,
League League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football Sports * Sports league * Rugby league, full contact footba ...
! rowspan="2" , Finals ! rowspan="2" , Super Cup !Other competitions ! colspan="2" , Top league scorer(s) , - ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
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 ...
!Player !Goals , - ,
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, 14 , 5 , 4 , 5 , 9 , 11 , 19 , 4th , bgcolor="silver" align="center" ,
Runners-up A prize is an award to be given to a person or a group of people (such as sporting teams and organizations) to recognize and reward their actions and achievements.
, rowspan="3" , ''Did not exist'' ▼ , rowspan="3" , ''Did not exist for ISL clubs'' ▼ ,
Iain Hume Iain Edward Hume (born 30 October 1983) is a Canadian football manager and former professional soccer player who played as a forward. He began his career at Tranmere Rovers in 2000, and six years later moved to Leicester City for an initial £50 ...
, 5 , - , 2015 , 14 , 3 , 4 , 7 , 22 , 27 , 13 , 8th , DNQ ,
Antonio German Antonio Timothy German (born 26 December 1991) is a footballer who plays as a winger or a forward for Leatherhead and the Grenada national football team. Club career Early career Born in Park Royal, London, German progressed through the Quee ...
Chris Dagnall Christopher Dagnall (born 15 April 1986) is an English footballer who plays for side Hanley Town. He began his career at Tranmere Rovers, where he debuted age 17 in 2003. In January 2006 he was loaned to Rochdale, where he moved permanently in ...
, 6 , - ,
2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...
, 14 , 6 , 4 , 4 , 12 , 14 , 22 , 2nd , bgcolor="silver" align="center" ,
Runners-up A prize is an award to be given to a person or a group of people (such as sporting teams and organizations) to recognize and reward their actions and achievements.
,
C.K. Vineeth Chekiyot Kizhakkeveettill Vineeth (born 20 May 1988), commonly known as C. K. Vineeth, is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a forward for RoundGlass Punjab in the I-League. Personal life Born in Kannur district in the state of K ...
, bgcolor=#ERF5B5, 5 🇮🇳 , - , 2017–18 , 18 , 6 , 7 , 5 , 20 , 22 , 25 , 6th , DNQ ,
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, rowspan="2" , ''Tournament Suspended'' ,
Iain Hume Iain Edward Hume (born 30 October 1983) is a Canadian football manager and former professional soccer player who played as a forward. He began his career at Tranmere Rovers in 2000, and six years later moved to Leicester City for an initial £50 ...
, 5 , - , 2018–19 , 18 , 2 , 9 , 7 , 18 , 28 , 15 , 9th , DNQ , Qualification Round ,
Slaviša Stojanović Slaviša () is a South Slavic masculine given name, an old Slavic origin given name derived from word "slav" - glory. This name may refer to: * Slaviša Čula, Serbian football player *Slaviša Jokanović, Serbian football player * Slaviša Du ...
Matej Poplatnik Matej Poplatnik (born 15 July 1992) is a Slovenian footballer who plays as a forward for Ilirija 1911. Career Poplatnik started his senior career with Zarica Kranj, before joining Triglav Kranj in 2012. He made his Slovenian PrvaLiga debut ...
, 4 , - , 2019–20 , 18 , 4 , 7 , 7 , 29 , 32 , 19 , 7th , DNQ , rowspan="2" , ''Tournament Suspended'' , DNP ,
Bartholomew Ogbeche Bartholomew Owogbalor Ogbeche (born 1 October 1984) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Indian Super League club Hyderabad. He is the all-time top scorer in Indian Super League history. He played his club football i ...
, bgcolor=#FFE4B5 align=center, 15 ⭐ , - ,
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, Álvaro Vázquez
Jorge Pereyra Díaz Jorge Rolando Pereyra Díaz (born 5 August 1990) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a striker for Indian Super League club Mumbai City. Club career Ferro Carril Oeste Pereyra Díaz began his professional career with Primera ...
, 8


Managerial history

{, class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="text-align:center" , - !Name!!Nationality!!Period!!Note , - , scope=row style=text-align:left, , align=left, , align=left, 2014–2015,
2017–2018 , Player-manager (2014–2015) , - , scope=row style=text-align:left, , align=left, , align=left, 2015 , , - , scope=row style=text-align:left, , align=left, , align=left, 2015 , Caretaker , - , scope=row style=text-align:left, , align=left, , align=left, 2015–2016 , , - , scope=row style=text-align:left, , align=left, , align=left, 2016–2017 , , - , scope=row style=text-align:left, , align=left, , align=left, 2017 , , - , scope=row style=text-align:left, , align=left, , align=left, 2019 , Interim-manager , - , scope=row style=text-align:left, , align=left, , align=left, 2019–2020 , , - , scope=row style=text-align:left, , align=left, , align=left, 2020–2021 , , - , scope=row style=text-align:left,
Ishfaq Ahmed Ishfaq Ahmed (born 17 March 1983) is a former Indian footballer who currently works as the assistant coach of Kerala Blasters FC in Indian Super League. He is also a member of the AIFF technical committee. Ishfaq is one among the two professi ...
, align=left, , align=left, 2021 , Interim-manager , - , scope=row style=text-align:left,
Ivan Vukomanović Ivan Vukomanović ( sr-Cyrl, Иван Вукомановић; born 19 June 1977) is a Serbian professional football manager and former player who is the current head coach of Indian Super League club Kerala Blasters. Playing career Vukomanović ...
, align=left, , align=left, 2021– ,


Team records

{, class="wikitable sortable" , - , +Most goals , - ! scope="col", Rank ! scope="col", Player ! scope="col", Goals , - !1 , , , align=center, 15 , - !2 , , , align=center, 11 , - !3 , , , align=center, 10 , - !4 , , , align=center, 9 , - !4 , , , align=center, 9 , - !5 , , , align=center, 8 , - !5 , , , align=center, 8 , - !5 , , , align=center, 8 {, class="wikitable sortable" , - , +Most appearances , - ! scope="col", Rank ! scope="col", Player ! scope="col", Total Appearances , - !1 , , , align=center, 82 , - !2 , , , align=center, 78 , - !3 , , , align=center, 66 , - !4 , , , align=center, 59 , - !5 , , , align=center, 54


Reserves and academy


Kerala Blasters Reserves

On 20 February 2018, the All India Football Federation, the organising body for Indian football announced the Kerala Blasters and six other ISL sides would field a reserve team in the
I-League 2nd Division I-League 2, previously known as I-League 2nd Division and officially known as or Hero I-League 2 (for sponsorship ties with Hero MotoCorp), is an Indian men's professional football league. It is the 3rd tier of Indian football, behind Indian ...
, India's second division football league. The team began playing in March 2018, when it was coached by Renjith TA. The team's best performance came out in 2020 as they won the
2019–20 Kerala Premier League The 2019–20 Kerala Premier League Season was the seventh season of the Kerala Premier League. The season featured 10 teams which was divided into 2 groups and were played on a home-and-away format. The season kicked off on 15 December 2019. Fo ...
after defeating the reserve side of
Gokulam Kerala FC Gokulam Kerala Football Club is an Indian professional football club based in Calicut, Kerala. Founded in 2017, the club competes in the I-League, the second tier of Indian football league system. They won the 2020–21 I-League to become th ...
in a Penalty shootout.


Kerala Blasters Youth and Academy

The Kerala Blasters youth system, which is known as KBFC Young Blasters, consists of three teams from the under-18, under-15 and under-13 age groups.


In media

Kerala Blasters were featured in the Manorama's programme 'Blasting out with Blasters', which shared in-depth interviews with the players and behind-the-scenes footages from the club's camp during the 2017–18 season. On 19 November 2020, a day ahead of the 2020–21 ISL season, the Blasters released Yennum Yellow, a musical
album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records co ...
inspired by the passionate fanbase of the club across the globe. The album consists of six songs that shows the importance of yellow to its fans and it was the first time in India that a football club released an album as a dedication to their fans. A week later, the Blasters also launched the Yennum Yellow
comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...
envisioned to provide the fans with a fun way to learn more about the club, its history, the squad and the activities being carried out by the club. This was also a first of its kind project in Indian Football.


eSports

The organizers of ISL introduced eISL, a FIFA video game tournament, for the ISL playing clubs, each represented by two players. Kerala Blasters hosted a series of qualifying games for all the participants wanting to represent the club in eISL. On 20 November 2021, the club announced the signing of the two players.


Roster


Honours

*
Indian Super League The Indian Super League (ISL) is an Indian professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the Indian football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Organised by the All India Football Federa ...
** Runners-up (3):
2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
,
2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...
, 2021–22 *
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 ...
** Winners (1): 2019–20


See also

*
Sports in Kerala Many sports are played by the people in Kerala including both traditional sports and sports from other countries. Association football is the most popular sport in Kerala, followed by cricket. Kerala Blasters are the most supported football club ...
*
Football in India Football in India has historically been among the top 3 most popular sport in terms of players participation and TV viewership, together with long time number one cricket and re-emerging kabaddi. India's current top domestic football league is ...


References


External links

* *
Kerala Blasters
at the
Indian Super League The Indian Super League (ISL) is an Indian professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the Indian football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Organised by the All India Football Federa ...
official website. {{Kerala Sports
Kerala Blasters FC Kerala Blasters Football Club (), commonly referred to as The Blasters, is an Indian professional football club based in Kochi, Kerala, that competes in the Indian Super League, the top tier of football in India. The club was established ...
Kerala Blasters FC Kerala Blasters Football Club (), commonly referred to as The Blasters, is an Indian professional football club based in Kochi, Kerala, that competes in the Indian Super League, the top tier of football in India. The club was established ...
Kerala Blasters FC Kerala Blasters Football Club (), commonly referred to as The Blasters, is an Indian professional football club based in Kochi, Kerala, that competes in the Indian Super League, the top tier of football in India. The club was established ...
Kerala Blasters FC Kerala Blasters Football Club (), commonly referred to as The Blasters, is an Indian professional football club based in Kochi, Kerala, that competes in the Indian Super League, the top tier of football in India. The club was established ...
Kerala Blasters FC Kerala Blasters Football Club (), commonly referred to as The Blasters, is an Indian professional football club based in Kochi, Kerala, that competes in the Indian Super League, the top tier of football in India. The club was established ...