.Earlier teams from Kerala, in the NFL/I-League like FC Kochin, State Bank of Travancore, Viva Kerala and Chirag United were all based in either Kochi or Calicut. Football in southern India has been revived by franchise teams, Bengaluru FC, Chennaiyan FC and now Kerala Evergreen FC. However they are likely to be replaced by a new franchise team, Kerala Evergreen FC.Kerala Blasters have filled this vacuum in the ISL and helped to resurrect the passion for football among the fans in Kerala, hence the packed stadiums.According to sources, Kerala Evergreen’s budget is Rs.This has been a recurring paradox in Kerala football. A team from Kerala should get China rotary vane vacuum pump Suppliers a lot of local support, which will improve TV ratings and average attendance figures of the next I-League. Some of this money will also be used to form a women’s team to compete in the women’s national league as well as an academy for junior players from Kerala.The plans are ambitious as they want to model themselves on the Spanish La Liga club Athletic Bilbao in allowing only homegrown players to play for the team.
If Kerala Evergreen FC clicks it will be a success story for AIFF’s franchise initiative. Residents are passionately fond of football, but no local club team in Kerala has lasted for long.However, negotiations kept getting stalled and so they opted to start a new franchise team in Kerala. Investments for this club are by a Singapore company My Sports and their Indian partners, Liwing. Incidentally, they would also become the first team from Thiruvananthapuram to play in the I-League. 20 crore, which would be the best in the I-League.Bengaluru FC’s defection to the Indian Super League this season was supposed to be a major jolt for the I-League.Another unique feature of Kerala Evergreen FC is that they could become the first club in India to have majority foreign ownership.
The club will be based in Kerala’s capital Thiruvananthapuram and will be part of the I-League 2017-18 if their entry bid is successful. Due to the Premiership’s popularity Indian fans nowadays also want to identify with their home teams. Local fans will welcome the introduction of Evergreen FC as they have missed this identity with a local team except for brief periods of domination by Kerala Police (1990-1992) and FC Kochin (1997-2004). The Singapore company hopes to create a sustainable business model for the club, so that it can generate revenue by using the stadium for concerts, music events and renting space to commercial establishments. The catchment area for football in Kerala is large but with so many players in the ISL draft likely to be roped in by Kerala Blasters, they may have to compromise and recruit outstation players also for the first season. Bengaluru FC’s success in attracting a young generation of middle class professionals as fans, many of whom are converts to the game after watching the Premiership, shows that a local support base can be built.It is reliably learnt that My Sports approached established Indian clubs in Kolkata, Mumbai and even Delhi, including legacy teams like Mohammedan Sporting
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