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 co-existing primary tier of Indian football league system. Nicknamed as "Malabarians", the club represents the Malabar region of Kerala. They won the 2020–21 I-League and became the first ever club from Kerala to clinch a National league title. Gokulam is also the first club from Kerala to qualify for an AFC competition, the AFC Cup. The club also competes in the Kerala Premier League, and clinched its first title in  2018. History. Formation and journey (2017–2020). Gokulam Kerala was founded in January 2017. On 20 September, after the second round of bidding invitations, the Bid Evaluation Committee decided to award Sree Gokulam Group the right to field their team in the Hero I-League 2017–18 season onwards from Calicut, Kerala. Although the club did not have a good beginning, they went on to defeat clubs like East Bengal, Mohun Bagan and Minerva Punjab by the end of the season. Gokulam Kerala hired Spaniard Fernando Santiago Varela as head coach in March 2018. On 15 March 2018, Gokulam played the Super  Cup qualifiers against North East United FC and was qualified with a 2-goal victory. In the pre-quarterfinals of the Super Cup on 1 April 2018, they were leading against Bengaluru FC by 0–1 until 60 minutes with a goal scored by the striker Henry Kisekka but Bengaluru scored a stoppage time goal which led to a defeat of 2–1. Gokulam in 2019, for the first time went abroad and participated at the 2019 Sheikh Kamal International Club Cup in Bangladesh, where they qualified for the Semi-finals after finishing 2nd in Group B. Gokulam finished as semifinalist after  losing 3–2 to Chittagong Abahani. Gokulam Kerala won their maiden title under the coaching of Fernando Santiago Varela, the 129th edition of the Durand Cup on 24 August 2019, defeating Mohun Bagan AC 2–1 in Kolkata. 2020–present. Gokulam Kerala won the 2020–21 I-League by defeating TRAU FC in the final game. With 29 points from 15 games, they qualified for the 2022 AFC Cup group stage. In April 2021, Gokulam Kerala emerged as the champions of the 2020–21 Kerala Premier League, defeating Kerala State Electricity Board 2–1 at the Thrissur Municipal Corporation Stadium. They began their 2021–22 I -League season on 26 December with 1–0 win against Churchill Brothers. They later thrashed Real Kashmir by 5–1. Stadium. Gokulam Kerala FC plays all its home matches at the EMS Stadium, which is located in the heart of Calicut city. West stand is the largest block and can accommodate most spectators. Capacity of the stadium is limited to 80,000. Supporters. Kerala is a state known for its passionate football fans. Football in Northern Kerala (known as Malabar Coastal Region) has arguably one of the most passionate fanbase in the state. GKFC Battalia is the official supporters' group of Gokulam Kerala  FC. Rivalry. Rivalry with Kerala Blasters. Gokulam Kerala and Kerala Blasters both are the top two clubs of Kerala state. Eventhough Gokulam Kerala has only had battles with the reserve team of Kerala Blasters in the Kerala Premier League, there has been a rivalry in the past years through social medias as the clubs stadiums are situated in the northern and southern parts of Kerala respectively. Rivalry with Kolkata clubs. Gokulam Kerala FC is known for pathbreaking the Kolkata clubs, Mohun Bagan and East Bengal in some major matches in I-League and Durand Cup. Gokulam Kerala FC won the  Durand cup by defeating East Bengal in the semi-final and Mohun Bagan in the final match. Both Kerala and West Bengal states are two dominant powerhouses of Indian Football. The Malabar Derby. Gokulam Kerala enjoyed an on-field rivalry with another Kozhikode based side Kerala United FC (previously "Quartz Calicut"). The first Kozhikode Derby match took place in the group stage of 2017–18 Kerala Premier League, where Quartz Calicut were winners. Upon change of ownership, team shifted its base from Kozhikode to Malappuram, which introduced a new Malabar Derby in Kerala Premier League. First match after acquisition was in  2020–21 Kerala Premier League semifinal. The match ended goaless, and Gokulam won 4–2 on penalties. Crest, colours & kits. Crest. The club logo incorporates elements from historical Theyyam, a famous ritual art form that originated in northern Kerala. It encompasses dance, mime and music. Players. First-team squad. Gokulam Kerala FC Reserves. Further information on the Reserve squads Gokulam Kerala FC (Reserves) Notable players. The following Gokulam Kerala players have been capped at "full international level". Years in brackets indicate their spells at the club.