Formed in 2017, Gokulam Kerala FC also known as ‘The Malabarians’ have taken the country by a storm by defeating 100 year old clubs Mohun Bagan in the Final, East Bengal in the Semi-Final of the Durand Cup 2019 in Kolkata.
“To win against the top two clubs in India at their home city in back to back matches has been our greatest achievement.”
Gokulam Kerala is club associated with winning the trophies. The Malabarians have won 7 trophies in a span of two seasons, a feat no other clubs have been able to achieve. The club operates from Calicut city and leased the EMS Corporation Stadium to play its home matches. The club is owned by Sree Gokulam Group of Companies, head quartered in Chennai.
GKFC is the only club to participate in all levels of the national league – Senior division, Elite League, Junior league, Sub-Junior League, Women’s league and grassroots league.
Progress emerges from dreams and their relentless pursuit, and no man knows this better than Shri Gokulam Gopalan, for he is a man who believes in making dreams and mere vision take hold in reality. A true entrepreneur in every sense of the word, this extraordinary man has carved a niche into the realm of Indian business with his sheer willpower combined with his hardwork and dedication. Shri Gokulam Gopalan has left no major business field untouched, as starting from chit funds, he has ventured successfully into different ventures that included food and beverage, drinking water, health care, film production, hotels and restaurants, and now finally, he has stepped into the world of football with Gokulam Football Club.
Sree Gokulam Group’s first encounter in football was with Viva Kerala FC, where Shri Gokulam Goplan was one of the directors. The club failed to reach the promised land and Sree Gokulam Group backed out from the club to concentrate on other ventures. After almost a decade, the group entered into the world of football with a new club, which is now Gokulam Kerala Football Club. The formation of the club was a brainchild of VC Praveen, one of the board members of the club and son in law of Shri Gokulam Gopalan. VC Praveen, a footballer himself convinced the family to form Gokulam Kerala Football club with a vision to promote the football in the region and to be a top flight football club in India.
Theyyam – A traditional art form which connects to the audience of Malabar. A cultural expression, a form of art that incorporates elements and rituals from the prehistoric ages, still followed in many regions of Kerala, predominantly in the Malabar region. Theyyam is considered as the ‘Dance of Gods’ which celebrates the heroes of the community and the ancestors.
Theyyam gets fierce and plays with fire, at times setting himself lit or jumping into it. The whole procession of Theyyam starts with a trance mode, where the performer starts with a furious pace to a slow intoxicated tumble until he passes out in front of the audience.
The logo is inspired by the performers of Theyyam, who perform until their last drop of energy, the one who is not afraid to play with fire, in order to achieve the goal in a most spiritualised manner.
Passion, Integrity, Community and Respect.
Everyone in Malabar plays football regardless of age, gender or any discrimination. Everyone loves the sport and that is evident as soon as you reach the city’s airport. ‘Sevens Football’ a popular format in the Malabar region is an yearly football event with seven players each side which sees more attendance than many professional league matches in other states.
“Kerala: The paradoxical Indian state where football rivals cricket”
“Kolkata Derbies attract crowds. But this is special. Look at the passion and mind you, there are no Kerala clubs playing in Manjeri. But you have a full house,” he said in one breath. “This is football. This is what we footballers live for – to play in front of the crowds.”
“To say that Malabar breathes, eats and sleeps football would be an understatement.”
Hero I-League, formerly known as National Football League is the first division league system in India. The league operates with a promotion and relegation system and runs from October to March of the successive year. The current season (2019-2020) comprises of 11 teams, of which Indian Arrows is an national team of Under 21 players, an AIFF Project to provide professional exposure to the players. Hero I-League teams are from nooks and corners of the country
Owner & Chairman : AM Gopalan, also Known as Gokulam Gopalan.
Sree Gokulam Group is one of the prominent business group in India with a range of business including Finance, Movie productions, Healthcare, Education, Television, Hotels and Resorts and a stream of small consumer business. Gokulam group has a net worth of USD 1.5 Billion, which has emerged as one of the leading business group in the state.
Gokulam Group also expands to business in the middle east, such as Gokulam Park, Doha, a five star hotel and Gokulam Madinah, a chain of super markets in partnership with Al Madinah group in the UAE.
Sree Gokulam Foundation is a CSR Project aimed towards developing grassroots football in the community. The foundation has undertaken many projects sicks as grassroots festivals, Baby League, Summer camps, Football school camps and different football tournaments for children under the age of 12 across the state. The projects have seen huge success in the community as we have seen an increase in the participants over the three years.
Objectives:
For CSR Collaborations