Kerala in the grip of soccer fever
Published June 12, 2008 | 
Calicut: As the Euro 2008 fever is gripping the world, its heat is also being in the distant shores of Kerala, where football is a way of life for many. The die hard aficionados’ throng in flocks to catch up the action of their favorite teams at the big screens kept at public places. The coastal areas of Kozhikode are already in the grip of this frenzied game.
People of all age assemble at places where huge projectors and television sets are mounted for the people to watch their favorite team in action. The Malabar belt of Kerala especially Kozhikode, Tellicherry and Kannur follow the game closely and football is more than just a game in this part of the state where it is a timeless passion and much more! The tradition of football started a long time ago in these areas and even today it is the most popular game in the State, retaining its past glory and fame.
The multitude of sports clubs is cited to be one of the main reasons for the popularity of this game. It is interesting to note that most of the football fans are traditional fishermen who nurture a staunch passion for this charming sport. Nynanvalap Football Fans Association is a club of this genre, which is actively involved in the promotion of beach soccer matches since 1996 and has received various sports goods from the official sponsors of Europe Cup 2008.
Many clubs make sure to conduct annual coaching camps to spot fresh talents and to mould them into master strikers. Part of the expenses is met by organizing the much popular ‘Sevens’ football tournaments, which see many local teams of repute in action. Business organizations in the city and Non-resident Keralites hailing from this region also patronize these football clubs, ensuring their sustenance and success.
Kerala is a place where people breathe and live football and it is far from just being a ball game played by two teams in contrast colored jerseys!
Kerala gets its first high-altitude sports training centre
Published March 14, 2008 | 
Munnar : There is a new reason to smile and to cheer for all those keralites with a penchant for sports. The first ever high-altitude sports training centre in the State of Kerala will be inaugurated by State Sports Minister M. Vijayakumar at Munnar, this Sunday.
Located at an amazing altitude of 1460 metres from sea level, it offers state of the art training facilities such as athlete tracks, volleyball court and hostel facilities for sports persons .
This is the second high-altitude sports training centre in India, the first one being in Himachal Pradesh. The Indian sports personnel qualified for Beijing Olympics will be the first batch to undergo a 40 day training camp in this centre. The work of this centre was started way back in 1995 and so far a sum of 57.9 million has been spent by the government on this training centre.
In the next phase of expansion other facilities such as swimming pool, synthetic tracks and techno-gym will be added, making it a full fledged training facility to meet the aspirations of the sports loving populace of the country. Lack of international quality training facilities is cited to be one of the major reasons for the appalling performance of the Indian team in many International sports meet. Facilities like these can go a long way in improving the caliber and mettle of the local players at par with the best.
Preparations complete for first South Asian meet
Published March 7, 2008 | 
Kochi, March7 : Kochi will be hosting the first South Asian Athletics Championship on March 7 and 8 at Maharaja’s College Ground. Kerala Sports Minister M Vijayakumar will inaugurate the championship. All the preparations are complete for the successful conduct of the games.
State- of –the- art equipments like photofinish camera, wind gauge, lap timer, and jumping pits that meet world standards are made available for the conduct of the meet.
The player’s room, press gallery and medical centre has been renovated. As many as 224 athletes from eight SAF countries –India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Maldives and Bhutan are participating in the meet, which will have 19 events for men and 15 for women.
The Indian team will be led by Anju Bobby George. India has the biggest contingent while Bhutan with just 3 participants has the smallest team. India is fielding many popular players such as B G Nagraj (100m) and Hamsa Chatholi (1500m) among others. The South Asian Meet has added yet another jewel to the crown of this city, well known for its sport loving populace.