India Football: Gokulam Kerala looking to build on Men’s & Women’s team success
I-League side, Gokulam Kerala FC’s head of operations, Unni Paravannur has reiterated that the aim of the club is to build on their recent success and that they are looking to grow from to strength and dominate the footballing sphere in India.
Gokulam Kerala have been brilliant in the recently concluded season, having defended their men’s and women’s national domestic league crowns in the space of 12 days. The Men’s side created history earlier this month when they became the first club in I-League history to win consecutive league titles, and the women were not to be left behind as they beat Sethu FC 3-1 to win the Indian Women’s League.
What has been even more impressive is that despite only starting in 2017, they have already won a sizeable haul of national level trophies (two I-Leagues, two IWLs and the 2019 Durand Cup), and
Paravannur is confident that the club will only grow from strength to strength from here on.
„We took some time to stabilise after beginning our journey in 2017. Most of the people who are at the club now joined in 2018. We are in a better position now with regards to functioning of a football club. Our president VC Praveen is immensely interested in the game. He is hands-on about every aspect of the club,“ he told News9.
„In men’s football our foreign player recruitment has become better. In our earlier days, lot of players came in and went out. But now we have set players and that has also played a huge role,“
Paravannur added.
Gokulam’s rise has coincided with Kerala’s ascent in the footballing landscape in the country as the state’s team are the reigning Santosh Trophy winners, while Kerala Blasters reached the finals of the 2021/22 Indian Super League (ISL) – only to fall at the final hurdle.