Tag: Club News

Kerala Blasters FC have announced the launch of their senior women’s team. The squad will participate in the upcoming Kerala Women’s League organized by Kerala Football Association (KFA) and compete to win the title and qualify for the IWL. In the next 2 – 3 years, the club also aims to represent the country at the AFC level.

Kerala Blasters’ vision is to work towards the contribution of local players to the national squad. Apart from the Indian International players, the club has more local talents, which marks an important milestone in the growth and development of women’s football in the State. The squad will be revealed in a separate announcement shortly.

The Kerala Blasters’ entry into women’s football has always been a clear ambition for the Club. Earlier Rizwan was designated as the Director of Kerala Blaster’s Academy and Women’s Team. The club has roped in coach and former player Shereef Khan AV as the first Head Coach of the Women’s team on a long-term contract.

“For Kerala Blasters FC, this project has been in the works for quite a while. As of today, Kerala has no representation in the Indian National team. This scenario should be changed. We have the vision to work towards that and develop our players into that caliber. KBFC contributing to that will be huge and as a club, our influence towards that will be very crucial,” said Rizwan, Director Kerala Blasters FC Academy and Women’s team.

Kerala Blasters FC already has girls participating in its Young Blasters-Sporthood program. Turning that into an age category group and giving them a chance to represent KBFC in District and State level tournaments is also part of the club’s long-term plan. Based on their performance the young talents may be promoted to the senior team as well. Meanwhile, ahead of the Kerala Women’s League commencing in August, the Kerala Blasters women’s team will train at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium, Kaloor. The League is scheduled at various venues in the State.

Kerala Blasters FC is happy to announce the signing of versatile Spanish defender Victor Mongil for the Hero Indian Super Leagu 2022/23. He joins Kerala Blasters FC from the Hero ISL side Odisha FC and will stay at the club till 2023, with an option to extend.

The 29-year-old started his youth career with Spanish club Valladolid and went on to play for their B team before representing the main team in the 2011-12 season. He then played for different clubs in Spain including Atletico Madrid B prior to signing for Georgian professional club FC Dinamo Tbilisi in 2019. Victor helped Dinamo Tbilisi win the title in Georgia and also represented the club in the Europa League.

The experienced and versatile centre-back, who can also operate in midfield, signed for ATK in the January transfer window of the 2019-20 ISL season and was a key member of the ATK squad that won the title that season. Following a short summer stint back Dinamo Tbilisi after the 2020 season, Victor returned to Hero Indian Super League with Odisha FC in 2021. Recognized for his commitment and contribution both on and off the pitch, he was given the captain’s armband at Odisha FC. Victor also has the experience of representing the Spanish U-17 national team.

Commenting on Blaster’s second foreign signing Sporting Director Karolis Skinkys said, “Victor is an experienced ISL player, a team minded guy and player who can cover different positions. He showed high motivation to join our project and that’s very important factor. I wish Victor all best for the upcoming season”

“I am very happy to announce that I am officially a Kerala Blasters player. I am looking forward to being with my teammates and for a very exciting season to begin. Surely this year together with the fans and their return to the stadiums we will be able to fight for very nice things” said an excited Victor Mongil

Victor Mongil becomes KBFC’s second foreign signing of the summer after striker Apostolos Giannou, who was announced last week. Alongside Marko Lešković, who penned a 2 year extension with the club this summer, the addition of Mongil will add versatility, experience and leadership to the Blasters defence.

Kerala Blasters FC is delighted to announce the signing of Greek-Australian International striker, Apostolos Giannou, for the Hero Indian Super League 2022/2023 season. He joins the Blasters from A-League Club Macarthur FC and will don the iconic Yellow until the summer of 2023.

Born in Greece, Giannou moved to Australia at a young age. He played for youth teams at the Victorian Institute of Sport and South Melbourne, before making his professional debut with the Oakleigh Cannons. He moved abroad fourteen years ago following a transfer to the Greek first division side Appolon Kalamarias. He then had stints with several Greek first-division teams like Kavala, PAOK, Ethnikos, Panionios, and Asteris Tripoli, recording 38 goals and 15 assists in over 150 appearances.

In 2016, Giannou joined the Chinese Club Guangzhou City FC for a record transfer fee. After 2 prolific seasons in Asia, Giannou signed for Cyprus side AEK Larnaca and later moved to OFI Crete FC in Greece. Before signing with the Blasters, Giannou signed with A-League side Macarthur FC where he made 21 appearances and scored 3 goals for the club.

Giannou has represented Australia at all youth-team levels. He has also amassed 12 appearances with the Australian senior national team, recording 2 goals and 4 assists. He also made 1 appearance for the Greek national team.

Commenting on the Blaster’s first foreign signing of the summer Karolis Skinkys said, “I’m very happy Apostolos finally joined Kerala Blasters, he was our target for the last two years. He is a hardworking attacker who fits our style of play. I also like him because he is a player who plays for the team. I wish him the best time in Kerala!”

” I’m really excited to be signing for Kerala Blasters. I will put my all for the team to achieve the goals it has for this year.” said a happy Giannou upon signing with his new club.

Giannou becomes KBFC’s first foreign signing of the summer. The addition of Giannou will give the Blasters’ a new-look attacking unit as they prepare for the upcoming season.

KBFC Young Blasters Sporthood Academy, the academy venture of Kerala Blasters FC, the football club that represents the state in the Hero Indian Super League, has crossed 3000 admissions. This is the most admissions ever achieved by a football academy in Kerala. It has always been the club’s mission to find football talents from Kerala, nurture and groom them and provide them with a way to continue their football career. For this, Kerala Blasters FC started the Young Blasters Sporthood Academy (YBSA) in collaboration with Sporthood in 2019. Today, Young Blasters Sporthood Academy has more than 80 centers in 14 districts across the State.

The vision of YBSA is to build the capacity to train 100,000 children across 1,000 grassroots centers in the next 5 years. This year (2022), they are setting up 150 grassroots coaching academies in partnership with schools and football turfs across all 14 districts.

The Young Blasters Sporthood Academy provides scholarships for highly talented kids as well as those who may not be able to afford the coaching fees. These scholarships vary from a 25% to 100% fee waiver. Merit-based scholarships are given out to the most gifted kids while means-based scholarships are awarded based on Annual income.

“Our vision is to build a system that will make sure that all level players are donning the yellow jersey that is being scouted from the state of Kerala itself”- Rahul Antony Thomas, CEO, Sporthood.

“KBFC has always been committed to the state and the footballing talent it has. This structure was created to ensure that the very best talent from across Kerala can be nurtured from an early age to ensure their success. We are excited to be on this journey with Sporthood and look forward to crossing many more milestones together” Nikhil Bharadwaj, Whole Time Director, Kerala Blasters FC.

Kerala Blasters FC is delighted to announce the signing of Ukrainian Midfielder Ivan Kaliuzhnyi. The young Midfielder joins Kerala Blasters FC on loan from FK Oleksandriya.

The 24-year-old midfielder started his youth career with Ukrainian side Metalist Kharkiv. He then joined Ukrainian giants Dynamo Kyiv and represented them in the UEFA Youth League. His senior career started with a loan stint at Metalist 1925 Kharkiv, for whom he played 27 times in his first season. The next season saw him gain more experience on loan at Ukranian side Rukh Lviv where he made 32 appearances and scored 2 goals.

Following consistent performances in the first division of Ukraine as an energetic and all-round midfielder, in February 2021, he was transferred to FK Oleksandriya. He continued his good form with the club, contributing 4 assists and 2 goals in 23 appearances. Prior to joining the Blasters, with the Ukrainian league suspended, Kaliuzhnyi had a brief loan stint at Iceland top division side Keflavik IF.

Commenting on the Blaster’s third foreign signing of the summer Sporting Director Karolis Skinkys said “I would like to congratulate Ivan for joining our club and express my big happiness that we finally were able to bring him to Kerala. This quality player will be a good reinforcement for our team. I hope Ivan will adapt quickly and showcase all the qualities we know he possesses to excel here.”

“I am excited to join the biggest club in India and very much looking forward to my new challenge. I am beyond excited to meet the famous yellow army and give my all for them and the club ” said an excited Ivan Kaliuzhnyi

Ivan Kaliuzhnyi becomes KBFC’s third foreign signing of the summer after striker Apostolos Giannou and defender Victor Mongil were announced in the last week. Ivan Kaliuzhnyi’s will add another dimension to the Blasters midfield as they prepare for the upcoming Hero ISL 2022/23 season.