The history of Chirag United Club Kerala between 2004 and present covers their time from the club's foundation to the present situation.
Contents
- Foundation and life as Viva Kerala 2004 2011
- A new era new sponsors and a new name 2011 present
- References
Chirag United Club Kerala were founded in 2004 as Viva Kerala Football Club which was a club made for the state of Kerala. They turned professional in 2010 and joined the I-League in 2007. They were relegated to the I-League 2nd Division in 2007 however they made it back up one year later.
In 2011 after facing finical trouble the club was brought out by Chirag Computers and changed the club's name to Chirag United Club Kerala which is what they are named today.
Foundation and life as Viva Kerala (2004-2011)
Formed on August 8, 2004 the club officially took off on August 19 in a ceremony at FACT grounds. The club was formed by group of businessmen who felt the need for the state's representation in country's top football league, the National Football League (NFL). Viva Kerala's name is the result of a contest, won by Dr. P Ramakrishnan of Ernakulam.
The objective was to prepare a team for the EDFA (Ernakulam District Football Association) Super League and State League in the first year and National Football League (2nd Division) in the second year. The ultimate aim is to eventually be the number one football team of India.
Viva Kerala focused on getting young and talented local players. Viva started its journey under the stewardship of former NFL winner T K Chathunni. In its first year, Viva defeated top clubs like Mohammedan Sporting, Titanium XI etc. and gained prominence. In 2006, Viva Kerala won a Cup held in Tirur; teams from all parts of the country participated in the tournament, such as State Bank of Travancore and Punjab Police. This period also saw the rise of a young Nigerian striker – Badmus Baba Thunde. Viva Kerala won the 3rd Division National Football League. In the end of the season, A M Sreedharan replaced Chathunni as the club’s new coach.
The opportunity for a NFL spot came in the way of Second Division NFL. Viva surprised everyone by finishing second in its group and qualified for the final phase with the likes of Salgaocar SC and Chirag United. In the final phase, Viva Kerala finished as runners-up of the Second Division NFL to book their place in the National Football League 2007/08 on 6 April 2007. The combination of Baba Thunde and PK Anil Kumar was one of the main factors in the success of Viva Kerala. In midfield Denson Devadas was very effective while defence was led by captain Dhanarajan and Ombalaji. Sreedharan’s strict training made them competitive at the top level.
Unfortunately there was a slight hiccup in the path top glory for VIVA Kerala, when the club were relegated back to 2nd division at the end of I-league 2008. Nevertheless, Viva Kerala were invited back to Division 1 of the I-League for season 2009-2010.
Viva Kerala lost many good players in offseason to other teams, they strengthened the team by signing U-19 players from Viva Kerala U-19 and chandini FC. It was made official at a press conference in Kochi that Musli Power X-tra of Kunnath Pharmaceuticals would be the main sponsor of Viva Kerala. Kunnath Pharma’s K.C. Abraham became the Director on the Viva Kerala board and he added “This is not a one or a two-year deal…this is for life”. Meanwhile, the team has been strengthened by the inclusion of experienced midfielder K Kulothungan and the Nigerian Mangut. Viva has followed their traditional style of searching for local talents and added the likes of Javed, Shamil, Sajin and Faisal to the squad. O K Javed has already made his mark as a decent striker with his exploits for Chandni FC, but only time will tell whether he can make it big with Viva Kerala.
I-League clubs need to complete the AFC club licensing criteria; in order to do so, Viva has roped in the services of P.K Kunhikrishnan (A-licensed coach) as the new Head coach. They just managed though to avoid relegation at the end of the I-League 2010-11 season.
A new era, new sponsors, and a new name (2011-present)
In June 2011 Chirag Computers bought the financially troubled Viva Kerala FC. They took over a 60% stake in the club while original owners retained a 40% stake. They also changed the name of the club to Chirag United Club Kerala. Chirag Computers have also said that they might move the team to Kolkata if they do not find a suitable stadium in Kerala. The name of the team was officially changed to Chirag United Club Kerala on August 6, 2011. While the new owners announced that team will be based in Kerala for the 2011-12 I-League, there are talks of shifting the team to Kolkata after the season. This would leave the state of Kerala without representation in the I-League. Many supporters of the club have come out strongly against this idea.