Kerala Blasters FC

In most of the seasons since the club's founding, Kerala Blasters have held the record for the highest league attendance, regularly attracting spectators of over 30,000 per game.

[1] On 13 April 2014, it was announced the rights to the Kochi franchise had been won by former India national cricket team captain Sachin Tendulkar and entrepreneur Prasad V.

[7] Michael Chopra, Iain Hume, Pulga, Erwin Spitzner, Pedro Gusmão, Cedric Hengbart, and Raphaël Romey were the seven foreign players drafted to Kerala Blasters.

Along with them, the club directly signed Penn Orji, Jamie McAllister, Andrew Barisic, Stephen Pearson, and Colin Falvey in the remaining foreign players' slots.

Despite not being considered the favourite to win the two-legged tie, they won the first leg at home 3–0 with goals from Ishfaq Ahmed, Iain Hume, and Sushanth Mathew.

[19] The first match of the season was played at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium against NorthEast United where the Blasters won 3–1 with goals from Josu, Mohammed Rafi, and Sanchez Watt.

[23] In an effort to rebuild the team after failing to qualify for the semi-finals in the previous season, the Blasters announced the signing of Steve Coppell as their head coach on 21 June 2016.

[29] Vineeth's only goal in the 66th minute helped Blasters to beat NorthEast United 1–0 to seal the second place behind Mumbai City FC in the league table.

[46] The club released all of their foreign players and signed a new roster that included Cameroon-born Raphaël Messi Bouli and former Nigeria international Bartholomew Ogbeche as forwards.

[72] After their defeat in the season's opening match, the Blasters remained unbeaten for the next 10 games, until they were beaten by the southern rivals Bengaluru on 30 January.

[83] Even though the Blasters' pre-season preparations in the UAE were interrupted by the FIFA ban on AIFF,[84] the club sent their reserve team for the 2022 Durand Cup,[85] in which they reached the quarter-finals but were knocked out by Mohammedan SC from the tournament.

[88] Even though the Blasters lost their next three games, they recovered from the bad run and went on an eight match unbeaten streak and five consecutive wins for the first time in their history in this season.

[106] This season also witnessed the departure of their Indian midfielder and then-most-capped player at the time, Sahal Abdul Samad, who left the club following a swap deal with Mohun Bagan Super Giant for Pritam Kotal, and for a transfer fee of ₹90 lakhs.

[107] The club also made their most expensive signing its history by paying FC Goa a reported fee of ₹1.45 crores for the transfer of Aibanbha Dohling on a three-year contract.

[113] After the end of the ten-match ban imposed on Ivan Vukomanović by the AIFF-DC due to the walk-out incident from the previous season's playoffs, the Blasters gaffer made his return to the dug-out on 27 October Odisha FC in a 2–1 comeback win.

[115] After his brace against Chennaiyin FC in November, the Blasters's striker Diamantakos became the all-time top scorer at the club with 16 goals across all competitions, surpassing the joint-record set by Ogbeche and Luna.

[120] The second phase of the league began following the conclusion of the Super Cup, as an injury stricken Blasters made their return on 2 February in a 2–1 defeat against Odisha.

[128] On 18 May 2024, ahead of the 2024–25 Indian Super League season, Blasters announced that the team captain Adrián Luna, has signed a three-year contract extension with the club till 2027.

The elephant is a symbol of unity, power, and pride; it also symbolises the heritage, culture, spirit, and passion of Kerala, and its love for football.

[143] The third kit which had a white and gold colour scheme, designed by one of the fan was released by the club as an honour to the sacrifices and contribution of the frontline workers, who have been relentlessly working to win the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

[155] As a part of the FIFA event, the stadium was renovated and new seats were fitted and its capacity was reduced to 50,000 and later to 41,000, taking into account security issues.

[178] Kerala Blasters have developed a rivalry with fellow southern club Chennaiyin FC from the inaugural season of the Indian Super League itself.

[180] This incident led Kerala Blasters fans to wear masks of Zinedine Zidane at the return leg in Kochi, intensifying the rivalry between the clubs.

Even before the inception of Indian Super League, the states of Kerala and West Bengal had a long lasting rivalry in the Santosh Trophy.

In April 2014, it was announced that the former India cricket captain Sachin Tendulkar, along with PVP Ventures, won the bidding for the Kochi franchise in Indian Super League.

[187] A consortium named Blasters Sports Ventures Private Limited (BSVPL) was established to oversee the administration and operations of the club.

In October 2015, Securities and Exchange Board of India, imposed a fine of ₹30 crore on PVP Group for not complying with diclosure terms, pushing the club into financial uncertainty.

[191][188] In September 2018, Tendulkar sold his remaining stake at the club to its majority shareholders for personal reasons, stating; "A piece of my heart will always beat for Kerala Blasters".

[150] In December 2021, the Blasters announced its association with MOURI Tech, an enterprise solutions provider as official partners ahead of the 2021–22 season.

[220] On 19 November 2020, a day ahead of the 2020–21 ISL season, the Blasters released Yennum Yellow, a musical album inspired by the passionate fanbase of the club across the globe.

Sachin Tendulkar , one of the first co-owners of the club
David James in England jersey
David James was the first manager and marquee player of the club
Steve Cappell celebrating
Steve Coppell led the Blasters into the 2016 ISL finals.
Official T-shirt
The club's home shirts during the 2016 season
The stadium before a game.
The Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi
Fans at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium during an Indian Super League match
Supporters of Kerala Blasters during an ISL match at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in 2016
Photograph
Nimmagadda Prasad of Magnum Sports Private Limited, the parent company of Kerala Blasters