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Fishing village breeds footballer
An ordinary fishing village on the outskirts of Kerala's capital is the breeding ground of football stars in the state.
- NDTVSports
- Updated: February 25, 2007 10:34 AM IST
Read Time:1 min
Thiruvananthapuram:
An ordinary fishing village on the outskirts of Kerala's capital is the breeding ground of football stars in the state. Several big names of Kerala football have come up from this coastal area, where football is the first love of the fisher folk. "There are no facilitiesa€¦but people here are crazy about football. That encourages players like us," said Othello of Mahindra United. Till a few years ago, the 22-year-old used to play on the sandy beaches here, but today he plays for one of the premier football clubs in India. Many others like him have also kicked off their football careers playing on the sands here. From the 35 football clubs in this coastal stretch, 18 teams play in the Thiruvananthapuram District Football League. Players include fishermen, daily wagers and even businessmen. Now with attractive offers coming in from various clubs, talented players often look for greener pastures. However, there is no dearth of fresh talent to replace them. Most of these youngsters get attracted to football not just because of their love for the game but also to find a job under the sports quota to earn a living.Topics mentioned in this article
Football
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