Kerala Kaumudi beach football tournament held at Kovalam
A beach soccer tournament as part of the centenary celebrations of Kerala Kaumudi, one of the leading newspaper in Malayalam, was held at the Searock beach in Kovalam in association with Kovalam FC on January 30, 2011.
The tournament was inaugurated by Thomas Isaac, the Minister of Finance fro the state of Kerala in front of a large number of tourists who came to enjoy the sun at one of the busiest tourism hotspot in Kerala.Gabriel Joseph, the Director of Coaching at the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and Samuel Gheevargheese, Secretary of the Thiruvananthapuram District Football Association (TDFA) were also present.
The tournament consisted of four teams – Kovalam Football Club, Black Arrows FC, Friends Valiyathura and Vizhinjam Young Guns – vying for the Kerala Kaumudi Soccer Champions Trophy. A friendly match in which Kovalam FC’s youth team took on a team consisted of foreigners were also held.
In the first match of the day, Kovalam FC, coached by Ebin Rose who played for the Titanium Eleven formerly, defeated Vzihinjam Young Guns with ease to advance into the finals. The scoreline read 2-0 at the final whistle.
In the second match, Trivandrum Super Division club, Black Arrows overcame Friends Valiyathura by a solitary goal setting up a final between the hosts Kovalam FC. In the final, both the clubs could not be separated in the regulation time but eventually Black Arrows emerged as the winner of the Kerala Kaumudi Trophy.
In the exhibition match held during the break, Kovalam FC’s youth team consisting of young boys from around Kovalam defeated a team of foreigners 2-1 providing some good moments for the gathered crowd.
