Kerala Premier League
Football league
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Kerala Premier League is the highest state-level football league organized by the Kerala Football Association and played in the state of Kerala, India. It is the overall fifth tier of the Indian football league system. For sponsorship reasons it is officially known as the Elite Kerala Premier League. Founded in 1998, the Kerala Football League was the first football league in Kerala, and got rebranded in 2013 as the KPL. Kerala United is the current champion.
| Organising body | Kerala Football Association |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1998 (as Kerala Football League) |
| Country | India |
| Number of clubs | 14 |
| Level on pyramid | 5 |
| Promotion to | I-League 3 |
| Relegation to | Kerala Premier League Second Division |
| Current champions | Muthoot FA (1st title) |
| Most championships | SBT Thiruvananthapuram (6 titles) |
| Broadcaster(s) | Sports Reporter[1](YouTube) |
| Current: 2025–26 | |
History
Kerala Football League
After the introduction of the National Football League by the All India Football Federation, the Kerala Football Association started its Kerala Football League (KFL) in 1998. The team finishing top was nominated to 2nd division of the National Football League.
1998 season
FC Kochin was crowned the inaugural champion. SBT finished in second place.
1999 season
The second edition of Kerala Football League was held in Kochi and Kollam in December 1999. FC Kochin retained the tille, and SBT FC become the runners up.[2]
2007 season
SBT FC won the title, and Central Excise Kochi become the runners up.[3]
Format
Teams (2026)
Teams and locations
| Team | City | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Calicut | Kozhikode |
| 2 | EMEA College | Kondotty |
| 3 | Golden Threads | Kochi |
| 4 | Gokulam Kerala B | Kozhikode |
| 5 | Inter Kerala | Kothamangalam |
| 6 | Kerala Blasters B | Kochi |
| 7 | Kerala Police | Trivandrum |
| 8 | Kerala United | Thrissur |
| 9 | KSEB | Trivandrum |
| 10 | Kovalam | Kovalam |
| 11 | PFC Kerala | Parappur |
| 12 | Real Malabar | Kondotty |
| 13 | SAI Centre | Kollam |
| 14 | Wayanad United | Kalpetta |
Number of teams by region
| No. of teams | Districts | Team(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Ernakulam | Golden Threads FC, Inter Kerala FC, Kerala Blasters B |
| Trivandrum | Kerala Police, Kovalam FC, KSEB | |
| 2 | Malappuram | EMEA College, Real Malabar FC |
| Kozhikode | Calicut, Gokulam Kerala B | |
| Thrissur | Kerala United FC, PFC Kerala | |
| 1 | Wayanad | Wayanad United FC |
| Kollam | SAI Centre | |
Sponsorship
- 2013–15, 2018–21: Ramco[6]
- 2015–16: Dentcare Dental Lab
- 2016–17: Cochin Shipyard[7]
- 2017–18: ICL Fincorp[8]
- 2022–24: Scoreline, Elite
Team statistics
| Team | Winners | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|
| SBI Kerala | 6 | 5 |
| Gokulam Kerala B | 2 | 3 |
| KSEB | 2 | 2 |
| FC Kochin | 2 | 1 |
| Kerala United FC/Quartz FC | 2 | 1 |
| Viva Kerala FC | 1 | 0 |
| Eagles | 1 | 0 |
| Indian Navy FC | 1 | 0 |
| Kerala Blasters B | 1 | 0 |
| Golden Threads FC | 1 | 0 |
| Muthoot FA | 1 | 0 |
| Trivandrum Titanium FC | 0 | 2 |
| Central Excise Club | 0 | 2 |
| Kerala Police | 0 | 2 |
| FC Thrissur | 0 | 1 |
| SAT | 0 | 1 |
Championship summary
| Season | Champions | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|
| Kerala Football League | ||
| 1998–99 | FC Kochin | SBT |
| 1999–2000[9] | FC Kochin (2) | SBT |
| 2000–01 | SBT | Trivandrum Titanium FC |
| 2001–02 | League cancelled | |
| 2002–03 | League cancelled | |
| 2003–04 | SBT (2) | FC Kochin |
| 2004–05[10] | KSEB | SBT |
| 2005–06 | Viva Kerala FC | SBT |
| 2006–07[11] | SBT (3) | Central Excise Club |
| 2007–08 | SBT (4) | Trivandrum Titanium FC |
| 2009–2013 | League not held | |
| Kerala Premier League | ||
| 2013–14 | Eagles F.C. | SBT |
| 2014–15 | SBT (5) | Kerala Police |
| 2015–16 | SBT (6) | Central Excise Club |
| 2016–17 | KSEB (2) | FC Thrissur |
| Gokulam Kerala B | Quartz FC | |
| 2018–19 | Indian Navy FC | Gokulam Kerala B |
| 2019–20 | Kerala Blasters B | Gokulam Kerala B |
| 2020–21 | Gokulam Kerala B (2) | KSEB |
| 2021–22 | Golden Threads FC | KSEB |
| 2022–23 | Kerala United FC | Gokulam Kerala B |
| 2023–24 | Kerala United FC (2) | SAT |
| 2024–25 | Muthoot FA | Kerala Police |
Top scorers
| Season | Top scorer | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015–16 |  Askar |
Central Excise Cochin | 6 |
| 2016–17 | Firos Kalathingal |
Kerala Police | 7 |
| 2017–18 |  Emmanuel Aidoo |
Quartz FC | 12 |
| 2018–19 | Vishnu  Harry Moris Bipaka Thapa Christian Sabah |
Shooters United Padne FC Kerala Indian Navy Gokulam Kerala B |
6 |
| 2019–20 | Isahak Nuhu Seidu  E. Kamara |
Golden Threads FC SAT |
8 |
| 2020–21 |  Saliou Guindo |
Gokulam Kerala B | 8 |
| 2021–22 | Isahak Nuhu Seidu |
Golden Threads FC | 12 |
| 2022–23 | Samuel Mensa Konney |
Gokulam Kerala B | 10 |
| 2023–24 | Salahudheen Adnan |
Muthoot FA | 11 |