Sevens Football
Characteristics | |
---|---|
Team members | 7 per side |
Type | Sports |
Equipment | Football |
Venue | Football pitch |
Presence | |
Country or region | South India |
Olympic | No |
Paralympic | No |
Sevens football is a variation form of association football played in India with seven players on each side, typically in a smaller field than a full-size football pitch.[1][2] Professional sevens football is predominantly popular in northern Kerala in southern India.[3] The matches in Sevens tournaments are often played to fully packed stadiums.[4] The refereeing in the games is not as strict as in regular football and games can be physical and injury-prone.[1] Sevens tournaments have also attracted players from other parts of India,[5] as well as international players including some from Africa.[6] Matches are held from November to May (suspended during the monsoon break).[2]
The Sevens' Football Association (SFA) organizes around 50+ Sevens tournaments among different clubs across South India.[7]
Several footballers from South India, including India internationals such as I. M. Vijayan,[5] Ashique Kuruniyan, and Anas Edathodika, credit their experiences in Sevens tournaments for helping them improve their footballing skills and develop their passion for the sport.[8][1]
In popular culture
- Sudani from Nigeria (2018)[4]
- Sevenes (2011)
References
- ^ a b c "Run, Ashique, run: The Kerala speedster who turned India's premier trickster". ESPN. 2019-10-13. Retrieved 2020-01-02.
- ^ a b "FIFA discovers the beauty of Sevens Football: What's this format and why is it so popular in Kerala". ESPN. 2022-07-07. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
- ^ "Sevens football season kicks off in Kerala". 2012-11-20. Retrieved 2020-01-02.
- ^ a b "How Kerala shrunk football to make it its own". Times of India. 2019-10-20. Retrieved 2020-01-02.
- ^ a b "'Sevens football helps me retain my passion for the game'". Sportstar. 2017-06-14. Retrieved 2020-01-02.
- ^ "The African footballers changing the game in India". BBC. 2018-08-13. Retrieved 2020-01-02.
- ^ "Sevens the lifeline of country football". The New Indian Express. 2019-09-03. Retrieved 2020-01-02.
- ^ "From Malappuram Sevens to Kerala Blasters - Anas Edathodika remembers his roots". Yahoo! Sports. 2019-01-29. Retrieved 2020-01-02.