KOCHI: Luca SC, a Malappuram-based club, have decided to bid for a place in the I-League this season. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has invited bids for one club and stated that it would prefer the new entity from non-I-League centres. Considering that the state already has Gokulam Kerala FC in the I-League, it may queer the pitch for Luca SC, although club officials have decided to go for it.
"We are in the process of bidding for a spot in the I-League. We expect to finalise everything by the end of this week. Internally, we have decided to go ahead and pick up the bid paper and submit it. We want to compete in the I-league," said Luca SC CEO Waivaw Srivastav.
If Luca SC's bid is successful, they will become the third team from Kerala on the national football stage. Other than Gokulam Kerala in I-League, Kerala Blasters are in the Indian Super League.
Founded in 2017, Luca SC was just a football academy but in 2019, they decided to turn into a professional club and competed in the Kerala Premier League. They had an impressive run and narrowly missed out on qualification to the knockouts, with Kerala Blasters pipping them by one point. That performance in the KPL encouraged them to dream bigger and now they are planning to expand.
"Last season, we thought of transforming it into a full-time professional club. We thought of testing ourselves in the KPL and that came off well. Playing in the KPL was good. The experience will help us enter the national scene and take our club to the next level. After the conversion from the academy to a professional club, we are looking at every opportunity," said Srivastav.
The club wants to make Payyanad Stadium their home ground. They played their KPL matches at Kottapaddy Stadium. But they want to make Payyanad their base and have already held discussions with the Sports Council regarding this.
For a club that is just one year old, Luca SC is making quick moves. "It's a long process and the AIFF is accepting bids from many parts of India. Many clubs have shown interest and so we have to wait for it. We are up for it and it's better now," said Srivastav