KOCHI: Indian Super League side Kerala Blasters celebrated their seventh anniversary by extending their support to the fight against COVID-19 by donating 10,000 N95 masks to the Kerala government.
The Kochi-based outfit was formed on May 24, 2014 and since then have gone on to become a club with one of the largest fan bases in India and globally.
And recently, the club has been using its social media handles to amplify COVID-related messages like most of the ISL sides.
On Thursday, club officials met the Ernakulam District Collector S Suhas among others to hand over the consignment of N95 masks to be given to health workers and others involved in relief work in the state.
"The club is trying their best to reach out to people in all possible ways. Given the severity of the situation, we deem it necessary to hand out N95 masks to help our brave frontline and emergency workers in this fight against the soaring pandemic. Let’s all do our bit by respecting all the mandates and recommendations by our health and public officials," said KBFC Director Nikhil Bhardwaj.
All this has been carried out as part of their Yellow Heart Initiative. With followers to the tune of 1.8 million, the club have been using their Twitter handle by retweeting various COVID related tweets and posting informative content regarding the virus and vaccination drives.
During the first outbreak of COVID-19 last year, the club had donated 2,00,000 hydroxychloroquine sulphate tablets as preventive support to nearly 25000 frontline workers.
"In these challenging times, under our Yellow Heart Initiative, we continue to work closely with the state, at all levels, to provide masks, tablets, and other emergency relief for those in need. I would also like to proudly mention the heroic work that our various fan clubs are doing in the community to serve residents and groups that need a helping hand. Rest assured, we remain resolute in our support and commitment to the well-being of the state," said Vishal while paying tribute to the healthline workers.
With regards to matters on the field, the Blasters official mentioned that the club is expected to announce their new head coach soon and added that preparations for the new season are underway.
"Thankfully, all of our players have remained healthy and stayed safe. Those who have faced injuries or have been affected by COVID-19 are recovering well. Until early May, a few of them were also participating in the individual training camp in Kochi alongside our academy players," he said.
The position of head coach of the club has been lying vacant since Kibu Vicuna left the team towards the end of last season.
And it is expected to be filled soon.
"I would like to assure you that our entire team - technical and management - continues to work tirelessly in anticipation of the upcoming season and preparations are in full swing. We also truly appreciate your patience and understanding during this time and would like to inform you that the wait won't be much longer, our new head coach will be announced soon," he said.