Football is the most popular sport in Kerala, India, followed by cricket. Kerala Blasters are the most supported football club in the state, whereas Gokulam Kerala FC derives most of its support from the Malabar region.[1] However, larger numbers of Keralites also follow sports such as volleyball, hockey, badminton, and kabaddi. There are many stadiums across different cities. Trivandrum has various sports venues such as Trivandrum International Stadium,[2] Jimmy George Indoor Stadium, University Stadium (Thiruvananthapuram), Chandrasekharan Nair Stadium and Central Stadium, whereas Kochi has Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium (Kochi)[3] and Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium.[4][5] An international astro turf hockey stadium is located at Kollam city.[6] Other major stadiums are EMS Stadium in Kozhikode,[7] Malappuram District Sports Complex Stadium in Manjeri, Kannur Indoor Stadium in Kannur, Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium in Kollam[8] and many more.[9] All these stadiums attest to the mass appeal of such sports among Keralites.
In addition to the multi-sport events organized by private entities, the government of Kerala conducts the annual Kerala State School Olympics for students from all districts in the state. This initiative aims to promote sports and physical education among school children.