Sevens gains ground in northern Kerala

One doesn't need the full postal address of P. Mohammed Ashraf to find his home at Malappuram. A mere mention of his name prefaced by his Sevens football team, Super Studio, is enough to reach his home. The bearded 47-year-old studio owner is a pioneer in Sevens, a popular concept in north Kerala with a few modifications in a normal football game of 11 players. A Sevens football tournament has teams of seven players each and a match is played for one hour in a smaller field. Sevens tournaments have been thriving in the region for more than two decades. Of late, Sevens has become a big hit with as many as 500 tournaments being held during the season, running from November to May. Given the uneven terrain of the region, big grounds of rule-specified length and breadth aren't available. So paddy fields become Sevens grounds after harvest.
Ashraf who was a stopper back in his playing days is now a man with Midas Touch in Sevens events. Along with Hunters (Kannur), Black & White (Kozhikode) and Gymkhana (Thrissur), Super Studio rule the roost in major Sevens competitions. Ashraf's trophy cabinet is in dire need of care for it's being weighed down by hundreds of cups and plaques kept inside.
Ashraf says the popularity of Sevens stems from the absence of tournaments played under normal rules involving 11 players. "People of north Kerala cannot live without watching a football match in the evening. With almost all major tournaments have been abandoned in the state, they support Sevens in a big way. The Kerala Football Association isn't happy with the success of Sevens. The KFA officials think we are here to make money. We aren't bothered about them. We are only doing our bit in keeping the people's interest in football alive in our region. More importantly, a huge chunk from the Sevens corpus fund is spent on charity. Everything from scheduling to organisation is done professionally in Sevens. We have our own association of teams and tournament committee with a swanky office at Malappuram. We will be moving to the next level in the coming season. There is a possibility of three foreign teams entering the Sevens fray. We are also trying to create an atmosphere akin to the Premier League," he adds.
Sevens, Ashraf informs, comes in many hues. "We have tournaments exclusively for barefooted players. There is a rain event and another one based on measurement, height and weight. We also have free and gate collection events. The latest variety is a competition with a smaller goalpost without a custodian," he adds.
All the big names in the country have participated in Sevens tournaments. Kerala's very own I.M. Vijayan is a much sought-after star in Sevens. Players from Nigeria, Oman and Sudan rent a house at Malappuram during the season. Nobody is complaining since money flows in the league. A top player earns as much as Rs 10,000 a match, while others get in the range of Rs 500 to Rs 2,000. Former international U. Sharaf Ali says there is no chance of Sevens' popularity waning. "In barren days of 11s football, Sevens is the only alternative for the players and the public alike. A good Sevens tournament attracts as many as 10,000 fans easily," he adds.