[K]now the logo... Viva Kerala

Wednesday, 01. July 2009 - P.S. Parameswaran

A football club's logo is an identity of the club itself. Be it a small para (colony) club in some remote corner of Kolkata or a European giant playing in the UEFA Champions' League, each club has its unique logo which symbolises not only its history but also its principles and the passion that ignites its fans.

While at first glance, a logo might seem to be just a pictorial representation of the club, the real story extends much deeper, right into the hearts of those fans who form the core of the club. A logo is also a dynamic entity, evolving over the years as the history of the club is written and re-written, incorporating into itself fragments of the tragedies and achievements that the club has to go through over the years.

The commercial value of the logo is also worthy of consideration. Millions of dollars change hands to acquire the rights to put a 2-3 inch logo on merchandise ranging from team jerseys to bathroom accessories. And the presence of a logo makes the neighbourhood expensive as well. Try to put your company's emblem next to a high-class club logo and expect to shell out a considerable sum just to have the legal right to do so. A logo is what differentiates a hundred rupees fake from a three thousand rupees original. It is the first thing a fan looks for when buying his football merchandise. It is no wonder then that each club regards its logo with a sense of pride and respect, much like a nation guards its national flag. After all, when the clarion call comes to vanquish the arch rival for a prestigious trophy, it is the banner bearing the club's logo that the players rally under.

We will continue our series with the logo of one of the prominent clubs in from Kerala, Viva Kerala Football Club, India...


Viva Kerala

Viva means Success, and when the name Kerala is con-joined with that, it signifies: success for football in Kerala. Viva Kerala Football Club was formed in the year 2004 by a group of businessmen who felt that the need for a professional football club in the state was necessary, especially after India's first of this kind from the region, FC Kochin, was relegated and never again seen in Indian football.

The club's logo and the name show the love and respect of the club for the state. The coconut tree lying high right to the football is considered as a integral part in Keralities day to day life as the juice of the tender coconut is drunk fresh, the soft flesh of the tender coconut is eaten raw, and the mature flesh is grated and added to curries. Meanwhile the snake boat (known as Beaked Boat too) down at the bottom, is basically a boat which is designed like the shape of a Snake and used for race competition's like Nehru Boat Race, Aranmula Uthrattathi Boat Race, etc which are all part of Kerala's rich heritage. The L in the Kerala relates to Row which is used to move the boat also the yellowish background in the logo brings out the calm and peaceful life surrounding the state. It's truly evident that the creation of the logo was influenced by the natural beauty of 'God's own Country' which was even acclaimed by the National Geographic Traveller as one of the ten paradises of the world. Whoever has visited Kerala, will without a second thought, identify the roots of the club once they catch a glimpse of the logo.

In the 2007/08 season when the club qualified to the top tier of Indian football it was a complete Malayali (commonly referred to as people in Kerala) team with the addition of two foreigners. But at the start of the l-League season the club didn't live to its logo as most of the players featured in the playing XI in the Second Division were shown the exit door while they included players who were not of Kerala origin. At the end of their debut I-League season, the club was relegated. But the management accepted their mistake in ignoring local talent and included a bunch of young players for the next season which helped them in qualifying to the I-League 2009/10 edition. This gives the club the opportunity to seek redemption when they play in the I-League again this season.