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KERALA BLASTERS FC SIGN MONTENEGRO DEFENDER MILOŠ DRINČIĆ

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Kerala Blasters FC have signed 24-year-old Montenegro centre-back Miloš Drinčić on a one-year deal for the upcoming Hero ISL 2023/24 season.

Only 24, Drinčić has already amassed close to 230 appearances across the top tiers of Montenegro and Belarus. Drincic, who most recently turned out for Shakhter Soligorsk in Belarus, started his professional career in Montenegro with FK Iskra Danilovgrad in 2016. A string of consistent and dominant performances in the top division earned him a move to Sutjeska Niksic in 2021.

Milos experienced his first silverware that same year as he would go on to become a mainstay in the Sutjeska Niksic team that won the championship in 2022.

The young and towering Montenegrin, who has consistently competed in tournaments like UEFA Champions League & Europa Qualifiers, was part of Montenegro’s U17, U19, and U23 teams.

On the inclusion of Miloš Drinčić into the Blasters squad Karolis Skinkys, Kerala Blasters Sporting Director, said:

“Milos Drincic is exactly the profile we were looking for – fighter mentality, peak age, playing in top European league, and great ambition to represent Kerala Blasters. There were no doubts we wanted him. Though it took some time, I’m glad we have Milos with us. I wish him to become an important part of Kerala Blasters going forward.”

Miloš Drinčić said:

“I see this as a wonderful opportunity to explore a new challenge in a different league with a great Club. There was a good feeling from the first moment I started speaking with Karolis. I am really looking forward to this new chapter of my career, and I hope to make it a memorable one. I assure you I will be giving it my all both on and off the pitch.”

Miloš Drinčić, who is set don the number 15 jersey this season, is set to join the Blasters camp in Kolkata. The Club extends a warm welcome to Milos into the Blasters family and wish him the best for the upcoming season.

KBFC is all set to kick off Durand Campaign!

Posted on by KBFC-Media

As the curtain closes on the first leg of preseason, the excitement is palpable in the air as KBFC embarked on an exhilarating first month of preseason training, igniting their preparations for the imminent Durand Cup.

Under the watchful guidance of the coaching staff, led by the head coach and his support team, the players dedicated themselves to a rigorous regimen of training sessions, cultivating essential skills, refining tactical prowess, and forging team cohesion.

In a series of friendly matches against local clubs Maharajas College and Kovalam FC, the Blasters aimed to fine-tune strategies, grant playing time to players, and explore various technical and tactical combinations. Central to the training camp’s agenda was the cultivation of match fitness – high-intensity drills, endurance conditioning, and simulated matches were rigorously employed to ensure optimal physical


preparedness while minimizing injury risks. Noteworthy individual performances highlighted both new signings’ seamless integration and emerging talents’ promising potential, promising a dynamic blend of experience and youthful vigor.

Beyond the pitch, the camaraderie among teammates blossomed, fostering unity through shared experiences and team-building activities. As the first month concluded, Kerala Blasters stand on the cusp of intensifying their preparations, poised to enter the Durand Cup arena with unwavering determination, a united front, and a well-honed game plan, ready to showcase their progress.

The team has already touched down in Kolkata and had their first set of training sessions. The Blasters will face Gokulam Kerala FC in their opening encounter on August 13.

ISHAN PANDITA COMPLETES KERALA BLASTERS FC MOVE

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Kerala Blasters FC is delighted to confirm the signing of Ishan Pandita on a free transfer. The national team striker has put pen to paper on a 2-year deal, until 2025.

Pandita, who started his football career making waves in the BDCA Division A state league in Bengaluru, moved to Spain in 2014 at the age of 16. He joined the youth team of Alcobendas prior to representing youth teams Having represented the youth teams La Liga Clubs UD Almeria and CD Leganes.

Ishan returned to India in 2020 with FC Goa, scoring 4 goals in 11 ISL appearances – all of which came as crucial game-winning and game-tying goals. Prior to signing with the Blasters, the 25-year-old striker spent 2 years with Jamshedpur FC with whom he won the Hero ISL Shield in 2022. To date, Pandita has made over 50 appearances and scored 10 goals across various competitions like the Hero ISL, Hero Super Cup, and AFC Champions League.
His impressive performances earned him a maiden National Team call-up in 2021 and he has since featured regularly for the Blue Tigers.

On his addition to the KBFC squad, Karolis Skinkys, Kerala Blasters Sporting Director, said:

“Ishan is someone who we believe has the ability to impact the game with his presence and physicality and change the course of any contest. The timing now is correct as we aim to compete for titles and for this, we need players with mentality and hunger like Ishan’s. He has to continue working hard and success will follow. I wish him the best of luck on the signing.”

Ishan Pandita said:

“Delighted to become a part of one of the most passionate and beloved clubs in the whole of India. I am very pleased that the think tank at KBFC showed trust in my skill and ability as a player. It was a very long transfer window for me personally but I’m sure I made the right decision. I can’t wait to don the iconic yellow jersey and give it my all to the fans and the club.”

The club would like to congratulate Ishan Pandita on becoming the newest member of the Blasters family.
Ishan has already joined the rest of his teammates in Kolkata, where preparations for the Durand Cup are in full swing. The Blasters are set to kick off their Durand Cup campaign against Gokulam Kerala FC on Sunday, August 13.

KERALA BLASTERS FC ANNOUNCES 26-MEMBER SQUAD FOR DURAND CUP.

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The club would like to announce that a 26-member squad will be representing Kerala Blasters FC in the 132nd edition of the Durand Cup, which will be held between August 3, 2023, and September 3, 2023, in West Bengal and Assam.

As many as 24 teams from all around India, divided into six groups, will be battling it out for the prestigious Durand Cup this year.

Kerala Blasters are placed alongside Bengaluru FC, Gokulam Kerala FC, and Indian Air Force FT in Group C.

On August 13, 2023, the Kerala Blasters will be playing their first match of the tournament against Gokulam Kerala FC in Kolkata.

The Squad:

Goalkeepers: Lara Sharma, Karanjit Singh, Sachin Suresh, Muhammed Jaseen.

Defenders: Pritam Kotal, Prabir Das, Hormipam Ruivah, Marko Leskovic, Bijoy Varghese, Muhammed Saheef, Sandeep Singh, Naocha Singh.

Midfielders: Jeakson Singh, Danish Farooq, Vibin Mohanan, Mohammed Azhar, Saurav Mandal, Bryce Miranda, Nihal Sudeesh, Mohammed Aimen, Yoihenba Meitei.

Forwards: Adrián Luna, Dimitrios Diamantakos, Emmanuel Justine, Rahul Kannoly Praveen, Bidyashagar Singh.

Lara Sharma joins Kerala Blasters FC on a year-long loan deal

Posted on by KBFC-Media

The club would like to announce that it has signed goalkeeper Lara Sharma on a one-year loan deal from Bengaluru FC.

The 24-year-old is a polished product of Tata Football Academy. He has packs of experience having gone through the footballing ranks of Indian Arrows, ATK (reserves), and Bengaluru FC.

A Durand Cup winner, Lara had also represented the national team U18 side.

Commenting on the loan deal, Karolis Skinkys, Kerala Blasters Sporting Director, said:

“Lara is someone who we’ve followed for a long time. For now, we got an opportunity to see him closely for one season and also add depth to our goalkeeping department. I hope this upcoming season plays a substantial part in the growth of Lara Sharma as a player and that his time with us is mutually beneficial to both him and the club.”

A visibly ecstatic Lara Sharma said:
“The opportunity to play at KBFC is so special. The fans, the atmosphere, and the energy around the Club is so positive and I can’t wait to be a part of it all. I’m looking forward to making the most of this opportunity and contributing to the club in every way possible.”

We would like to welcome Lara Sharma into the Blasters family and wish him a very productive season ahead. He has already linked up with his new teammates in Kochi, as preparations for the upcoming Durand Cup are underway.

Kerala Blasters FC vs. Maharaja’s College; Preseason Friendly: Final Score 8 – 0

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Kerala Blasters FC gained precious preseason game time when they faced Maharaja’s College football team in a friendly encounter at Ernakulam’s Panampally Nagar Football Ground this evening.

Kerala Blasters entered the game with a 4-4-2 formation and concentrated on playing a pressing game, which yielded results in the form of regular goals through the entire 90 minutes of the match.

The first half ended with a 4-0 lead, with Bidyashagar and Bijoy contributing two goals each. Hormipam Ruivah, who wore the captain’s armband, marshaled the backline well to ensure a clinical first half.

The second half saw several changes in personnel but the Blasters attacking onslaught continued. Rahul found the back of the net twice along with a goal each for Diamantakos and Luna, stretching the final score to an impressive 8-0 in favor of the Blasters.

As impressive as the attacking line-up was today, the defensive unit, comprising the likes of Hormipam, Prabir Das, Lešković, and Bijoy, was also equally clinical in dousing any possible attacks from building.

New signing Pritam Kotal also got his first look as a Blasters player in what was a commanding second-half performance from the veteran defender.

The preseason friendly was an important fixture in ensuring that the entire squad got some match minutes under their belts before the team faces more challenging fixtures in the Durand Cup lined up next month.

LINEUPS

First Half

Sachin, Naocha, Hormipam, Bijoy, Prabir, Yoihemba, Azhar ( 23′ Roshan), Bryce, Justine, Bidyashagar, Ajsal ( 23′ Nihal )

Second half

Karanjit, Saurav, Pritam, Lešković, Saheef, Jeakson, Danish, Aimen, Rahul, Luna, Diamantakos.

KBFC Invites Applications for Youth Academy Physiotherapist

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Job Title Youth Academy Physiotherapist
Position Type Full-time
Reports to Head Coach Academy
Location   Kottayam

About:
Kerala Blasters Football Club is an Indian professional football club based in Kochi, Kerala, that competes in the Indian Super League. The club is built on three strong pillars of Collectivism, Inclusivity and Sportsmanship, KBFC aims to being the biggest Football Club in India that generates young and talented players who not just represents the club in the National level but also the country in an international playing field, thereby reinforcing the legacy of Kerala towards the sport.

Purpose:
To provide physiotherapy treatment for the academy players

Responsible for:

Will be responsible for the Youth Academy team’s physiotherapy treatments.
Plan prevention and prehab exercises to be followed for the Youth Academy Team.
To help the team in the field – warmup, main session and warm down.
To teach players on injury prevention, developing strength and endurance, and overall well-being.
To organize any medical requirements – medicines, treatments, tests and prevention from injuries and sickness.
To teach the importance of hygiene and cleanliness.
To plan a program for rehab of injured players and maintain medical reports of all players.
Inform and advise the young players the importance of rest and recovery and having healthy food.
Reporting of all injuries to the manager/coaching staff/board etc. and providing updates on all player’s rehabilitation progress.
Arrange and attend consultations with surgeons, medical personnel, MRI scans, X Rays, or any other external appointment as necessary using sound clinical reasoning.
Completing comprehensive medical records for all players
Shall provide all necessary documents and reports for insurance purposes during and after the tournament.
Shall be accountable for inventory management of all physio and medical equipment/consumables.
To carry out the services/activities as required for other age group youth teams and senior teams of the club.
To attend trials of the youth academy/reserve team as per the scouting team’s advice
To conduct Physiotherapy workshops as per club policy involving internal/external stakeholders.
Undertake such other duties as are reasonably requested by the Company
Maintain a flexible approach to work at all times.
To carry out reasonable services/activities as required.

Who we are looking for:
Bachelor of Physiotherapy/ Master of Physiotherapy
1-2 years of experience in Physiotherapy, preferably football
Professional Proficiency in English and Malayalam
Accepts accountability for all tasks and is able to take responsibility for outcomes
Experience in achieving outcomes and results through influencing the way resources are utilized as well as in managing them directly
Communication skills to cater to internal/external stakeholders
Proactive in planning, organizing, and managing multiple priorities
Comfortable with ambiguity and navigating fast-paced changes

Interested candidates to send CV along with Covering Letter to careers@kbfcofficial.com.
Subject of the email must be “Youth Academy Physiotherapist”

KBFC INVITES APPLICATION FOR Youth Academy Goalkeeper Coach

Posted on by KBFC-Media
Job Title Youth Academy Goalkeeper Coach
Position Type Full-time
Reports to Head Coach Academy/ Director of Academy
Location Kottayam/Kochi

About:
Kerala Blasters Football Club is an Indian professional football club based in Kochi, Kerala, that competes in the Indian Super League. The club is built on three strong pillars of Collectivism, Inclusivity and Sportsmanship, KBFC aims to being the biggest Football Club in India that generates young and talented players who not just represents the club in the National level but also the country in an international playing field, thereby reinforcing the legacy of Kerala towards the sport.

Purpose:
To train Goalkeepers of the youth academy of Club

Responsible for:

• To train the youth teams, Goalkeepers
• Attend all Matches and participate in any matches in which the Club is involved;
• Focus on developing young goalkeepers, scouted by the club;
• Conduct sessions with goalkeepers from the club’s youth teams based on schedule.
• Schedule, organize, and participate in training and every practice session;
• Coach to the best of his skill and ability at all times in both matches and training;
• Carry out off-field duties as reasonably expected of a professional football Goalkeeper coach;
• Assist and work with the Technical Director and Head Coaches of the teams
• To Scout and identify talents and recommend to Technical Director for trials and inductions for senior, reserve and youth teams;
• To travel as and when required to conduct trials all over the state and also outside the State of Kerala for selection and talent identification;
• Identify talents across all age groups
• Prepare scouting reports after trails
• Evaluation and monitoring progress of players identified
• Interact with coaches of KBFC to identify specific requirements
• Interact with coaches and scouts to build a scouting network across India
• Maintain a flexible approach to work at all times.
• To carry out reasonable services/activities as required.

Who we are looking for:

• Min AFC Goalkeeping Level 1
• 1-2 Years of Coaching Goalkeepers
• Strong Communication and Leadership skills
• Excellent Knowledge of technical and tactical aspects of the goalkeeping positions
• Accepts accountability for all tasks and is able to take responsibility for outcomes
• Experience in achieving outcomes and results through influencing the way resources are utilized as well as in managing them directly
• Proactive in planning, organizing and managing multiple priorities
• Comfortable with ambiguity and navigating fast-paced changes

Interested candidates to send CV along with Covering Letter to careers@kbfcofficial.com.
Subject of the email must be “Youth Academy Goalkeeping Coach

KBFC invites application for Youth Academy Scout/Analyst

Posted on by KBFC-Media
Job Title Youth Academy Scout/ Analyst
Position Type Full-time
Reports to Head Coach Academy/ Director of Academy
Location   Kottayam/Kochi

About

Kerala Blasters Football Club is an Indian professional football club based in Kochi, Kerala, that competes in the Indian Super League. The club is built on three strong pillars of Collectivism, Inclusivity and Sportsmanship, KBFC aims to being the biggest Football Club in India that generates young and talented players who not just represents the club in the National level but also the country in an international playing field, thereby reinforcing the legacy of Kerala towards the sport.

Posting

To provide reports and data on new and current players performances and assist the club in identifying the best talents available.

Responsible for

  • To create, collate and monitor scouting intelligence effectively, using all available resources
  • Identify potential Youth Teams, Reserve Team, and First Team transfer targets.
  • To develop a network of contacts in youth football India and Specified age range in order to maximize coverage and ensure the Club has a working knowledge of all talented young players.
  • To maintain a working knowledge of all players who have either previously been signed/registered with the Academy but have since been released or have had unsuccessful periods of training and assessment, in order to identify any potential late developers.
  • To maintain and submit accurate and detailed records of all matches attended and players scouted and monitor scouting database
  • Create and present Talent ID Videos on request
  • Deliver regular training to the Video Scouts and Consultants to ensure they are reporting correctly and understand the KBFC Style of Play.
  • Gather market intelligence to build the Scouting Database.
  • Coordinate and manage Video Scouts
  • Create and present a Scouting report as requested.
  • Carry out extensive background checks on players that have been identified as potential transfer targets.
  •  Provide post-match report and opposition team report before and after the match.
  • Capture and analyze the practice video sessions.
  • Provide statistics based on the coach’s requirement.
  • Research on players potential for recruitment (Stats and Video)
  • Maintain all types of Statistics of players in the I League, 2nd Division, State Leagues, Youth League, etc.
  • Research on ISL, I-League, State League, Youth Leagues to check the trends and adapt to the upcoming season.
  • Keep confidential any information gained regarding the transfer targets, Club and its personnel.
  • Maintain a flexible approach to work at all times.
  • To carry out the reasonable services/activities as required.

Who we are looking for

  • Bachelor’s Degree, Certificate in Sports Analysis/Analysis Software is a plus
  • 1-2 years of experience in sports analysis, preferably football analysis
  • Knowledge of using different analysis tools and software.
  • Professional Proficiency in English
  • Accepts accountability for all tasks and is able to take responsibility for outcomes
  • Experience in achieving outcomes and results through influencing the way resources are utilized as well as in managing them directly
  • Communication skills to cater to internal/external stakeholders
  • Proactive in planning, organizing, and managing multiple priorities
  • Comfortable with ambiguity and navigating fast-paced changes

Interested candidates to send CV along with Covering Letter to careers@kbfcofficial.com. Subject of the email must be “Youth Academy Scout/Analyst”

INJURY UPDATE: JAUSHUA SOTIRIO

Posted on by KBFC-Media

The Club would like to inform that forward Jaushua Sotirio suffered an ankle injury during a training session a few days ago.

While the exact time frame for his full return is yet to be confirmed, upon initial assessment, Jaushua is likely to remain out of action until 2024. Our medical team, in collaboration with external specialists, will work diligently to provide him with the best possible care and support, ensuring his safe and efficient return to the field.

During his absence, we trust that our fans and supporters will continue to show their unwavering support for Sotirio.

We remain committed to Jaushua’s well-being and recovery, and we will provide updates on his progress as he works towards returning to full fitness.