Calicut FC

Calicut
Full nameCalicut Football Club
NicknameThe Beacons
Short nameCFC
FoundedMay 2024 (May 2024)
GroundEMS Stadium
Capacity50,000
Owner(s)Futurepoint Sports and Entertainment PVT.LTD
ChairmanVK Mathews
Head coachEver Demaldé
LeagueSuper League Kerala
Kerala Premier League[1]
I-League 3
Websitecalicutfootballclub.com

Calicut Football Club is an Indian professional football club based in the city of Kozhikode, Kerala, that competes in the Super League Kerala and the club finished as runners up in the 2025–26 Kerala Premier League, earning promotion to the I-League 3 for the 2026–27 season. The club was founded in May 2024.[2][3]

Under coach Ian Gillan, Calicut hosted and drew the first match of the SLK. The club won the inaugural 2024 Super League Kerala title, beating Forca Kochi FC 2–1 in the final.

Stadium

EMS Stadium, located in the heart of Calicut, is used as home ground of Calicut FC

Performance

Season 1 (2024)

In the inaugural 2024 season of the Super League Kerala, Calicut FC emerged as one of the most dominant and tactically disciplined teams in the competition. Ahead of the season, the club strengthened their core by signing Kervens Belfort, the Haitian international forward with Indian Super League experience,[4] Abdul Hakku Nediyodath, a seasoned centre-back who brought defensive stability, and Gani Nigam, a creative midfielder who dictated play from the middle of the park.

Calicut finished the league stage with five wins, four draws, and one loss, securing a table-top finish and a place in the semifinals. They went on to defeat Thiruvananthapuram Kombans 2–1 in a closely contested semifinal[5] before overcoming Forca Kochi FC 2–1 in the final to lift the Super League Kerala 2024 title.[6] Kervens Belfort finished as the top scorer of the tournament with four goals, including a decisive strike in the final, cementing his reputation as the attacking spearhead of Calicut’s title-winning campaign.

Supporters

Kerala is known for its passionate football fan base. [7] "Beacons" is the supporters' group of Calicut FC. In a first for Indian sports, Calicut Football Club (CFC) launched "Lady Beacons", an exclusive women's supporters' group (WSG) that supports the club in an organized manner from the stands. The initiative, unveiled in Kozhikode, aims to promote inclusivity and encourage greater participation of women in football fandom while reflecting the region’s strong football culture.[8]

Players

First-team squad

As of 24 August 2026

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
3 DF  IND Henry Joseph
6 DF  IND Sachin Dev
7 FW  IND Muhammed Roshal
8 MF  IND Lalremruata
9 FW  IND Junain Kadavalath
11 FW  IND Gani Nigam
12 MF  IND Muhammed Rashid
13 GK  IND Bishorjit Singh
14 MF  IND Arun Kumar
15 MF  IND Arjun Jayaraj
17 FW  IND Ajith KR
19 FW  IND Rifhath Ramzan
21 FW  IND Muhammed Sanaf
24 DF  IND Muhammed Aslam
25 DF  IND Cirin Varghese
30 FW  IND Adam David
No. Pos. Nation Player
31 DF  IND Manoj M
77 FW  IND Rahul Venu
80 MF  IND Ajad Shaheem
96 GK  IND Muhammed Anas
99 DF  IND Sandeep S
— GK  IND Aalok Tishrei Mathew
— GK  IND Parthiv KM
— DF  IND Ningthoujam Lanchenba
— MF  IND Abu Swalih
— FW  IND Hasir V
— FW  IND Calwin Thomas
— FW  IND Prasanth Mohan
— MF  IND Riyas PT
— GK  IND Fayad Firoz

Other Players Under Contract

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
18 DF  IND Muhammed Riyas
19 FW  IND Mohammed Ashique
23 GK  IND Muhammed Niyas
43 GK  IND Sharon P

Personnel

As of 20 August 2025

Current technical staff

Position Name
Head coach Argentina Ever Demaldé[9]
Assistant coach India Biby Thomas
Goalkeeping coach India Nelson MV
Strength & conditioning coach India Abhijith AP
Physio India Sayyid Ahammed Nasal Gifri PK
Performance Analyst India Abhinadan Mohanta
Masseur India Bijesh P

Management

Position Name
Chief executive officer India Korath Mathew
Club Secretary India Bino Jose Eapen
Team manager India Said Ibnu Haris
Kit manager India Rahul A S

Managerial history

Head coach's record

As of 14 December 2025
NameNationalityFromToPWDLGFGAWin%Ref.
Ian Gillan  Australia 30 July 2024 8 March 2025 127412211058.33 [10]
Ever Demaldé  Argentina 20 August 2025 117222112063.64

Statistics and records

As of 10 November 2024

Most appearances

Rank Player appearances
1 Ghana Richard Osei 21
2 India Muhammed Riyas 20
3 India Mohammed Arshaf 18
4 India Thoi Singh Khangebam 11
India Muhammad Ajsal
Argentina Federico Boasso
7 India Gani Nigam 10
Ghana Ernest Barfo
India Vishal Joon
Argentina Alexis Sosa
Argentina Nahuel Pereyra
India Hajmal Sakeer
India Mohammed Asif Khan

Top scorers

Rank Player Goals
1 India Muhammad Ajsal 7
2 Haiti Kervens Belfort 5
3 India Gani Nigam 4
4 India Muhammed Riyas 3
Colombia Sebastián Rincón
India Prasanth Mohan
7 India Britto P. M. 2
Brazil John Kennedy
Ghana Richard Osei
Argentina Federico Boasso

Honours

See also

References

  1. ↑ https://www.onmanorama.com/sports/football/2026/02/19/slk-calicut-fc-to-compete-kerala-premier-league.amp.html
  2. ↑ "Super League Kerala: Franchisees of inaugural edition announced". Deccan Herald. 12 May 2024. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
  3. ↑ "Mahesh Bhupathi, Travancore princess and former Benfica player among franchise owners in Super League Kerala". The Hindu. 10 May 2024. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
  4. ↑ "ബെല്‍ഫോര്‍ട്ട് വീണ്ടും കേരള ഫുട്‌ബോളിലേക്ക്; ഇത്തവണ കാലിക്കറ്റ് എഫ്.സി.യില്‍". @mathrubhumi. 2024-08-19. Retrieved 2025-10-04.
  5. ↑ "Super League Kerala: Gani scores winner as Calicut beat Kombans to enter final". Super League Kerala: Gani scores winner as Calicut beat Kombans to enter final. Retrieved 2025-10-04.
  6. ↑ "Calicut clinches Super League Kerala title with 2-1 victory over Forca Kochi". @mathrubhumi. 2024-11-10. Retrieved 2025-10-04.
  7. ↑ "he paradoxical Indian state where football rivals cricket". Khel Now. 19 May 2017. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
  8. ↑ "Calicut FC Launches 'Lady Beacons': India's First Women's Supporter Group in Football". newsexperts. 15 September 2025. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
  9. ↑ "ഡെമാൽഡെ കലിക്കറ്റ്‌ കോച്ച്‌" [demalde will be calicut Fc Coach]. deshabhimani.com (in Malayalam). 20 August 2025. Retrieved 20 August 2025.
  10. ↑ "Gillan to coach Calicut FC in Super League Kerala". The Times of India. 2024-07-18. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
  11. ↑ "Calicut edge Forca Kochi, emerge champions of Super League Kerala". onmanorama. 2024-11-10. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
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