AFC General Secretary Dato' Paul Mony Samuel with Kerala Sports Minister Vijay Kumar in Calicut.

KUALA LUMPUR: In a major boost for Indian football, the Kerala Football Association (KFA) has decided to launch a full-fledged league in the southern Indian state by the end of 2008.

The decision to launch the Kerala league was reached after a meeting between Vision Asia officers and the KFA in Calicut and the coming months are likely to see a spurt in activity as the KFA creates club and league regulations in line with the principles of Vision Asia and lays down criteria for clubs aspiring to take part in the league.

AFC will organise competition workshops for the administrators and clubs involved in the league and also arrange courses for referees and coaches.

A schools league made its debut in Kerala recently with seven of the state’s 14 districts selected for the first edition. Eight schools from each district will be in action in the first year, involving some 2240 boys in the 10-11 age-group.

In a separate development, the start of the league in the adjoining state of Tamil Nadu has been put off until 2009 but the schools league will be up and running as scheduled in October 2008.