Thrissur: FC Kerala, a Thrissur-based football club operating on crowd funding model, hopes to become a strong contender in the soccer arena. It said it is doing all the necessary groundwork to qualify for the Indian Soccer League (ISL).

Attempts in the past by some clubs to set up a strong team failed mainly due to poor funding, one of its promoters V A Narayana Menon told reporters here on Saturday.

The club has been registered under the Societies Act as Football Club Kairali, a subsidiary of FC Kerala. It collects a deposit of Rs 60,000 for premium membership, Rs 25,000 for regular membership and Rs 2000 for annual membership. Funds are mobilised to set up a club house on international standards. Apart from having courts for games like basketball, volleyball, table tennis, lawn tennis, squash and bowling, the club house will have three star accommodation​, theme park, forest, boating, children’s park, massage centre and beauty parlour among others.

FC Kerala had faired well at the Kerala Premier League during 2016 -17 and now it is gearing up for the next event. It is also in the process of forming teams for different age groups – Under 14, 16 and 18, in a bid to prepare future teams, Narayana Menon said. It has formed a team comprising 30 members selected out of 1000 contenders from across the country, he added. The team will have players from other states and also from abroad. The All India Football Federation has granted the team two star status.