Kannur district is known as the cradle of hockey in Kerala. During the period of foreign rule, hockey was popular in Thalassery and Kannur centuries ago.

But in the 1972 Munich Olympics, hockey got a big growth in Kannur through Manuel Fredericks, a native of Kannur Barnassery, who won a bronze medal in hockey. Similarly in 1975 at the Thalassery Stadium After the organized national hockey tournament, hockey became popular among students and youth.