Tinu Yohanan drew the attention of the sports fraternity in Kerala in 2001, being the first cricketer from the state to have represented India in the Test and One Day International (ODI). 

The 45-year-old Indian international cricketer once again grabbed the media headlines across the state in 2016 when a football club, Kochi City FC bought by Tinu and his partner Joji launched a football club in Ernakulum. 

Kochi City FC also took part in the Kerala Premier League (KPL) in one season and finished in the fifth position, missing the last-four stage. The team even beat the junior side of Kerala Blasters in the League. 

KPL format has been changed by the Kerala Football Association (KFA) where corporate houses were invited against a hefty amount of registration fees. 

Kochi City FC even could have ensured their entry into the new format KPL in 2019. Two qualifiers were initially allotted to play in the KPL main round. Kochi City FC entered the final of the qualification round. But KFA, at the last moment changed the rule and allowed one of the two finalists to play in the KPL final phase.

Tinu in a telephonic conversation from Trivandrum said, "I was passionate to do some development in sports in Kerala. But I was working with the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA). I became the coach of the state team. In these last 10 years, I could not fulfill my desire to develop sports in the state, especially the cricket. So I took up football to start." 

Now, Kochi City FC runs two football academies in Aluva, Ernakulum. The academies are financially assisted by the Federal Bank. Along with the youth development program, the club has a senior team also which participates in the Ernakulum Super League. Tinu has plans to take his club to the mainstream of Indian football gradually by participating in the elite I-league and ISL. 

But interestingly, the former Indian international cricketer does not seem to have moved away from his dream. He still nurtures the desire of developing cricket in his state in the near future. Tinu explained, “The cricketers from Kerala who earned some prominence in the mainstream of Indian cricket like me, Sreesanth, Sanju Samson were never groomed in Kerala. We learned the basics of the game outside the state. The reason is Kerala does not have yet any such environment, especially an advanced training school where the boys can take their cricket to the international level. The state has no dearth of talent in cricket also."

He added, “I still nurture the dream of introducing a cricket training school which can be compared to MRF Foundation. But to materialize the desire I need financial assistance. Even I dream of setting up a modern athletic school, especially on the long jump by the name of my father and Tata Foundation.” Tinu’s father T.C Yohanan was an Olympian long-jumper. 

Tinu however has plans to submit a proposal to the state government, being optimistic about the required financial help from the government which is also trying to follow the way of Odisha in developing the sport.