Kairali Lions

Jimmy George Memorial Tournament Champions

The ritual for the Chicago Malayalee community in the early 1970s was to gather by the shores of Lake Michigan at Wilson Park (later known to the community as "MALAYALEE KUNNU,") to play their favorite sport of volleyball. As years went by, these gatherings developed into organized competitions for many community picnics. Competition intensified and by 1986, conversation at a picnic volleyball game resulted in the framework for the first interstate volleyball tournament among Malayalees. In doing so all volley ball lovers of Chicago came together and formed Chicago's KAIRALI LIONs.