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Watch 'Maitanam': FIFA+ Releases Kerala Football Documentary - All You Need To Know

'Maitanam' joins an elite list of global sports storytelling content as part of the select FIFA+ Originals made available globally for free.

Jayanta Oinam

Updated on: 2 May 2022 12:33 pm

Maitanam in Malayalam literally means ‘ground’ or, by extension, stadium.

Experience Kerala's love for football in a "40-minute love letter' to the beautiful game. That's good enough incentive to watch Maitanam -- a sports documentary that is now streaming worldwide on the FIFA+. (More Football News)

Maitanam is produced by RISE Worldwide, the 40-minute documentary shows six stories from Kerala where football is much more than a way of life.?In Malayalam, maitanam?means ‘ground’ or, by extension, stadium.

Kerala remains one of the nurseries of Indian football.

According to a release, the documentary covers diverse terrains, from Thiruvananthapuram to Thrissur, "meeting priests that play barefoot, a women’s team that has been making waves in overseas competitions, little girls training under nonagenarians; and a football commentator whose passion for the game is manifested in anecdotes."

Andrew Whitelaw, commissioning editor and APAC content lead at FIFA+ said: "We are happy to partner with RISE Worldwide as we foray into the Indian market with MAITANAM, a docu-film on football set in the football-loving state of Kerala."

"FIFA+ Originals are aimed at millions of sports fans across the globe. These films throw up unique perspectives on how football is played across geographies and cultures and the place the game commands in the hearts of fans."

James Rego, head of broadcast and production at RISE Worldwide said: "We are humbled and privileged to bring to the world the extraordinary sway of football across the local grounds and lanes in Kerala in our documentary."

"We take great pleasure in partnering with FIFA+ and look forward to showcasing our production expertise as we connect with billions of football fans across the world," he added. "MAITANAM, shot with state-of-the-art equipment by our world-class creative team marks India's first step in multilingual indigenous football storytelling."

Earlier this month, FIFA launched its own streaming platform, FIFA+.

Besides showcasing documentaries, FIFA+ will also live-streamed thousands of matches every year.

FIFA said the live matches would be from competitions previously lacking coverage, initially with 1,400 games streamed each month.

Fans will be able to access FIFA's unrivaled archival material, including every World Cup game ever recorded on tape.

The service is free for now.

"There is no plan to charge a subscription fee for the service, that doesn't mean to say that we may not evolve over time should there be a value proposition that allows us to charge subscription if we step into premium rights or adopt other kind of models,” FIFA director of strategy Charlotte Burr said. “But there will always be a free experience on FIFA+."