Sports18 & Mahindra Kick off the Footballing Drive to 'Explore the Impossible'

India is a land of sports enthusiasts and the excitement for the power-packed game of football continues to soar. The massive response to the ongoing football World Cup from Indian fans shows that the football fan base in the country is undoubtedly on the rise. Football fans are not happy just cheering for their teams and favourite players, but there are a few who are working tirelessly to realise a dream that millions in the country are seeing--of India playing at the biggest stage in the world of football.
Playing a significant role in bringing this wish of millions of fans close to reality, Mahindra along with Sports18 have come together to showcase the efforts of grassroots heroes who are conquering tough terrains in their journey to take India to the footballing global stage, the World Cup.

Mahindra is the biggest sponsor of Sports18 & JioCinema’s coverage of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. With this partnership, Mahindra has been able to showcase multiple vehicles from their impressive line-up of SUVs to viewers across the country. With the intention of bringing Mahindra’s brand philosophy to life, Sports18 and Mahindra have envisioned a unique content series that is born out of this partnership.

Through this association, Mahindra and Sports18 are putting the spotlight on those who tame limitations and challenge stereotypes along the way as they dribble to ‘Explore the Impossible’. The content series called “Mahindra-Explore the Impossible” celebrates three such efforts made by individuals and groups from different parts of the country.


The first episode features Ryan Godhino from Pune, who apart from being a passionate footballer, also started the Happy Feet FA, a football academy that trains and supports young talents as a way of serving the sport. His academy grew to seven centres in Pune and is now merged with the La Liga football schools. Ryan’s consistent efforts have started showing results after one of his students Kajol D’souza made it to the FIFA U-17 world cup held in India recently. The next two episodes in the series feature stories of people working in the footballing ecosystem from Kashmir and the North East. They motivate young talent and are exploring the passion for the sport among kids.

Speaking about the association, Veejay Ram Nakra, President-Automotive Division, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd said, “Mahindra is known for its differentiated and authentic range of SUVs; SUVs that are designed and engineered to meet our customer’s need to challenge the self, explore new frontiers and do what no one has done before. ‘Explore the Impossible’ is the articulation of that very promise and of the role that our brands play in the life of our customers,”said Nakra, who further added, “The ‘Mahindra Rise Explore the Impossible’ series, made by Sports18, fits well with our brand promise as it celebrates those grassroots heroes of Indian football who are enabling young aspiring footballers to overcome challenges and break free from constraints to make their mark on the sport,”said Nakra.

Viacom18 Sports CEO, Anil Jayaraj said that the special content series ‘Mahindra-Explore the Impossible is their first such initiative towards producing impactful branded content for the sponsors. “As an organization, we strongly believe in contributing to India’s growth as a sporting nation. Through Reliance Foundation Youth Sports, we are leaving a lasting impact at the grassroots level, and hence we strongly believe in our partner Mahindra’s brand objectives. The special content series ‘Mahindra - Explore The Impossible’ is our first such initiative in this direction around the FIFA World Cup coverage. We hope to deliver the message of Mahindra’s brand philosophy by putting the grassroots heroes in the footballing ecosystem under the spotlight.”

Talking about the idea behind the campaign, Aditi Mishra, CEO Lodestar UM said, “We at Lodestar UM believe strongly in the power of Sports to drive Brand ambitions. There has been a big shift in the sporting landscape over the last couple of years opening up a larger opportunity to associate, encourage, and support the youth in a way that befits both client and the emerging sport. Our creation of the “Mahindra Rise Explore The Impossible” stories sits at this sweet spot connecting M&M SUV’s positioning of ‘Explore the Impossible’ and creating a pathway for the youth to achieve their dreams. The partnership with Sports18 gave us a platform to bring alive this passion and facilitate the people and institutions that are helping this sport to grow in India,” said Mishra.

All three episodes from the series will be available on the social media handles of JioCinema & Sports18. With passionate individuals like these and several others working tirelessly and silently to groom talent in the footballing arena, India’s participation in the global sporting event will soon be a reality.