The FIFA World Cup 2010 has resulted in a high demand for footballs across the world, which is bolstering the Indian football manufacturing industry .jpg) The 2010 FIFA World Cup is not only pumping huge bucks into the South African economy, but the grand sports event is also bolstering the Indian football manufacturing industry. With one of the world's most watched sporting event kicking off in South Africa, there has been a rise in demand for footballs in the domestic market as well as across the globe. As a result of such high demand, Indian sports goods manufacturers in places such as Jalandhar and Ludhiana are witnessing a step-up in their order books.Opportune time for business
In this context, Kamlesh Nair, managing director of Soccer World, a mid-sized manufacturer of footballs and allied accessories in Jalandhar, said, “The FIFA World Cup is the opportune time for us to bolster our sales and like previous years, the sales of footballs are on a high. We eagerly wait for the tournament and in the next 1 month we are anticipating to notch up more revenues.” Mr Nair also added that his company is getting orders for manufacturing balls embedded with logos of respective teams and their players.
As production costs in India are low, domestic football manufacturers have been getting huge orders from countries such as the US, England and Mexico, among others. According to Sri Ram Ramanna, managing director of India Sports, a mid-sized manufacturer and exporter of footballs in Ludhiana, “Fan following for football across the world, as also in India, is ever increasing. During the FIFA World Cup, fans form associations to support their respective teams and procure balls for carrying out various promotional events. Like the previous soccer World Cups, this year also we are getting bulk orders for supplying footballs to various places across the globe.”
Mr Rammana added that to further boost the industry, the government should promote domestic football events on a global arena and generate more enthusiasm for the game among football fans.
Arup Choudhury |
