SIALKOT
Despite growing demand for handmade footballs, the trend of their manufacturing through machines is growing in Sialkot, globally known for producing high-quality handmade footballs, thereby severely affecting the workers associated with the profession.
The manufacturers and exporters are preferably establishing units to meet global challenges under the WTO regime, besides, exploring and capturing international markets through their smooth access to the European markets. Exporter of hand-stitched footballs Prof Safdar Sandal told newsmen that Sialkot had ruled the world for decades for producing and exporting the best quality footballs. Now, the world trend was rapidly changing, due to which mechanisation of footballs was gaining momentum, he added.
He said that 45 percent footballs being produced across the world are hand-made while Pakistan gets a lion’s share of 85 percent from the percentage because of its indigenous technology and expertise. Whereas. He revealed, the manufacturers were also trying to find possibilities of making footballs through machine wherein “we lagged behind other countries due primarily to unavailability of required machinery, skills and innovation”.
He said that the demand of hand-stitched footballs still exists despite the introduction of machine stitched soccer balls because the machine made soccer ball had badly failed in producing sustainable results in the Football World Cup. Hand-stitched version is however preferred in the world class games as proven in the last Olympics held in London, he said.
He narrated that some 15 companies in Sialkot were busy producing machine-stitched footballs with PVC material. He said, “The clear indication and the belief is that the machine-stitched footballs prepared from PVC materials  are found more attractive in quality and price than the ones being produced in other countries.”
Soccer ball industry needs footballs manufacturing technology of Europe as the decades-old methods are hurdle in enhancing soccer ball exports, he said. Local manufacturers and exporters said that the soccer ball industry of Sialkot remained far behind the new manufacturing technologies following the changing of global trend. They said that now, the manufacturers have finally realised the needs of advanced technologies in the production.
They said that the soccer ball industry was facing multiple problems including improper government patronage, lack of advanced manufacturing technology and upgradation and modernisation of the industry. The Small and Medium Enterprise Development has established Sports Industry Development Centre in Sialkot at a cost of Rs272.16 million for upgradation of Sialkot’s sports goods especially the soccer ball manufacturing sector. They said that the sports goods are main exports with total exports of about US $ 350 million per annum. The city caters to 85 percent of total world demand of hand-stitched inflatable balls. He said that Sialkot exporters need subsidy on various things to compete with other countries like China and India.
According to a survey conducted by the International Labour Organisation, 16,000 female home-based workers, related to the hand-stitched soccer balls industry have become jobless due to growing trend of manufacturing the foot balls through machines and the jobless women and their families are suffering great financial crisis.
ILO pointed out that the jobless female workers were willing to indulge themselves into other jobs or to run their own small businesses but they could not do it because of having no skills and no capacity of doing other jobs rather than stitching the footballs. It stressed a need for making effective efforts for skill development and capacity building of these workers in Sialkot and all the stakeholders should come forward to proceed towards the goal.