By Mark Baber
May 9 – The Pakistan Football Federation have signed a long term strategic partnership with Forward Sports International who will become the ‘Uniform, Kit and Gear’ sponsors of Pakistan Football.
No value figure has been announced for the sponsorship.
Forward Sports International Sialkot is a leading manufacturer of sports goods and uniforms in the world, particularly known for their manufacture of footballs for Adidas but also producing balls for Diadora, Champion Sports, Molten, Admiral, Reebok and Lotto. The official ball of the London Olympics was produced by Forward Sports as well as the balls for the Bundesliga and the upcoming Champions League final.
Forward Sports has adapted to the abolition of child labour, following consumer and brand pressure, and now, following pressure from Adidas, employs women as well as men in its factories at about €100 a month per employee.
In recent years the company has moved much of its production away from hand-sewed towards thermally-bonded footballs, adding bags and rucksacks to its range as it continues to fight Chinese inroads into the marketplace.
Forward Sports takes over from Vision Technologies, another Sialkot-based football manufacturer.
In a press release, PFF President, Makhdoom Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat and General Secretary Lt. Col. Ahmed Yar Khan Lodhi, said they appreciated and are thankful to Forward Sports International for “joining hands with the Pakistan Football Federation for the promotion of the game in Pakistan”.
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