Sialkot is a city in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the capital city of the Sialkot District. It is Pakistan’s 13th most populous and is located in North-East Punjab. This city is well known for sports materials. Along with the nearby cities of Gujranwala and Gujrat, Sialkot forms part of the so-called “Golden Triangle” of industrial cities with export-oriented economies. Through exports, Sialkot-based industries are obtaining foreign exchange to more than $2.5 billion annually to strengthen the national exchequer.
However, this city produces many sports goods like volleyballs, hockey sticks, cricket bats, and sportswear yet it is the most famous for football production. It provided football at the international level. Moreover, about 70% of hand-stitched footballs are produced in Sialkot. It has been providing footballs for almost all national and international football matches. Sialkot’s footballs were played both in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and the 2018 World Cup in Russia. That is why Sialkot is well regarded as the world capital of football production.
History:
The history of producing football in Sialkot started in the late 19th century, when the Britons in this region who wanted to play football but were impatient to wait for footballs to come by sea, paid local craftsmen to make them. The British were impressed by their skills, and the city has been producing footballs ever since.
Traditionally the footballs for the World Cups were hand-stitched, until “thermos bonding,” a new technology was first introduced in the 2014 World Cup. The presence of footballs made in Pakistan in the World Cup created special moments of joy for Pakistanis.
And all the nationally and internationally played footballs are manufactured by local men, women, and children. They are very proficient in this skill and have adopted it as a source of income. This country is blessed with all kinds of natural resources and talented people. We should have to be grateful for all these and need to contribute on our behalf. We can this country.
