Football

Sports Goods Manufacturers and Exporters Association to solve the issue of football shortage during Indian Super League 2022-23

The sports industry has been facing huge problems. It has been reeling under a shortage of skilled workers after a lot of migrant laborers left during the pandemic. The Sports Goods Manufacturers and Exporters Association (SGMEA) has come up with a solution to tide over the issue and will be training at least 1,500 women to stitch footballs. In the first batch, 25 women affiliated with different self-help groups (SHGs) in Wariana village will receive a month-long training.

Deputy commissioner Jaspreet Singh said, “This initiative will create a collaborative ecosystem, which will ensure economic development and social welfare in the district while providing manpower to the local industry.” These participants will be able to earn around ₹15,000 a month once they are trained.” an official said.

We will hire some graduates for the job: Rajesh Kharbanda

SGMEA chairperson Rajesh Kharbanda, who owns Nivia sports, said, “Our skilled workforce, comprising migrant workers, left during the pandemic, but did not return. We expect to see a 38% increase in demand for footballs, but we lack skilled labour. This initiative will provide a local workforce for the industry, while allowing women to work from the comfort of their homes.”

“We will hire some graduates, who will work as a bridge between self-help groups and industries. The administration has assured us that it will also provide a designated space for stitching footballs in villages,” he said. Ask him how the industry is managing without skilled labour and Kharbanda says, “At present, many industries send footballs to Meerut (Uttar Pradesh) for stitching due to unavailability of skilled labour. However, once we start training women, they too will prefer to get footballs stitched locally. It will be a win-win situation.”

The ISL season nine has started in India, and it will be a five-month football extravaganza. The second game played between Northeast United FC and Bengaluru FC at the Kanteerava Stadium in Bangalore was a close game. In the end, Bengaluru was too good for the Highlanders as they beat them by 1-0.