The Big Interview
It all started with a football I
Over time it is not unusual for companies to evolve and adapt in order to grow and flourish. P&P editor Melanie Attlesey speaks to Saj Khawaja, managing director of Spall Sports, to find out more about the last seven decades of business.
t all started with a football. The foundations of Spall Sports can be traced back to the launch of the Gold Cup football also known as the Spall Ball.
Peter Spall was the pioneer of the first lace-less leather football. These footballs were manufactured in China under the Spall Sports brand. Spall Sports itself was founded in 1964 in Shenfield, Essex. Captain of the 1966 World Cup winning team, Booby Moore endorsed the Spall Ball and at the time was quoted as saying: “The Spall Match-Play Soccer Ball is the only ball bearing my signature. The Spall Ball’s quality and performance is equal to others costing nearly twice as much.” A move into sportswear manufacture quickly followed after the success of the football, with ranges endorsed by popular sportspeople such as professional footballers Geoff Hurst and Jimmy Greaves. During the 1980s around 50 professional football clubs were wearing kits manufactured by Spall. One of the highlights for the business during its heyday of football kit manufacture was when it became recognised as the official supplier for the
England Ladies international squad from 1988 for the following five years. Spall also supplied the kit that Wimbledon FC wore when the team won the 1988 FA Cup at Wembley Stadium.
Diversifying
Peter Spall pictured with Bobby Moore during the launch of the Spall Ball
After a turbulent couple of decades where UK manufacture was on the decline, Spall had to diversify and move away from sportswear manufacture. With many decades of experience, Saj Khawaja purchased the business in 2002 and moved manufacturing from Essex to Bradford.
He explains the decision to diversify: “After the market got saturated by other bigger brands with imported cut & sew kits, it was no longer economically profitable to manufacture kits in the UK. I made the decision to move towards bespoke football kits and introduce other sports categories to capture a bigger market share and to be busy all year round. Manufacturing football kits was very seasonal.”
The Spall factory in 1970 showing handmade football kits
Timeline of key events 1960s and 1970s
The Spall factory in Shenfield where it all began
| 70 | October 2022
Spall Sports started with manufacturing footballs in China and was the pioneer of the first lace-less football called Gold Cup. This ball was made of leather and was endorsed by Bobby Moore and other professional footballers. During this time Spall launched sportswear ranges endorsed by popular sportspeople such as Geoff Hurst and Jimmy Greaves. In 1978, Spall reported a 50% increase in turnover as it became larger in the manufacturing business.
Today Spall now offers concept, design, manufacturing and service for over 10 different sports categories, including rugby
www.printwearandpromotion.co.uk
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