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International Labor Rights Fund
110 Maryland Avenue NE, Box 74
Washington, D. C. 20002
USA
Tel: (202) 544-7198
Fax: (202) 544-7767
e-mail: laborrights@igc.apc.org
website: http://gwis2.circ.gwu.edu/~laser/ILRF.HTM
Almost all soccer balls used in the US are imported. Major soccer ball importing countries ( 1994 latest $ figures) are:
Pakistan $21.9 million China $9.3 million Indonesia $2.1 million.
This industry extensively uses child laborers - whose small fingers sew tight stitches until often crippled - are often indentured, illegally, for little pay during their years of work (6-16 of 12 hour days) in regions where adult joblessness is over 60% - and will, of course, receive no education. The Soccer Ball Industry Has Increased the Numbers of Children Haking Balls.
The past decade ( 1985-1995) has seen an 83% increase, mostly
among children and teens, in the number of US soccer players.
To meet this expanding US market, the soccer ball industry has
greatly increased production in nations where kids making leather
handstitched balls were a major source of their labor. The international
market is also booming.
TEN STEPS TO STOP KIDS MAKING OUR SOCCER BALLS
1. All soccer balls now used in US play must be approved by FIFA, the Federation Internationai of Football Associations. FIFA must not sanction for use any ball whose manufacturer has not been regularly inspected in accordance with procedures created by UNICEF (United Nations Childrens Fund), to assure that no child labor was used.
Write to: Joao Havelange President of FIFA or Lennan Johansson,
Vice President FIFA House, 1 I Hitzigweg, PO Box 88, 8030, Zurich,
Switzerland Fax: 41-1-384-9696 When FIFA takes this step, there
will be no market for "kid made" balls.
2. No US professional soccer teams should use balls whose
manufacturer cannot be certified to be free of child labor. Write
to Alan Rothenberg, President or Hank Steinbrecher, Executive
Director, US Soccer Federation 801 -l 8 1 I S. Prairie Avenue,
Chicago, Illinois 60616 Phone: 312-808-1 300, Fax: 312-808-1301.
When USSF makes this decision, our soccer heroes and teams will
stop using balls made by children.
3. All companies who make or import soccer balls into the
US must certify, by UNICEF inspection standards, that their balls
are not made by children. Their "Code of Conduct" must
also state this requirement. Write to: - John Alden Briggs, Executive
Director Soccer Industry Council of America 200 Castlewood Drive,
N. Palm Beach, FL 33408 Phone: 561 -840- 1170, Fax: 561 -840-
1130 - John Riddle, President, Sporting Goods Mfgrs. Ass. 200
Castlewood Drive, N. Palm Beach, FL 33408 Phone: 561-842-4100
Fax: 561-863-8984, e-mail: jrsgma@aol.com John Riddle is also
US delegate to the World Federation of Sporting Goods Industries
which has just formed a committee to research child labor in their
industry and to suggest assistance to children already damaged
physically and educationally by their years making balls. - Stephen
Rubin, President, World Federation of Sporting Goods Industries
The Pentland Centre, Lakeside, Squires Lane, London N3 2QL Phone:
011-44-1181-348-2600 Fax: 011-44-181-348-2700, 349-2300 Rubin,
new WFSGI president, must hear a strong protest against child
labor if he is to lead the industly to ban "kid-made"
balls.
4. No public park, arena or facility shall be used by any
soccer player using balls made by child labor. Each city council,
park district, county commission, with authority over our parks
or arenas must pass a resolution banning child labor made balls
on public properties. This includes public arenas used by professional
or semi-professional soccer teams. State legislatures and appropriate
federal departments shall draft similar regulations. Call/write
your local elected/appointed officials. Trade union leadership
(particularly public employees), and church and civic organizations
who use and support our parks, will also feel the outrage of seeing,
on public grounds, balls whose manufacture can permanently cripple
kids.
5. Our secondary schools, colleges and universities now
use soccer balls made by child labor. This must stop. Write to
Soccer Coaches Association, National Collegiate Athletic Association,
High School Athletic Association, and call your local coach/dean/principal/PTA
president, to remove child labor made balls from their fields.
6. Youth Soccer Leagues train thousands of kids in soccer skills and fair play. But they still allow kids to use of balls made by kids. Write to: U. S. Youth Soccer Association Ray Thompsett, Executive Director 2050 N. Plano, Suite 100, Richardson, lX 7S082 Phone: 214-235-449 o 1 -800-4SO-CCER Fax: 214-235-4480 and to: American Youth Soccer Organization. Dick Wilson, National Executive Director 5403 W. 138th St. Hawthorne, PO Box 5045, CA, 90251
Phone: 310-643-6455 o 1 -800-USA-AYSO
Fax: 310-643-5310
7. The Olympic Games, Special Olympics, World Cup and other
internation.1l sporting events have a great local impact (see
local Olympic Torch Committees now in place) but they never mention
the child labor making their soccer balls. Only pressure of media
and major corporate sponsors can stop this demand for child labor
balls. Write to: Richard Schultz, Executive Director, U. S. Olympic
Committee One Olympic Plaza, Colorado Springs, CO, 80909 Tel:
(719) 578-4542 Fax: (719) 632-4180
8. Corporations should not sponsor soccer events in which any kid-made ball is used. Major US corporate sponsors for international soccer events, include: Coca Cola, Canon, Energizer, FujiFilm, General Motors, Gillette, JVC, Master Card, McDonalds, Philips, Snickers.
Foul Ball Campaign will supply names and addresses of corporate
officers coordinating soccer sponsorship.
9. Consumers should never purchase a soccer ball whose brand name manufacturer and their local store will not verify that children were not used in its production. The largest importers and sellers of hand sewn, stitched leather soccer balls in the US are listed below. Contact their executive officer to demonstrate your concern:
ADIDAS Steve Wynne, CEO, 541 N.E. 20th St. Suite 207, Portland, OR 97232 1-800-289-2724, Fax 503-797-4935
UMBRO-USA lan McLaren, President. 1500 Ponsett Hwy. Greenville, S.C. 29609 or PO Box 3725, Greenville, S.C. 29609 Phone: 803-233-0000, 1-800-SOC-CERO. Fax: 803-271-1689
BRINE, INC. William H. Brine, Jr. Chairman. 47 Sumner St., Milford, MA, 01757 Phone: 508-478-3250 or 1-800-227-2722 Fax: 508-478-2430
MITRE SPORTS INTERNATIONAL Joe Field, President. Pentland Sports Group, 2214 Metro Center Blvd, Suite 200, Nashville, TN 37228 Phone: 615-313-3500 or I -800-826-7650 Fax: 615-367-7320
LOTTO USA, INC. Gary Wakley, Co Manager. 1900 Surveyor
Blvd., Carrollton, TX 75006 Phone: 214-416-4003 or I -800-527-5126
Fax: 214-416-4233
These firms dominate the US industry.
10. Remove the shame! Bring back the pride. Join others
in our Foul Ball Campaign to remove this stain from our sport.
It is too late for thousands of child workers, but others can
be rescued form young lives of crippling work, malnutrition and
no education.
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