India’s Sports Goods Sector: Turning Manufacturing Strength into Sporting Strength

India has made sporting goods for generations. Jalandhar and Meerut supply bats and balls to cricketers around the world, and brands such as SS and SG are recognised wherever the game is played. Following recent amendments to the Allocation of Business Rules, 1961, the sector now falls under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS), while the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) continues to handle trade promotion and exports. This paper by AM Sports Law & Management Co. looks at what that change makes possible.

Where the sector stands

India manufactures over 300 types of sporting goods across clusters in Punjab, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Jammu & Kashmir, West Bengal and Maharashtra, and the industry employs around five lakh people, most of them in MSMEs. Exports grew from US$402 million in FY 2016-17 to a peak of US$546 million in FY 2021-22 and stood at US$523 million in FY 2023-24, placing India 21st among global exporters. Indian factories already supply international brands such as Mitre, Lotto, Umbro and Wilson. Even so, India accounts for less than 1% of global sports goods trade, and the sector has had no dedicated scheme of its own, which leaves manufacturers competing against China, Vietnam and Taiwan without the specialised hubs and integrated supply chains those countries enjoy.

Why the timing matters

Two developments make this the right moment. India will host the 2030 Commonwealth Games and has expressed its interest in hosting the 2036 Olympic Games, and mega-events bring years of procurement for competition equipment, training gear, kits and protective equipment. At the same time, global buyers are diversifying their sourcing beyond China. India has the clusters, the workforce and the trade relationships to take a meaningful share of that business. What has held it back is the absence of certification aligned with international federation standards, fragmented research and design capability, limited links between federations and manufacturers, and no central digital registry for procurement.

What we propose

The paper recommends that MYAS use its new mandate to connect manufacturing with India’s sporting goals. The central proposal is a dedicated scheme for sports goods, with incentives for research and development, testing infrastructure, smart equipment and advanced materials, and thresholds pitched so that MSMEs can take part. Alongside it, we suggest a national database of verified manufacturers searchable by product, user level and cluster; a sector-specific tax incentive framework drawing on Vietnam’s preferential corporate income tax rates; and modernised logistics, given that a 2025 industry study found 80% of manufacturers facing raw material delays and over half of exporters facing shipment delays linked to documentation.

A graded certification framework

India has no comprehensive quality standard for sports goods. Apart from IS 15844 for sports footwear and a few component standards, the sector largely regulates itself. We propose a MYAS certification system aligned with ISO standards and international federation norms, in three grades:

• Foundation (SG/1), for grassroots, school and recreational equipment, valid for two years;
• Performance (SG/2), for state and national competition equipment meeting federation-endorsed specifications, valid for three years; and
• Excellence (SG/3), for Olympic-standard and export equipment meeting international federation norms, valid for three years with an annual audit.

Certification would become a condition for government tenders, so that SAI, Khelo India and federation procurement can specify the grade they need.

Infrastructure, innovation and a roadmap

The paper also proposes multi-brand retail hubs in stadiums run through public-private partnerships; an annual Sports Innovation and Manufacturing Summit modelled on the WAVES Summit 2025; integrated manufacturing clusters in Meerut and Jalandhar and in new regions such as Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Telangana; and product design and innovation labs with institutions such as the IITs and NID. A phased roadmap covers the first year (notifying the scheme, setting up a certification cell and pre-certifying 50 to 100 manufacturers), the following two years (digital certification, innovation labs and pilot retail hubs) and the longer term, by which point certified Indian equipment should be supplying the Commonwealth Games in 2030 and, India hopes, the Olympic Games in 2036.

Lessons from abroad

China’s April 2025 guidelines on financial support for the sports industry set out 16 measures, including credit support for sports goods manufacturers. Vietnam offers preferential corporate tax rates and tax holidays for priority sectors, sport among them. Taiwan grew sporting goods production from US$1.29 billion in 2012 to US$2.97 billion in 2021, with more than 90% sold overseas, supported by an industry association founded in 1972 and a new Sports Industry Development Center. Each shows what a coordinated approach can achieve, and with the sector now under MYAS, India has the institutional base to build one.