Take a Tour of Wilson Sporting Goods’ Football Factory

Why would you go to a tiny college town in northwest Ohio to tour a factory? Because it’s the Wilson Sporting Goods football factory, and for 70 years and counting, Ada, Ohio, has been the only place in the world where the National Football League’s official game ball is manufactured.

Opened in May 2024, the modern, $15 million factory upholds a tradition of craftsmanship that began in 1955, when the Chicago-based Wilson company moved its NFL football-making operation from the Windy City to a small leatherworks it had acquired in Ada. Fast-forward to the current facility and its skilled employees, who proudly make top-quality footballs by hand that meet the NFL’s exacting standards.  

“We produce 27,000 footballs for the NFL every season,” says factory manufacturing engineer Mike Springer.

Although it was built to increase productivity and customized football options for youth, high school and college teams, the factory also offers singular visitor experiences. The building’s clever landscaping mimics a gridiron, while in the lobby, museum-like exhibits feature sports memorabilia dating to the 1940s, as well as made-in-Ada footballs from every Super Bowl. It even has a retail store where you can score everything from tennis rackets to baseball gloves to replicas of Wilson the volleyball from the movie “Cast Away.” 

Guided factory tours are available for a fee, and they cover the entire, 20-step process required to make a Wilson football. Walking around the production floor offers a unique view from the sidelines as workers deftly cut, sew and lace an average of 2,500 footballs each day. 

You’ll also learn some fascinating football facts. Did you know, for example, that the factory begins turning out Super Bowl footballs immediately after the NFL conferences’ championship games?

“On Sunday night, we start stamping the two Super Bowl teams’ names on footballs,” explains Springer, “and by Monday morning, we’re ready to ship them.”

517 E. Highland Ave., Ada 45810, 419/634-9901, wilson.com

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