Place an order at the Wilson Football Factory and watch a heap of leather pass through several hands as it transforms into a game ball.
“We bring our football factory on site to the NFL Experience so people can see how we make the official Super Bowl football,” Molly Wallace, director of communications for Wilson, explains.
Curious onlookers surround workers stationed in an assembly line at the Wilson store, which opened on Friday as part of the NFL Experience. Workers answer questions from the crowd as they stitch, steam, lace, and inflate footballs.
Wallace explains the two differences between a regular NFL football and this collector’s pigskin: This ball has an image of the Super Bowl logo, and it has etched into it the date and location of the big game, as well as the names of the teams battling for what’s considered the most coveted prize in sports.
The Wilson store is located in the Indiana Convention Center between the NFL Play 60 exhibit and the Gatorade-sponsored clinic space. A Super Bowl XLVI football goes for $130, or $160 if you want your name on it as either a signature or in block letters. The unique insignia along with the experience of watching the ball being crafted make it a meaningful keepsake for fans.
Onsite Wilson Football Factory dates and hours:
Jan. 30: 3 p.m.-10 p.m.
Jan. 31: 3 p.m.-10 p.m.
Feb 1: 3 p.m.-10 p.m.
Feb. 2: 3 p.m.-10 p.m.
Feb. 3: 3 p.m.-10 p.m.
Feb. 4: 10 a.m.-10 p.m.
