MUMBAI: NIVIA, the Indian sports manufacturing brand has signed a three-year agreement with Football Sports Development to be the official ball partner of the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) starting season 2018/19.

With this multi-crore deal, NIVIA will supply the official match balls NIVIA ‘Ashtang’ to the League and the ten clubs throughout the season.

NIVIA MD Rajesh Kharbanda said, "We are elated to be associated with ISL as the official ball partner. The FIFA Pro categorised Ashtang balls are the newest edition in our professional football product stable and we are confident of upping the game in the highly competitive league environment.”

An ISL spokesperson said, “We are delighted to introduce FIFA Pro certified match balls Nivia Ashtang for Hero Indian Super League. Ashtang has been produced by Nivia with the highest standards and newest technology to maximise performance.”

“The association of NIVIA with the ISL is a constructive partnership aimed towards cultivating a strong system of developing football in India and maturing it to International level, a trend that is evident from the performance of U-20 and U-16 Indian teams recently. I would like to thank Inventive Sports for recognising the synergies and facilitating this association," Kharbanda added.

NIVIA Ashtang is a FIFA Pro category approved ball which is the highest quality certification that FIFA can grant on the quality of the ball. 

The iconic Indian sports brand has been associated with the league through individual club deals as kit partners with ATK, Jamshedpur FC and Shillong Lajong (I-League). NIVIA, since its early days has been closely associated with the grassroots development of football in India and has become an integral part of the glorious history of Santosh Trophy since 1970s.