Plovdiv has one of the country's largest economies and contributes 7.5% of Bulgaria's GDP . In 2014, more than 35 thousand companies operate in the region which create jobs for 285,000 people. The advantages of Plovdiv include the central geographic location, good infrastructure, and large population. Plovdiv has international airport, terminal for intermodal transport, several connections with Trakia motorway (connecting Sofia and Burgas), proximity to Maritsa motorway (the main corridor to Turkey), and well-developed road and rail infrastructure which all led to the development of the city as the leading city in terms of industrial output in Bulgaria. The economy of
PFC Lokomotiv Plovdiv prestigious tournaments. By 1944 the team is the biggest in the region of Plovdiv in terms of members, and has a dedicated following with its fans setting records for the period in attendance of football matches. In the mid-1930s the labour union of the railway workers and sailors establishes several cultural and sporting organisations across the country. The railway workers established their sports club in Plovdiv as well, since the city is one of the major travel centres in the country. On 13 June 1935 the club "ZSK Plovdiv" was founded, abbreviated from "Zheleznicharski Sporten Klub Plovdiv" meaning "the sporting