Under Armour Sign 5-Year Tottenham Sponsorship from ’12

After announcing annual sales exceeding US$1bn last year, Under Armour have signed an official apparel sponsorship with English Premier League soccer club Tottenham Hotspur, the U.S. sportswear maker’s first foray with a team in soccer’s richest league.

The Baltimore-based company have announced that it will take over from the team’s current supplier, Puma AG, at the start of the 2012-13 season after Europe’s second-largest sporting-goods maker, signed a contract extension last year.

Terms of the five-year deal weren’t disclosed but Puma’s initial five-year contract was believed to be worth US$8m per season, so a figure in excess of that amount is highly likely due to the London club’s recent successes.

Tottenham qualified for the Champions League for the first time after finishing fourth in England’s top division last season and will play Italian Serie A leaders AC Milan in the second match of their round-of-16 encounter tomorrow after a 1-0 win in Italy last month.

Under Armour has been increasing its agreements with sports teams and athletes in recent years as it seeks to expand outside the U.S.

As well as having deals with New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and skier Lindsey Vonn to market its cotton performance T-shirts, it provides apparel for the Wales rugby union team.

Under Armour already hold kit sponsorship deals with numerous soccer clubs including German Bundesliga side Hannover 96, Greek Superleague team Aris Thessaloniki, Japanese J-League outfit Omiya Ardija plus Deportivo Toluca and Estudiantes Tecos from Mexico’s Primera Division.