Tottenham Hot(Spur) with American Brands

Over the last several years, the English Premier League has attracted top dollar from Fortune 500 brands.

However, while titans Manchester United and Chelsea have historically dominated the space, mid-level clubs are now joining the fray. Even lower-tier clubs such as Swansea City are signing multi-million dollar jersey sponsorship deals.

Tottenham FC is one of the clubs cashing in on the rising popularity of the EPL. Unlike many of the other top-tier teams that are turning to Asia for their latest endorsement deals, Tottenham has cashed in across the pond. For one, Tottenham has become the first major European club to wear jerseys produced by Baltimore-based Under Armour. In turn, Under Armour has utilized the club as their primary vehicle in marketing to soccer-starved Europeans.

Most recently, the Hotspurs have secured jersey sponsorship from Hewlett Packard, based in the soccer hotbed of Northern California. With their principal partnership, HP is rekindling their sponsorship of the club that dates back to the 1990s. While sports sponsorship is nothing new to HP, the deal represents one of the brand’s first forays beyond the United States. HP has previously held marketing deals with the NBA, Filipino Boxer Manny Pacquiao, the San Francisco 49ers, NASCAR and the Davis Cup. They are also the title sponsor of the Byron Nelson Championship (golf) and previously held the title of the San Jose Sharks arena.

HP’s new deal with Tottenham coincides with the club’s recent rise to the top of the EPL table. With wunderkind Gareth Bale leading the way in 2012-3, Tottenham tallied the most points in the club’s history. After surprisingly retaining Bale’s services and adding a couple other key pieces, Tottenham appears poised for Champions League qualifications, and perhaps even greater accomplishments, in 2013-4.

Their recent success on the pitch aside, Tottenham proves a tremendous fit for technology titan HP. With last year’s acquisition of United States National Team star Clint Dempsey, the Hotspurs seem keen on becoming America’s team of sorts. The benefits are already being reaped in the form of additional marketing exposure throughout this country. In a new billboard advertising their EPL rights for the 2013-4 season, NBC Sports chose to highlight Tottenham’s Gareth Bale, and in turn sponsors Under Armour and HP.

Whether it be their recent success, their acquisition of Dempsey, or Bale’s growing celebrity, there is little question that Tottenham has now developed a cool factor that is so appealing to fans and corporate sponsors alike. It will be interesting to keep an eye on whether this translates into the club’s increased popularity state-side.