Premier League football club Southampton is planning to launch grassroots football academies in the US and Asia to build its global presence after signing a long-term deal with kit supplier Under Armour.

The club’s chair Ralph Krueger and Peter Murray, vice president of global sports marketing for the sportswear company, revealed the seven-year partnership during a press briefing at St Mary’s Stadium yesterday morning (14 April).

As part of the deal the pair will work together to launch academies and Southampton/Under Armour development programmes, initially in the US and then into China.

Krueger said that the club would be recruiting new coaches to go out and teach in the “Southampton way”, using a blueprint devised by those in charge of its football operations. Under Armour will provide its own expertise in this field: the company has 200 grassroots academy partners in the US, providing kit for “50,000 kids”.

“Right now we’re a local brand,” said Krueger. “We want to become a bigger club.”

The Canadian added that conversations about launching in the Chinese market were “just starting”, adding: “There’s so much opportunity in the way that China and India would like to learn and develop football players. The sport is just booming right now.”

Despite the grand global aspirations, the partnership will still see Southampton and Under Armour invest closer to home. The kit manufacturer has pledged donate 5,000 pairs of football boots to the club’s academy talent over the next seven years, while 5,000 local youngsters from deprived parts of the city will be fully kitted out.

In turn Southampton confirmed that it had spent £1.6m (US$2.3m, €2m) on community schemes over the past 12 months - from grassroots football to helping local people with addiction – and the investment in this area will continue, particularly in light of the £5.1bn (US$7.2bn, €6.4bn) domestic television deal coming into force for Premier League clubs next season.

“We never forget where we came from and we’re giving back to the community and giving back to the fans,” said the chair.

In addition, Southampton will attempt to develop the women’s game and is in the process of applying to enter a professional women’s team in the league with a response expected later this month. Krueger added that the club was on the verge of launching a girls academy, for the 10-16 age group, in the autumn of the 2016/17 season.
Neither Kruger nor Murray would specify the financial break down of the deal.