Under Armour drives Welsh rugby forward with enhanced WRU extension

The Welsh Rugby Union has agreed a nine-year extension to its partnership with US sportswear manufacturer Under Armour.

Under the new agreement, which will run until 2025, Under Armour will continue to provide Wales’ playing kits, while the company has also been named the title sponsor of the national team’s autumn international series. This year’s Under Armour Series will take place in November and will see Wales take on Australia, Argentina, Japan and South Africa.

Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed, although the Wales Online website claimed the deal will be worth £33m (€43.5m/$47m). It added that the partnership was worth about £2.5m a year when WRU and Under Armour first joined forces in 2008, but that figure will now rise to approximately £3.6m a season.

As well as matchday kits, Under Armour will supply Wales’ first-team, junior, rugby sevens and women’s sides with high-performance training gear. The WRU will also be granted access to the company’s Connected Fitness platform, which uses technology and data to help maximise athletic performance.

WRU chief executive Martyn Phillips said: “Welsh rugby's partnership with Under Armour is a key foundation for our future plans and upholding the legacy of our national sport. We have much in common, in that we are both 'challenger brands' who have a tendency to 'punch above our weight'. The positive impact of this partnership, which also sees Under Armour take on the role of series sponsor for our autumn matches for nine years, will reach new heights on a global scale.”