Tottenham have become a regular Premier League title challenger over the last 3 years and have used that success on the field to finalize a $31.1 million per season deal with Nike as the club’s new technical sponsor starting for the 2017/18 season.

At the time, Nike did not have a partnership with any London based Premier League clubs. The Portland based brands only Premier League club was Manchester City. (They later signed on as Chelsea technical sponsor).

The deal will have Spurs in line with north London rivals, Arsenal – who earn $37.3 M per season from Puma, but well behind some of the Premier League’s top clubs like Chelsea who earn approximately 2x as much per season.

The club’s previous 5-year deal with Under Armour valued at $12.5 M per season comes to an end with the conclusion of the 2016/17 Premier League season. That deal was Under Armour’s first with a Premier League club.

The standards and practices of the world’s most successful football clubs are often emulated by aspiring sides looking to gain advantage and inspiration. Whether it’s the training methods of a particularly innovative and fastidious coach, or the quality of facilities, equipment and technology at a team’s disposal, any way of getting even a minor leg-up could make the difference over the course of a season.

Beyond the technical, tangible and measurable ways of aiding performance, however, and long before the notion of sports science became commonplace, a simple change of shirt color would often be seen as a way of inspiring better results for a side.

Just as Don Revie’s Leeds United sought to emulate Real Madrid in the 1960s, and Herbert Chapman made his Arsenal players more discernible to one another with their white sleeves, Tottenham Hotspur chose their customary white jersey and blue shorts combination as an homage to Preston North End in the late-19th Century.

The Lillywhites were far and away the most successful club in England at the time, the dominant force in the fledgling Football League. Spurs, who were formed in 1882, had begun life wearing long-sleeved navy blue jerseys with white shorts, but didn’t stick with that idea for long. They would flit between red – a thought which would now be anathema to Tottenham fans as their bitter North London rivals Arsenal wear the same color – blue and white halves reminiscent of the Blackburn Rovers shirt, and brown and gold stripes.

In 1898, though, the change to white, following in the footsteps of recent League and FA Cup Double winners Preston, was made and they have not varied from that general layout since.

The change brought about some pretty immediate progress for Spurs with their first major trophy secured in the 1900/01 season when they overcame Sheffield United in the FA Cup final. The showpiece event at Crystal Palace in London, played in front of an estimated 110,000 people, ended in a 2-2 draw, meaning, with no extra-time or penalty-kicks used to determine a winner, the two sides met again a week later in a replay. Only 20,000 fans were on hand for the second fixture at Bolton Wanderers’ Burden Park, but that will have been of little concern to Spurs, who took the famous cup back to the capital thanks to an emphatic 3-1 victory over the Blades.

A second FA Cup triumph followed exactly 20 years later, but it would be more than half a century between Tottenham’s switch to white and their first ever top-flight league title, when they topped the First Division, four points clear of second-placed Manchester United, just a year after being promoted from the second tier.

The cockerel crest that is synonymous with Spurs first appeared on the home jersey in the early-1920s and, in one form or another, has remained over the players’ hearts ever since, although the design of the emblem has undergone several evolutions.

In the era of kit manufacturers and corporate sponsorship, the Spurs shirt has known some of the most iconic branding in English football, with the tight-fitting Hummel design of the ‘80s a favourite among retro jersey aficionados and sported by club legends Glenn Hoddle and Clive Allen, and the Holsten sponsored Umbro shirt of the mid-‘90s instantly conjuring images of German striker Jürgen Klinsmann and his famous diving goal celebration for Premier League fans old enough to remember that era.

With a cast of exciting young players such as Dele Alli and Harry Kane producing thrilling attacking football under a progressive and intelligent coach in the form of Mauricio Pochettino, the current Spurs shirt is well known and loved by fans in London and around the world.

On Tuesday 5 September 1882, the Hotspur Football Club was established, by grammar-school boys from the Bible class at All Hallows Church. Already fans of athletics, the group were also members of Hotspur Cricket Club. Quite possibly the name Hotspur was associated with Sir Henry Percy, who was "Harry Hotspur" of Shakespeare's Henry IV, part 1, and who lived locally during the 14th century and whose descendants owned land in the neighbourhood.

Spurs first honors came in 1900, when Tottenham won the Southern League title, followed the next year by winning the FA Cup. One of London's top football clubs, Spurs have been a new rising force in England's top flight, the Barclays Premier League, chasing the traditional top four English clubs and fighting their way to top table finishes.

The club's Latin motto is Audere est Facere (lit: "To Dare Is to Do") and that is certainly what Spurs have done of late, becoming a stalwart in all European soccer competitions. Tottenham have a large fan base in the United Kingdom, stemming mostly from north London and the Home counties. Various times in the past, Tottenham had the highest average attendance in England. And players such as high-scoring Harry Kane have given these fierce Spurs fans much to cheer about.

The passionate Spurs fans weekly pack White Hart Lane, wearing the traditional white home Tottenham soccer jersey, as they are sure these days that their boys are going to most likely bring home the three points, the W, the advancement in the tournament and the silverware!

Tottenham have an illustrious history having won 2 English top flight titles and set the bar as the first British team to win a European trophy. They have featured some great players over the decade and World Soccer Shop looks at 5 Tottenham club legends.

Ledley King
One of the best defenders to ever have played for Spurs, King is the definition of a one-man club, having spent his entire professional career playing for Tottenham. While he only managed to win one trophy, he made an astonishing 321 appearances for the club across all competitions.

Glenn Hoddle
Extremely gifted technically, Hoddle was a force for Spurs. Having started playing for the club in 1975, he was a part of the team that was relegated to the second division. However thanks in no small part to Hoddle’s influence Spurs immediately won promotion back into the top flight after only a year in the second division. He played 490 games for the spurs while managing to score 110 goals as well.

Jimmy Greaves
Greaves is a simple addition to this list as he is the undisputed highest goal scorer for the club. Having scored an incredible 266 times in 380 appearances, Greaves lead Spurs to winning 2 FA Cups and a Cup Winners Cup. A true goal scoring talent, Greaves is an absolute legend, leading the Spurs to their only Cup Winners Cup and being inducted into the Tottenham Hall of Fame in 2015.

David Mackay
The creative midfielder was one of the catalyst for the longest period of success in Tottenham’s history. In the 9 years Mackay was at the club Spurs won the league twice, the FA Cup 3 times, and the Cup Winners Cup. Mackay made 268 appearances for the club while scoring 42 goals.

Danny Blanchflower
Blanchflower was a staple and rock in the Spurs line-up during the 1950’s and 1960’s. He is one of the most decorated Spurs players ever and he even captioned the side to achieving the League and FA Cup double in 1960-61. Blanchflower made a total of 382 appearances and scoring 21 goals.

Tottenham’s iconic cockerel badge has been part of the club since 1909 and, despite a few changes, still maintains its essence today. The cockerel was adopted because it was considered a fighting bird at the time and reflected the spirit of the players. William James Smith, a former player, made sure the bird became a central club icon when he made a bronze cast of a cockerel and positioned it on top of the West Stand at White Hart Lane.

WorldSoccerShop.com takes a look at the evolution of the Tottenham Hotspur FC badge throughout history.

Tottenham Hotspur FC Badge: 2006-Present

Tottenham’s current badge was introduced ahead of the 2006/07 Premier League season as part of an overhaul of the club’s image and identity. The professionally designed logo was the result of a consultation process former players, club officials, shareholders, and fans.

"We have sought to reflect our traditions as well as our reputation for style," said Spurs chairman Daniel Levy. "We knew it would be important to develop a badge everyone would feel was progressive, but without any sense of loss of our proud heritage and I feel we have achieved that."

The badge is simple with the cockerel bird standing tall on a vintage soccer ball with ‘Tottenham Hotspur’ printed underneath.

Tottenham Hotspur FC Badge: 1983-2005

The 1983 badge was a simplified one from the 1956 version. It was adopted to fend off unofficial merchandise using the old badge. The cockerel returned as the focus of the badge with the heraldic lions holding up the circular emblem and the ‘Audere Est Facere’ scroll underneath. The shield was removed.

The club, however, used a simple badge on the player’s jerseys for the 1995/96 and 1996/97 campaigns. The badge on the jersey included only the cockerel standing on emblem with the club initials surrounded by a blue shield outline.

Tottenham Hotspur FC Badge: 1956-1983

The cockerel standing on a soccer ball was included in the design on the shield but was standing tall along with symbols for the Bruce Castle and the Seven Sisters as well as the red heraldic lions holding up the club’s initials. ‘Audere Est Facere’ was on a scroll under the shield. It was the first time that the two heraldic lions (from the family coat of arms of Henry Percy, whose ‘Hotspur’ nickname inspired the club founders) and the ‘Audere Est Facere’ (To do is to dare) motto appeared on the Spurs badge.

Tottenham Hotspur FC Badge: 1921-1956

The first time the cockerel made its appearance on the Tottenham crest was in the 1921 FA Cup final, albeit without the ball. The club founders where inspired by Sir Henry Percy, also known as Sir Harry Hotspur, whose fighting roosters where equipped with spurs, and that’s where the club’s symbol came from. The badge had a couple of variations before the 1967 redesign, making the bird leaner and fitter.

Tottenham Hotspur FC have had 10 front-of-jersey sponsors since Holsten Breweries made their first appearance on the club jersey for the 1983/84 season. The North London club have been innovative in their approach to the jersey sponsor and WorldSoccerShop.com looks at the history behind the sponsors.

The club’s chairman, Daniel Levy, was the man behind the innovation although some fans thought otherwise. Levy decided that the club would have different front-of-jersey sponsors for the 2010/11 season. Autonomy Corporation appeared on the Premier League jerseys while Investec Bank was placed on the jersey for Cup matches in the Champions League, FA Cup, League Cup, and Europa League.

The fans were not so pleased as they saw this as another way the club was trying to squeeze more money out of them by having 2 different looks passionate fans needed to have.

AIA Group Limited became Tottenham’s sole front-of-jersey sponsor when the insurance services provider signed a 5-year and £16million per season deal starting with the 2014/15 season. Fans did not immediately like the look of the AIA sponsorship with the company’s logo the same red of bitter crosstown rivals Arsenal.

The deal to be the club’s sole jersey sponsor only came after AIA served as the jersey sponsor for Tottenham’s Cup jerseys (FA Cup, League Cup, and Europa League) in 2013/14.

During the 2013/14 season, Hewlett-Packard was on the front of the jersey. HP took the position on the jersey after they acquired Autonomy Corporation who signed a jersey partnership in 2010/11. The agreement (for two years and £20 million) saw the Autonomy and Aurasma logos appear on the Spurs jerseys with Investec Bank appeared on Tottenham’s cup jerseys from 2010-2013.

It was not the first time, HP was the club’s sponsor, however. The U.S. company was the 2nd jersey from the sponsor showing up on their jersey between 1995 and 1999.

In 2006, the Spurs and Mansion.com clinched a then-record five-year deal for £34 million. It followed the 2002 agreement with Thomson Holidays, whose red ‘smile’ logo raised a few eyebrows from Tottenham fans. At least they got some exclusive offers as part of the deal.

Holsten Brewery was chosen as the jersey main sponsor in 1999. This was their second time as Spurs sponsors, with the 1983-1995 period being their first, in which Tottenham lifted their last FA Cup trophy in 1991.

Tottenham Hotspur FC and Nike are set to announce a $31.1 million per season deal that will start during the 2017/18 season, with no details of its length as for now.

The current agreement with Under Armour began in the 2012/13 season when both parties struck a 5-year deal valued at $12.5 M per season. The club’s recent contender status in the Premier League caught Nike’s attention, whose financial power impeded a renovation with UA.

The Spurs enjoyed a long partnership with PUMA from 2006 to 2012, with a three-year extension agreed to in 2010. The fairy tale ended when the club decided that a more lucrative deal was necessary considering what other English clubs had at the time.

Kappa was their kit manufacturer between 2002 and 2006, preceded by adidas in the 1999-2002 period. Umbro and Pony kitted the Spurs for four years each in the 1990s. In the previous decade, Tottenham had Le Coq Sportif, Hummel and Umbro kits.

Admiral served as their kit maker from 1977 to 1980, while Umbro was their first ever – and longest – kit deal, running between 1957 and 1977.

Tottenham’s original name, Hotspur F.C., and the subsequent nickname ‘Spurs’ are thought to derive from Sir Henry Percy, a 14th-century English nobleman, who was better known as Sir Harry Hotspur. Percy hailed from north London where he led rebellions against King Henry IV. He was later canonized in Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part 1.

In honor of its daring namesake, Tottenham has distinguished itself over their 135-year history through an aggressive approach to attractive that wins over fans and has hauled in its share of trophies.

From the swashbuckling sides of the 1960s coached by club legend Bill Nicholson, to the latest generation of young, talented and relentless players led by Mauricio Pochettino, Spurs have always tried to live up to their club motto, Audere Est Facere (To Dare Is To Do).

Matched with Harry Hotspur’s rebellious nature and the strutting rooster gracing the Tottenham logo, Tottenham seeks to fulfill its ambitions but with a flair while they're doing it.

Tottenham is home to one of the loudest sets of supporters in top-flight English soccer. The fans are famous for singing in the name of local heroes like Harry Kane

He’s one of our own
He’s one of our own
Harry Kane
He’s one of our own

and young starlets like Dele Alli

We’ve got Alli
Dele Alli
I just don’t think you understand
He only cost 5 mil
He’s better than Ozil
We’ve got Dele Alli

Tottenham were also the first club to serenade their players to the tune of Glory Glory Hallelujah (Leeds United and Manchester United were among subsequent clubs to do it), and Glory Glory Tottenham Hotspur remains the unofficial club anthem.

Legend has it that in the 1961 European Cup, after a match against Polish opponents Górnik Zabrze, the Polish press said the hard-tackling Spurs “were no angels.” For the return match at White Hart Lane, Spurs fans dressed in togas, white robes and sandals and started the chant then and there.