The President and CEO of Toyota Australia Mr Max Yasuda was in Adelaide to sign the extension of the agreement today. This contract extension takes the partnership to 21 years, which means Toyota has been with the club since day one. The partnership is one of the most enduring in Australian sport.
Some key features of the contract extension are the commitment of both organisations to work together in the quest to have the Adelaide Football Club become more environmentally friendly and eventually carbon neutral. Toyota, already world renowned for its corporate social responsibility, has agreed to add several of its hybrid Toyota Prius models to the club’s fleet in 2009 and the new Australian-made hybrid Camry from 2010.
In addition, the club has accepted an offer from Toyota to actively partner it in the Toyota sponsored National Tree Day starting next Tuesday 5 August, when the entire Camry Crows squad will attend Kilkenny Primary School to plant 100 trees with students at that school.
And finally, Toyota and the SA Toyota dealers will use a room in the new training facility from 2010 to entertain valued clients on match days. Several key features of the new training facility will also be environmentally friendly.
Adelaide Football Club CEO Steven Trigg said: “Toyota has had amazing success recently with new vehicle sales topping 200,000 in Australia for the past four years. However, the fact that Toyota became the number one vehicle seller in South Australia for the first time ever in 2007 was a particularly pleasing achievement for our Club. When we started our association with Toyota in 1991, Toyota was ranked number four in new vehicle sales in South Australia. To have partnered Toyota for 18 years and to be a small part of their rise from number four to number one in SA is something that has been very fulfilling for both organisations.
"Toyota’s long term commitment to our club has been tremendously influential in our strength both on and off the field. At a time of economic uncertainty, Toyota’s re-commitment to us is appreciated enormously.”
Mr Max Yasuda said: “Both companies are winners in their respective fields and uncompromising in their pursuit of excellence through innovation and hard work.”
