THE AFL has launched the inaugural Toyota Good For Footy Round which will be held across Round Two of the Toyota AFL Premiership Season and Round Nine of the NAB AFLW competition this weekend.
AFL Executive General Manager of Customer and Commercial, Kylie Rogers joined Toyota Australia Chief Marketing Officer, John Pappas, Collingwood player Isaac Quaynor, Toyota Ambassador and Richmond AFLW player Katie Brennan and a host of junior footballers from the Burnside Heights Football Club today to officially welcome the dedicated Round.
The Toyota Good For Footy Round will celebrate Toyota's significant contribution to Australian football from the grassroots to the elite level and marks the first dedicated round that will be recognised simultaneously across the elite men and women's competitions.
To celebrate the dedicated Round, Toyota has launched its Toyota Good For Footy Suggestion Box, which provides the football community with an opportunity to share their suggestions on how Toyota can make footy 'gooder' for all.
The Toyota Suggestion Box will open on Thursday March 25 and run throughout the 2021 season, with fans able to submit their suggestions online to the virtual Suggestion Box via toyota.com.au/gooder.
AFL Executive General Manager of Customer and Commercial, Kylie Rogers said it was pleasing to be able to recognise Toyota's support of Australian football with a dedicated round.
"I would like to thank our Premier Partner, Toyota, whose enduring support of the AFL, from the grassroots to the elite game, continues to positively impact the football community," Ms Rogers said.
"The AFL, like Toyota, is committed to making football accessible for all, so we're delighted to work with Toyota to establish the first joint Good For Footy Round and bring to life the new Toyota Suggestion Box initiative which we hope will unearth some great ideas to help strengthen football communities around the country."
In addition to the dedicated round, Toyota has been supporting grassroots football through initiatives such as the Toyota Good For Footy Raffle and recent Toyota Good For Footy Gear Grants Program.
The 2021 Toyota Good For Footy Gear Grants Program provided 100 female football clubs across Australia with specifically designed female uniforms, to help support the on-going growth of female football.
Established in 2008, the Toyota Good for Footy Raffle has been helping grassroots football clubs across the country raise funds for a number of initiatives including facility upgrades, uniforms and new equipment.
In 2020, 557 community football clubs participated in the raffle, which raised a record $864,480 with 100 per cent of the funds going directly to each club in the program. This outstanding result brings the total figure raised since the commencement of the program to more than $7 million.
Toyota Australia Chief Marketing Officer, John Pappas, said Toyota was committed to supporting football at all levels, from grassroots clubs to elite competition, and making footy accessible for all.
"At the inaugural Toyota Good For Footy Round, we will be launching the Toyota Good For Footy Suggestion Box initiative which will be a great way for us to build upon our support for both the game and the community, but more importantly, provides an opportunity for fans to have their say as to how their footy experience can be enhanced and made more enjoyable for all," Mr Pappas said.
"One of the initiatives Toyota has already implemented is the Good For Footy Gear Grants Program which supports the on-going growth of female football by providing 100 female football clubs with uniforms designed specifically for females.
"Through this, we hope to encourage even more young girls to get involved at the grassroots level so that we can ensure the women's game continues to not only grow, but thrive," he said.
Collingwood player Isaac Quaynor and Toyota Ambassador Katie Brennan said it was exciting to be part of the dedicated round.
"Community football is where I first developed a love of the game, so it's great to be involved in the first joint AFL and AFLW dedicated Toyota Good For Footy Round which celebrates Toyota's support of our sport from grassroots football to the elite level," Quaynor said.
"I'm proud to be a Toyota Good For Footy ambassador and looking forward to playing in the joint dedicated round this weekend," Brennan said.
"It's wonderful to have the Toyota Good For Footy Gear Grants program back for another year and see the impact it has within community football to ensure more women and girls feel comfortable playing our great game."
The Toyota Good For Footy Round will kick off at the MCG for the Round 2 match between Carlton and Collingwood on Thursday March 25 and conclude on Sunday March 28.
ABOUT: The Burnside Heights Football Club competes in the Essendon District Football League and has been involved in the Toyota Good for Footy program since 2019. They were awarded a grant for their women's teams uniforms in the inaugural Toyota Good for Footy Gear Grants program in 2020 and have raised over $1000 since 2019 through the Toyota Good for Footy Raffle program in order to purchase equipment for the club.
