AFL Aussie rules football club the Geelong Cats has extended what it claims is a record sponsorship deal with US automotive manufacturer Ford.
The Australian division of the company has agreed to a five-year renewal of its partnership with the Cats, which will now run until the end of 2020. Financial terms of the new agreement, which includes continued branding for Ford on the Cats jersey, were not disclosed.
Graeme Whickman, president and chief executive of Ford of Australia, said: “Soon after Ford put the world on wheels, Ford of Australia pioneered sports marketing when we forged a partnership with the Geelong Cats in 1925 by first offering jobs for the players at our new local operations.
“The sponsorship extension symbolises our ongoing investment in Australia and Geelong, including our advanced Research and Development Centre in Geelong and You Yangs Proving Grounds (Ford’s testing sites) near the city that are part of the A$300m (€200m/$219m) in research and development investment in this year alone.”
Ford first teamed up with Geelong in 1925 and the two parties have been in partnership ever since. The club claims it is the longest running partnership in world sport.