Toyota Australia is celebrating helping grassroots football and cricket clubs raise $15 million through its Good for Footy and Good for Cricket Programs, since its inception in 2008.
Since it began, thousands of local cricket and football clubs across Australia have been supported with much-needed funding for several initiatives including purchasing new gear, equipment, and facility upgrades.
The most successful fundraising tool local clubs can access through the Good For program is the Raffle, which runs throughout football and cricket seasons.
The Raffle enables clubs to register and sell raffle tickets to their local community offering $250,000 worth of prizes, funded by Toyota, with 100 per cent of funds raised from the raffle ticket sales going directly to the club.
The Good for Programs have also included the Good for Footy Gear Grants program, which since 2020, has seen nearly 300 grassroot women's football teams supplied with grants to design and purchase new gear.
This was considered a major priority for clubs with data showing that females were often wearing hand me down ill-fitting men's guernseys, impacting their confidence when playing the game they love.
Toyota Australia Chief Marketing Officer Vin Naidoo, said that Toyota's involvement in helping to grow community sport in Australia was a point of pride for the company.
"Over the past 14 years, this support has enabled cricket and football clubs reach the combined $15 million milestone, highlighting the importance of a strong community surrounding grassroots sport across Australia." Mr Naidoo said.
"Many community sports clubs rely on funding and volunteers to keep clubs running smoothly and accessible for all, and the Good for Footy and Good for Cricket programs are a platform that not only provide financial support, but also allows players, volunteers and the wider community to rally around their local club and enjoy being part of something more than just a game of sport."
"Toyota is committed to supporting sports at all levels from grassroots through to the elite, and we're excited to kick off the launch of the 2023 Toyota Good for Footy Program, which launched on April 27."
AFL Executive General Manager Customer and Commercial Kylie Rogers said:
"Toyota has been a longstanding partner of the AFL, and a significant contributor to community football which has supported thousands of local clubs across the country," Ms Rogers said.
"The AFL, like Toyota Australia, is committed to making football accessible for all, so we're delighted to work with them to bring to life initiatives like the Good for Footy Program which continues to positively impact football communities."
James Allsopp, Cricket Australia Executive General Manager of Community Cricket and Capability said:
"Since 2012 these programs including the Toyota Good for Cricket Raffle have helped thousands of community clubs raise $5,869,425 helping them to support volunteers, provide equipment and coaching, grow participation and ensure cricket achieves its goal of being a Sport for All."
"This was particularly significant in recent years when challenges created by COVID-19, floods and bushfires created enormous challenges for community clubs and the Toyota Good for Cricket programs provided much-needed financial support.
"Congratulations to Toyota on reaching the $15 million milestone and we look forward to the next chapter in our wonderful partnership."
Other initiatives Toyota has provided through the Good for Footy programs include a Live Site in Katherine, which offered a community-centric opportunity for fans in regional NT to watch a live AFL match and gave rural teams a chance to train with elite AFL players, and through ongoing support of the AFL Premiership Cup Tour, Toyota also ensures various local and regional communities across Australia receive a visit from the AFL Premiership Cup during the Finals Series each year.
Toyota also supported community cricket clubs through its Bash for Cash initiative throughout the Big Bash League, which saw a selection of grassroots cricket clubs receive $500 per every six hit during a BBL game.
