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TOYOTA EXTENDS CROWS SPONSORSHIP TO 29 YEARS (578)

Toyota Australia has extended its successful sponsorship of the Adelaide Crows until at least the end of the 2019 AFL season.

The major partnership agreement will bring Toyota's support for the Crows to 29 years, making it one of the most enduring sponsorships in Australian sport.

Toyota has backed Adelaide since the club played its first AFL season in 1991 - the same year Toyota first became the nation's best-selling automotive brand.

Adelaide Crows CEO Andrew Fagan said Toyota's long-term commitment was instrumental in the club's success on and off the field.

"Toyota and Adelaide have much in common: we both have a winning culture and an uncompromising pursuit of excellence through passion, innovation and hard work," Mr Fagan said.

"We are also proud that the Adelaide Football Club has played a part in Toyota's rise to become the dominant automotive company in SA as well as nationally," he said.

Toyota Australia's divisional manager marketing Brad Cramb said both the company and the club had benefited from a consistent, long-term relationship.

"Today's Adelaide players have grown up with the Toyota sponsorship in place - in fact, more than half the current senior list wasn't even born when our relationship began," he said.

"We look forward to the Toyota Crows finishing strongly in the top eight again this year - and, once the Toyota AFL finals series begins, anything is possible."

Adelaide has won two AFL premierships (1997 and 1998) and appeared in 13 finals series, including a semi-final last year against eventual Toyota AFL premiers Hawthorn.

Toyota became the top-selling automotive brand in SA in 2007 - a position it has held ever since. It has been the national best-seller 19 times, including every year since 2003.

At a national level, Toyota is noted for its sponsorship of sport, which is characterised by a shared passion for people, activities and organisations that benefit the community.

Toyota is the Premier Partner of the Australian Football League, a position it has held for 13 years, with a particular emphasis on the grassroots Good for Footy program that supports local clubs.

It recently signed as the exclusive automotive partner of the Australian Olympic Team for this year's Games in Rio de Janeiro and the PyeongChang Winter Games in 2018, and continues as an official sponsor of the Australian Paralympic Team and Cricket Australia.

Toyota's other sponsorships include National Tree Day, the largest community-based nature care activity in Australia.