In 2022, the Geelong Cats had an insane run to the finals that saw them take home the premiership with 133 points to the Sydney Swans’ 52. Hopes were high coming into the 2023 season, but the Cats fell short, coming in at a disappointing 12th.
Welcome back to B&T’s Spotlight on Sponsors series, where we unpack all the major sponsorship news from each NRL and AFL team in the lead-up to the new season.
In 2024, all eyes are focused on the finals series, with hopes high that they can make it back into the top eight.
With one of the longest-running partnerships in sporting history, Geelong’s fall from grace has not impacted their sponsors as they take steps toward the next dose of premiership glory.
Ford
In 2021, Ford extended their existing partnership with Geelong until the end of 2025. Having first signed in 1925, the extension took the partnership to 100 years, making it possibly the longest running sporting sponsorship in history.
The partnership solidifies the Ford logo on the front and back of players’ jerseys. It also offers Geelong members up to $2000 discount on a range of its vehicles.
“To put it into historical terms, Ford first signed on when we were making Model T and we’re still here with the Club as our Australian team works on advanced technology and engineer’s vehicles of the future. We’ve gone through nine Geelong Premierships, 18 Grand Finals, and 52 finals series together,” said Andrew Birkic, president and CEO of Ford Motor Company, Australia and New Zealand, back in 2021.
GMHBA
Having first signed in 2017, GMHBA re-signed in May last year, extending their partnership until the end of the the 2027 season. The ongoing deal sees player ambassadors participating in a range of community events and activities supported by the health insurance provider, including an annual Kids Clinic that gives up to 200 members the opportunity to be involved in a skills training session and to meet their favourite players.
GMHBA will also continue to present the weekly medical update following each round of the men’s season and will support the popular GMHBA Fan Portal, offering exclusive access to pre-game activations and the opportunity to win home game and grand final tickets.
“The Geelong Cats are a trusted and respected organisation that we are proud to share a long-term partnership with, demonstrating our commitment to improving the health and wellbeing of our members, customers and the communities in which we operate,” said GMHBA CEO David Greig. “A benefit of being local partners means we are the only brand sponsor in the AFL to offer on-ground activations at every home game, and we’re excited to make these even more interactive in 2024”.
Cotton On
That’s right, Cotton On‘s sponsorship in the sporting world extends past their support of Thanasi Kokkinakis after he went viral for wearing their $40 shorts while winning the Australian Open. The clothing brand has been supporting the club since back in 2016, when it was one of the first fashion retailers to partner with an AFL club.
The partnership sees the cotton on logo appear on the sternum and the front bottom of the 2024 players’ jerseys.
In addition to supporting the Cats, Cotton On is the official apparel partner of the AFLW, helping to design, create and deliver all 18 of the AFLW Club’s kits.
Elite Partners
- Deakin University
- Morris
- Viva Energy
- Simonds Homes
Premier Partners
- Pepperstone
- Arkana
- McDonald’s
- Jack Rabbit
- Dulux
- Krock
- Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation
- Bendigo Bank
- Morgan Stanley
- Geelong Advertiser
- Bisinella
- Telstra
- Carlton Draught
- Shojun Concrete
- Gatorade
- Cool Ridge
- Pepsi Max
- Solo
Watch this space for a breakdown of the sponsorship from each AFL team in the lead-up to the 2024 season launch next month.
Did you miss our last article? Check it out now for all the sponsor news from the Richmond Tigers.
