Toyota Forklifts and Essendon FC partner up for debut AFLW season

BY TMHA VICE PRESIDENT & CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, CAMERON PAXTON.

At Toyota Material Handling Australia (TMHA), we are very proud to take part in a piece of AFL football history, having joined as co-major partner for the Essendon Football Club Women’s Team.

While the AFLW competition has now entered its seventh season, 2022 marks the first year Essendon has expanded its proud club history to include a women’s team.

Earlier in the year, TMHA with our Toyota Forklifts brand announced it would partner as a co-major sponsor of the AFLW Bombers for four years, as the club looks to establish itself in the now 18-team competition.

Our sponsorship includes Toyota Forklift signage alternating on both the front and the back of the players’ jumpers underneath their numbers.

We are honoured to support the growth of women’s sport and inclusivity in Australia, as the AFLW expands to mirror the men’s competition with 18 teams.

The four-year partnership will help ensure Essendon is best placed to establish itself as a force in the AFLW, and the results have so far been both exciting and promising.

The AFLW season is now underway, with the Bombers sitting inside the top eight after three rounds with a positive 2-1 win/loss record.

This included a stirring 26-point win against traditional rival and fellow expansion team Hawthorn in Round 1, with the team showing a determination and toughness that perfectly matches our company’s values.

TMHA and Essendon announced the partnership back in March, supported by inaugural AFLW signing and leadership group member Georgia Nanscawen.

Essendon’s inaugural AFLW side is co-captained by former Western Bulldogs premiership player and childhood Bombers supporter Bonnie Toogood and 44-game Fremantle veteran Steph Cain.

We will be keenly cheering on Essendon for the rest of the 10-game AFLW season, and hope that they can push for finals which would be a huge achievement in their first year in the competition.

There is also a clear sense of pride at being involved in the expansion of this great game that will provide inspiration and opportunities for all community members to play the sport.

We wish Essendon all the best for the rest of the 2022 season, and look forward to seeing the club go from strength to strength over the course of the next four years.