The Geelong Cats and Ford extend their century-long partnership
The Geelong Football Club and Ford Motor Company signed a five-year extension to their historic century-long partnership, the longest in professional sport.
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Following Geelong Football Club and Ford’s milestone century-long partnership, the two organisations have signed a five-year partnership extension.
The announcement was made at GMHBA stadium on Friday night, in front of a Cats home crowd.
Geelong has a long-held connection to the Ford Motor Company, with the city being the site of the car company’s first assembly plant.
The partnership extension will see Ford maintain not just its front-of-guernsey placement in the Cats AFL and AFLW teams, but will now appear on VFL and VFLW guernseys.
It is believed to be the world’s longest partnership in professional sport, beginning in 1925.
Geelong Football Club chief executive Steve Hocking pointed to the importance of the partnership over the past 100 years.
“Together over the course of a century, the Geelong Football Club and Ford Motor Company have shared people and place, ideas and aspirations, 10 premierships and countless more achievements,” Mr Hocking said.
“We are united by a fundamental passion for high performance and a relentless pursuit of progress. While we have 100 years of history at our back, it’s the next evolutions of our organisations and our partnership that excite us more than anything else.”
“We’re proud of being the longest, and we’re committed to going the furthest. We’re driving forward together and there’s nothing more unmistakably Geelong than that.”
Ford chief executive Andrew Birkic said the car manufacturers were “so proud” of the Cats partnership.
“The partnership with the Cats is one we are so proud of, with the past 100 years being a testament to the strength and shared values of community, commitment and respect between our two organisations.
“While a lot has changed in Australia over the past century, Ford’s commitment to the Geelong Football Club has not.
“ We’re excited to build on this rich legacy and raising the bar for what’s possible with this extraordinary partnership – on and off the field,” Mr Birkic said.
The Cats wore a commemorative guernsey at Friday night’s game to celebrate the century-long partnership.
A Ford motorcade opened the game, with club luminaries taking their seat in the eight cars. Zach Tuohy, Tom Hawkins and Joel Selwood were among the passengers, alongside inaugural AFLW captain Melissa Hickey, and past club heroes Fred Wooller and Paul Chapman.
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Originally published as The Geelong Cats and Ford extend their century-long partnership
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