Toyota South Africa Motors renews contract with Free State Cheetahs for another three-year period.
Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) is pleased to announce the renewal of the Toyota Free State Cheetahs sponsorship for another three years. This contract will include the title sponsorship for the SuperRugby team as well as the Currie Cup and junior teams.
TSAM over the past three years has cemented its support and commitment to both the Cheetahs and the Free State. The sponsorship has created incredible opportunities for Toyota to interact with not only Cheetahs fans but rugby supporters across South Africa. The sponsorship has included coaching clinics for children in Bloemfontein, a Fan of the Match award at every home game, Toyota Owners Parking and a new edition Toyota Day.
The next three years for Toyota and the Cheetahs will focus on engaging with fans and supporters around South Africa and the world. This kicked off with a partnership with Toyota Verblitz in Japan. This partnership, established in 2015, will see the two clubs share personnel and players to foster talent and growth for both clubs. This partnership has already seen former Springbok, Os du Randt travel to Japan as forward and scrum coach of Verblitz. It has also seen a player exchange between the two clubs, of which, lock Francois Uys was the first player to transfer to the Japanese Club.
A new addition to the contract is the title sponsorship of the Free State Stadium which will become the Toyota Stadium.
“The Free State is home to a lot of rugby talent on and off the field. We are proud to be associated with the Free State Rugby Union and stadium. We believe that a holistic sponsorship of the union creates a unique opportunity for the Toyota brand to not only be associated with rugby but with other sporting codes as well,” says Calvyn Hamman, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Toyota South Africa Motors.
Furthermore, TSAM has chosen three players who will be driving the New Generation Hilux, launching next week. The three chosen ambassadors will be proud drivers of a fully accessorised and branded Hilux and will form part of the company’s Hilux Tough Ambassador programme. The three players are Springbok’s Oupa Mohoje and Lood de Jager, and Cheetah Captain Francois Venter. The Toyota Cheetahs will proudly wear a once-off special edition black playing kit for the first game against the Argentinine Jaguars to celebrate the launch of the NG Hilux.
The Toyota Stadium will be clad in the Toyota Red with exterior signage and projections on the building that will light up the Bloemfontein sky at night. All of this will complement the existing interior signage including the new Toyota red player seats.
“All of this activity will supplement the annual activations like Toyota Day. This sponsorship is important to Toyota for the opportunities it creates for young talented players in the Free State and surrounding areas. Toyota has been involved in sport for a long time and we believe it is an important part of youth development. It is also important as the Stadium sponsorship will allow us to talk to a new audience.”
“Toyota wishes the Cheetahs the best of luck for the season ahead. We are confident that they will play their hearts out and make us and all their supporters proud,” concludes Hamman.
