Toyota extends juniors sponsorship

Toyota has celebrated the New Zealand Warriors’ enthralling Toyota Cup Grand Final triumph by extending its naming-rights sponsorship of the most exciting junior competition in Australian sport for a further two years to the end of the 2012 season.<br><br>The founding sponsor of the Toyota Cup in 2008, Toyota’s ongoing commitment continues the success of a competition that has revolutionised the development of Rugby League’s rising stars, coaches and match officials and provided some of the most exciting new faces in the NRL.<br><br>The official vehicle sponsor of the NRL, Toyota’s game-wide support of Rugby League also includes the Toyota Monster Raffle, which this year raised more than $650,000 for grass-roots clubs across Australia, and One Community’s Toyota National Volunteer of the Year Award, with 2010 winner Greg Carey, from Warwick, in Queensland, to today deliver the Telstra Premiership Trophy to the ANZ Stadium crowd via the Telstra Child Flight helicopter. <br><br>“The Toyota Cup has transformed the way our next generation of NRL stars prepare for careers both on and off the field and I wish to thank Toyota for their ongoing support for a competition unique in Australian sport,” NRL Chief Executive, Mr David Gallop, said today.<br><br>“One of the great strengths of our game is that local kids can become local heroes and the Toyota Cup provides an exciting pathway for them to do it.”<br><br>Five members of the 2010 Toyota Cup Team of the Year have already played in the NRL, adding to an impressive strike-rate that has seen 27 of the previous 34 Team of the Year members compete in the top grade.<br><br>The only nationally televised junior competition in Australian sport, the Toyota Cup is a key part of a game-wide development structure that also provides players with education and workplace skills to build careers off the field as well.<br><br>More than 98% of players who participated in the 2010 are engaged in further education and workplace training as part of a competition that includes mandated non-training hours and which features matches televised nationally each week on Fox Sports.<br><br>Toyota’s Divisional Manager of Marketing, Mr Peter Webster, said that Toyota is thrilled to be announcing its renewal of the Toyota Cup sponsorship. <br><br>“Toyota is proud to be a driving force in providing education and career development training opportunities to Australia’s rising Rugby League stars,” Mr Webster said. <br>  <br>“What’s important to us is that the competition is not just about on-field activity, but instead aims to develop well-rounded individuals through varied education programs and we are especially pleased to be associated with grass-roots football through our volunteer of the year program and the Toyota Monster raffle. <br><br>“As the official vehicle sponsor of the NRL and Toyota Cup, Toyota looks forward to continuing its involvement with Rugby league, in particular those aspects of game development that will no doubt ensure the game's future success.”<br><br>