McDonald’s named AFL 9s partnerThursday, February 5, 2015 - 1:11 PM

The AFL today announced McDonald’s Australia as the League’s official restaurant partner and new naming rights sponsor of the competition’s nine-a-side, social version of Australian football, AFL 9s.

The four-year agreement will see McDonald’s Australia take over naming rights for AFL 9s community programs around the country. AFL 9s is a non-contact game suitable for people of all ages, skill levels and abilities. With 180 competitions and more than 17,000 participants around the country, AFL 9s has established itself as a key part of the AFL’s community participation pathway in recent years.

AFL Chief Executive Officer, Gillon McLachlan, said AFL 9s would continue to grow as a result of this partnership.

“AFL 9s is a key part of our participation growth strategy and has proven to be enormously popular on a national scale due to its broad appeal,” Mr. McLachlan said.

“We’re seeing more and more people taking up AFL 9s and through the support of McDonald’s we look forward to the continued development of this accessible, exciting version of the game.”

McDonald’s Australia Chief Executive Officer, Andrew Gregory, said that he hoped the partnership could help to grow participation in Australian football across the country.

“Australian football is a sport that so many of our people – from our crew, through to our licensees and head office employees – are involved with and passionate about,” Mr. Gregory said.

“McDonald’s has a long history of supporting footy in Australia at both a grassroots and professional level. We see this partnership as a great way to get more people playing and following the great game of Australian football, and look forward to working together with the AFL to further grow participation in AFL 9s.”

AFL 9s showcases the entire range of skills synonymous with Australia's Game, minus the tackling. The current AFL 9s season is already underway, for further information or to register a team, visit http://afl9s.com.au/