The Australian Football League on Thursday named McDonald’s Australia its 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. AFL 9s showcases the entire range of skills synonymous with Australia's Game, minus the tackling (AFL).
PARENTS ANGRY: The AAP's Leah McLennan reported an Australian parents group has "slammed the AFL for brokering a sponsorship deal with McDonald's." The Parent's Jury Campaign Manager Dimity Gannon said that parents think it is "extremely socially irresponsible for sporting organisations to be partnering with junk food companies." McDonald's Australia CEO Andrew Gregory said he rejects the idea that the
company should not "be allowed to support" organizations like the AFL. Gregory: "McDonald's
and its licensees have a long history of supporting Australian football
across the country, from grassroots sponsorships locally, to
professional partnerships in a number of states." Health and parent groups have "long been lobbying against the sponsorship"
of sport by companies such as McDonald's and KFC, which sponsors junior
cricket and water polo (AAP, 2/5).
