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Holden Restructures Collingwood FC Deal After McGuire Comments

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Holden announced this month that it will continue its partnership with the Collingwood Football Club in a newly-restructured form that will increase the effort of promoting diversity and equality on the field, in the workplace, and everywhere in between.

The partnership was recently called into question when Eddie McGuire, president of Collingwood FC, make a remark during the Big Freeze at the ‘G that suggested he would pay for the right to drown Fairfax journalist Caroline Wilson. McGuire, a preposterous tool, offered no apologies and defended his comment as “solely a joke” that he fears would become “a red herring” in the conversation about domestic violence towards women.

Holden Chairman and Managing Director Mark Bernhard said that McGuire’s comments do not reflect the values of Collingwood FC or its endeavors to promote good values in the community:

“The easy thing to do would be to walk away from Collingwood, the hard road is to stick together and work side-by-side to champion diversity and continue to drive meaningful change. That is what we have decided to do; we sponsor Collingwood, not an individual.

“Industries like automotive and sporting codes like the AFL are often viewed as ‘blokey’ and behind the times when it comes to social issues. We now have a chance to take a stronger leadership position. Large organizations such as Holden and Collingwood have an important role to play in reinforcing the values of diversity, equality and inclusion. We can be a stronger force working together.

“Myself, and the entire Holden team, remain firm in categorically rejecting the comments made by Mr. McGuire. This was a difficult decision and I sought counsel from friends, family and colleagues. Ultimately, however, our partnership is with Collingwood and the club has a strong record of championing diversity and inclusion. We want to continue to work together because this partnership is about more than just footy.”

In its restructured form, the deal between Holden and Collingwood now sees more than 50% of the automaker’s funding going toward the CFC’s women’s AFL team and its community programs. Holden will now also become a Major Partner of the CFC women’s team and its ambassador program, as well as a partner of its grassroots program.