The AFL has announced an extension of its partnership with Thrifty through to 2024, with the brand to become the official car hire partner of the AFLQ and the AFL Corporation.

Thrifty first partnered with the league ahead of the 2020 season and will provide opportunities throughout the partnership for fans to receive discounted offers on car hires.

AFL executive general manager of customer and commercial, Kylie Rogers, said the partnership extension is a great show of strength of the ongoing 2022 AFLW season.

“We’re delighted to have Thrifty join us as the official car hire partner of the AFL Women’s and Men’s season,” Rogers said.

“The 2022 NAB AFLW competition has been an exciting season of football so far and with more brands like Thrifty joining the fold, the game will continue to go from strength to strength,” she said.

Thrifty vice president of APAC, Eoin MacNeill, said: “On behalf of the whole Thrifty team we are thrilled about the partnership with the AFLW.”

“We’re passionate about supporting the growth and ongoing success of the league and its players.

“It has been a fantastic start to the 2022 season and we’re pleased to be part of it,” MacNeill said.

Elsewhere, the AFLW 2022 season continues to battle challenges caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, with the league being forced to reschedule matches due to multiple players from clubs remaining in the league’s health and safety protocols.

The latest change saw the Collingwood and West Coast Eagles matchup scheduled to be played on Tuesday rescheduled to round six due to multiple athletes on the West Coast Eagles remaining under the protocols.

AFL general manager of competition management, Laura Kane, said the league will continue to work closely with impacted teams to arrange fixture changes and monitor the situation across the league.

“While the ongoing pandemic continues to impact and challenge our competition and our wider community, we remain committed to progressing the season as safely as possible,” Kane said.

“In line with the AFLW’s COVID match rescheduling guidelines, which states a team is required to have a minimum 16 primary-listed players and five train-on players available to play, the league received a request from the West Coast Eagles which detailed multiple players from their program were currently in AFL health and safety protocols,” she said.