THE AFL has announced it has extended its partnership with Toyota Australia until at least the end of the 2011 season.

The partnership between Australia's leading car company and the league began in 2004, and was officially expanded for a further three years on Monday at Telstra Dome.

AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou said it was pleasing to extend the arrangement with the company, and thanked Toyota for the amount of support it has already provided.

"A key element of our game, without a doubt, is our premier partner Toyota," Demetriou said, from the Toyota Aurion Zone at the Docklands venue.

"Toyota's contribution to football needs little introduction. As the naming rights partner for our season and our finals, they've demonstrated their absolute commitment to growing our game with our shared values.

"Since 2004, Toyota's commitment to the premiership season and AFL finals series has no doubt entrenched our position as the No.1 sport in this country.

"The biggest contribution they've made to the football landscape in recent years has been the way in which they have retold, in their own unique way, stories of the past in the Toyota Most Memorable ads."

Toyota Australia senior executive director David Buttner also said his company will continue to support the Grass Roots Footy Program throughout the duration of the new contract.

"It's a pleasure to be here today after four years of being the premier partner of the AFL and premiership series," he said.

"Our dealers in southern New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania have really got behind the football brand, and in the last four years have contributed over $1 million to grass roots football, supporting those clubs where the future champions come from.

"As well as committing today, over the next three years from 2009 until 2011, we deem to invest another $1 million into grass roots football."