Midway Ford’s 40-year partnership with Swan Districts

Midway Ford is an institution of the Midland, Bassendean and Swan Valley region. So is the Swan Districts Football Club, so it’s only natural that their partnership is now celebrating its 40-year anniversary.

Midway Ford has been in operation in Midland now for over 50 years and is celebrating a 40-year association as a sponsor of the Swan Districts Football Club in 2025 which is showing no signs of slowing down.

What makes the partnership for Midway Ford Principal Dealer Ralph Cipro so special is because both his business and the Swan Districts Football Club take such pride in being part of the community.

His dealership is about much more than selling cars and Swan Districts is about much more than what happens on the field. That’s where his highlight stems from in the 21 years that he has been at Midway Ford heading up the partnership with Swans.

While the 2010 WAFL premiership will always hold a special place, it was the help that the players, coaches and support staff from Swan Districts provided to the devastating Queensland floods in 2011 that really sticks out.

That’s when Cipro realised just what an impact Midway Ford’s partnership with Swan Districts can have on communities no matter where they are.

“That premiership was special obviously and I took Josh to the game who I think was 12 at the time with one of his mates,” Cipro said.

“We were invited to the president’s lunch and we were all able to go, but we had to sit with the Claremont supporters. Their twos had won it as well and then in that fourth quarter the cup wasn’t far away from us, and Claremont was leading and they were putting the blue and gold ribbons on it.

“They quickly had to rip them off because (Andrew) Krakouer kicked that goal, and that was really good but maybe not what sticks out the most.

“What Swans do really well is invest in the community and when Greg Harding was coach, he took the whole squad up to help clean up when Queensland had those giant floods.

“That is a stronger memory than even the premiership and I still have the shirt that I wore up there all signed and framed because to me that is about giving back and helping the community. Swans is a special and unique place.”

Midway Ford was already in partnership with Swan Districts when Cipro came into his role 21 years ago, but it has only continued to grow in the years since where it is now one of a handful of Major Partners that the club has.

While still with time to go to reach the 100-year Ford sponsorship of AFL club Geelong, it’s an association that Cipro takes great pride in and being associated with Swan Districts has done nothing but good things for his business.

“We’re still 60 years behind Ford and Geelong, but my memories all go back 21 years when I started here,” Cipro said.

“The owners before me started sponsoring Swans and we have gone up quite significantly in our commitment since then, but that involvement obviously goes back a long time.

“One of the things I’m most proud of is the part we played in helping the club get through their troubles going back to around 2011 or 2012. We helped them get through that situation and these things go both ways, but in turn the club helped us start working with Rio Tinto.

“It’s been an association that’s grown and there’s lots of connections there. I played footy with Andy Holmes when we were kids so there are links everywhere and to be part of a club that is iconic in our region is something that is a great fit for us both.

“They have a fan base that supports our business and at the end of the day, you have to give money back to the community that supports you so this is a great way to do that.”

What makes the Swan Districts Football Club such a special place is the connection it has with the local community and that’s exactly why Midway Ford wants to remain in partnership in turn.

When Cipro also looks at fellow sponsors like Steel Blue which was helped to be founded by Ross Fitzgerald and then Pilbara Motor Group with one of his good friends, Dave Watson, and it really is just like one big family working for the greater good.

“You have a look at the other sponsors and they’re all people of the area. You’ve got Fitzy from Steel Blue and even PMG, he is a good mate of mine and I played a bit of a role in him ending up putting his name on the front of the jumper,” he said.

“He lives in Bassendean just around the corner from the club so we’re all local people investing in the community.

“The place is humming when Swans are doing well and that does put a smile on your face because we do feel like we are fighting against the odds out this way. We all take pride in being part of our community and it’s Swans that bring us all together.”

Cipro might not have played at WAFL level with Swan Districts himself but did have a long association firstly as a player and coach in the now Perth Football League, his son Josh has turned himself into a key player in the black-and-white jumper.

Josh is now a crucial member of the Swan Districts midfield and his first game back from a current injury will be the 100th he has played in the WAFL to see him secure his name on the No. 17 locker.

It’s always a proud moment for his dad every time Josh runs out to represent Swan Districts and it only strengthens the connection between the business and the football club.

“The next day he runs out he’ll become a 100-game player but I do try and keep Midway Ford and Josh separate as hard as that can be,” Cipro said.

“In the early days people would joke that he was only getting a game because he was son of one of the key sponsors, but if he’s about to play 100 games it suggests that he’s ceritanly earned his way.

“You’re a father of a kid who is running out there having a kick so it takes make you feel proud, but you also recognise the amount of work and effort and dedication all these boys put into it.

“These kids have Friday off and that’s it, they have footy commitments the other six days and they have to juggle work with that and some are labourers.

“Josh is lucky that he just sits on his arse here and doesn’t do a lot. But I’m proud also of the fact that he has fought through some bad injuries and has never given up, and stuck at it to now be about to get his name on the locker and hopefully he can even get to 150 and get that life membership.”