The Western Bulldogs have received a major boost in their bid for long-term survival in the AFL competition with the signing of a major sponsor.

Fleet management group LeasePlan has signed a three-year $3 million deal, with an option for a further three years.

The Bulldogs did not have a major sponsor last year, and instead negotiated a series of ad-hoc week-by-week arrangements, of which LeasePlan had the longest for six weeks.

The club had long struggled financially, and was now in receipt of emergency annual funding from the AFL to make ends meet.

The Bulldogs recorded a $2.8 million loss last season and players have since agreed to sharp pay cuts that meant the club would pay out just 92.5 per cent of the salary cap in 2003.

Highly regarded coach Terry Wallace quit the club at the end of 2002 after much frustration with the Bulldogs' financial plight.

"Since the end of last season we have talked about the new breed of Bulldog and the signing of LeasePlan as the Western Bulldogs' new major sponsor shows that the talk has stopped and we are now delivering," Western Bulldogs president David Smorgon said.

"It sends a very powerful message to everyone in the football community who have questioned the Western Bulldogs' long-term future in the AFL competition."

The sponsorship also includes monetary incentives for the club based on its performance over the next three years.

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