Los Angeles, Cali. (11/21/2011) – As the Houston Dynamo and LA Galaxy close the door on the 2011 season after amazing performances at MLS Cup 2011TM, one fan from the Houston Dynamo is reminiscing about the experience of a lifetime even with the loss to the Galaxy at MLS Cup 2011. Taleisha Ward was selected as the grand prize winner of the “Responsibility Has Its Rewards” sweepstakes. Ward, a Dynamo fan from Fresno, Texas, attended MLS Cup 2011 at Home Depot Center in Carson, California. She was randomly chosen from among the nearly 12,000 fans who pledged to be designated drivers at MLS games throughout the 2011 season, ensuring a safe ride home for her friends and family.
(l to r) Jill Pepper, Executive Director of TEAM Coalition; Taleisha Ward, Houston Dynamo Designated Driver for the Season; Rowsheka Cobbs, guest; David Henson, Anheuser-Busch.“One of Major League Soccer’s top priorities is the safety of our fans, and our partnership with TEAM Coalition is an excellent program that provides a positive message,” said Evan Dabby, MLS senior director of Operations and TEAM Coalition third Vice Chairman. “We’re pleased to work with TEAM Coalition to promote responsible habits.”For the sixth consecutive season, Major League Soccer (MLS), Techniques for Effective Alcohol Management (TEAM) Coalition and Anheuser-Busch joined together to make more fans aware of the League’s designated-driver programs, including the Budweiser Good Sport partnership with the Dynamo and Galaxy. The designated-driver programs and the Responsibility Has Its Rewards sweepstakes promote traffic safety by encouraging responsible drinking and positive fan behavior.
“Tying the ‘Responsibility Has Its Rewards’ sweepstakes to our season-long Good Sport program makes for a winning combination,” said Kathy Casso, vice president of Corporate Social Responsibility for Anheuser-Busch. “We’re pleased to work with MLS, the Dynamo, LA Galaxy, TEAM and the other program partners to recognize fans who look out for each other and make a designated driver part of their game plan. When it comes to preventing drunk driving, we’re all part of the team.”
As the Dynamo Designated Driver for the Season, Ward received two tickets to MLS Cup 2011, roundtrip airfare and hotel accommodations as well as a halftime photo on the field and a meeting with MLS officials.
During the 2011 MLS regular season, 11,872 soccer fans planned ahead and made the responsible, winning play by pledging to be designated drivers.
The top three MLS clubs for designated drivers in 2011 are:
- Seattle Sounders FC: 3,407 designated drivers
- Real Salt Lake: 1,945 designated drivers
- New England Revolution: 1,311 designated drivers
“This promotion is an opportunity for MLS to show support for the clubs’ efforts in coordination with the concessionaires, the brewers and the local beer wholesalers to encourage responsible fan behavior,” said Jill Pepper, executive director, TEAM Coalition. “For fans, it’s a great reminder that responsibility really does have its rewards.”
About TEAM Coalition TEAM Coalition is an alliance of professional and collegiate sports, entertainment facilities, concessionaires, stadium service providers, the beer industry, distillers, broadcasters, traffic safety experts and others working together to promote responsible drinking and positive fan behavior at sports and entertainment facilities. TEAM Coalition members and supporters include Major League Soccer, Major League Baseball, NASCAR, National Basketball Association, National Football League, National Hockey League, National Collegiate Athletic Association, ARAMARK, Delaware North Companies – Sportservice, Ovations Food Services, Beer Institute, National Beer Wholesalers Association, Anheuser-Busch Companies, MillerCoors, Brown-Forman, Live Nation, National Association of Broadcasters, Contemporary Services Corporation, Elite Show Services, International Association of Venue Managers, Stadium Managers Association and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
For more information, please visit www.TEAMCoalition.org or www.RHIR.org.
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