TEAM Coalition (Techniques for Effective Alcohol Management) proudly recognized this year’s training certification and designated driver program award winners at the 2015 MLB FESTOPS meeting on Wednesday, November 18, 2015. TEAM Coalition is a unique alliance of professional and collegiate sports, entertainment facilities, concessionaires, stadium service providers, the beer industry, distillers, broadcasters, governmental traffic safety experts and others working together to promote responsible drinking and positive fan behavior at sports and entertainment facilities.
“Alcohol management training and certification is the bread and butter of what the Coalition offers its members. No other league embraces the training program as significantly as Major League Baseball,” said Jill Pepper, TEAM executive director. “More than half of the 30 MLB Clubs earned training awards this year. That is truly remarkable. It is a testament to MLB’s commitment to employee training and its positive impact on fan behavior.”
In 2015, more than 64,000 employees from 162 facilities became certified in the training program. The 20,000 employees of MLB ballparks that became TEAM-certified in 2015 – including ushers, ticket takers, guest services representatives and the employees of concessionaire companies – represented 28% of that total. Click here to see all the MLB training award winners. Special recognition was given to Charles Miller, Guest Services Manager for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Charles single-handedly trained and certified 938 Pirates employees during the 2015 season. That is an incredible commitment to TEAM training.
A record-breaking 605,000 MLB fans pledged to be designated drivers during the 2015 MLB season. The Designated Drivers for the Season from the Kansas City Royals, Heather Vengley, and the New York Mets, Stephanie Fitzpatrick, attended the 2015 World Series Games 1 and 3, respectively, as the grand prize winners of the Responsibility Has Its Rewards sweepstakes for designated drivers. At the 2015 MLB FESTOPS meetings, the Designated Driver for the Season for the Boston Red Sox, George Dainis, was selected as the first prize winner of the Responsibility Has Its Rewards sweepstakes. George and a guest will attend the 2016 MLB All-Star Game and Home Run Derby at Petco Park in San Diego, CA home of the San Diego Padres.
At the FESTOPs meeting, the Top 5 MLB Clubs for Designated Drivers were recognized, in addition to the Club with the greatest increase in participation in the designated driver program. Click here to see the MLB designated driver program winners. In conjunction with Budweiser, the official beer of MLB, TEAM Coalition supported five Budweiser Good Sport Designated Driver Challenges. Eleven Clubs participated. Click here to see the Designated Driver Challenge winners.
2015 was a record-setting season for MLB in terms of designated drivers and ballpark employees becoming TEAM certified. Congratulations to all the award winners.
