January 8, 2007 (Alexandria, VA) – Techniques for Effective Alcohol Management (TEAM) Coalition recently reported that in the last 12 months over 26,000 employees of sports and entertainment facilities were certified in the organization’s alcohol management training program. That is more than any prior year in organization’s history. The training program educates facility employees in the following areas:

• Understanding the warning signs of intoxication the factors that affect how alcohol is absorbed
• Blood Alcohol Content and how serving sizes in sports stadiums will impact BAC
• Reasonable efforts including documentation, designated driver programs, and enforcing alcohol service policies that sports facilities undertake to ensure guests have a safe experience
• Intervention techniques for all job functions, and how employees of various companies with different job functions within the building can work together to ensure a positive fan experience
• Serving guidelines including ID checking, cutting-off alcohol service, and state-specific regulations

Many individual facilities, teams, and concessionaires earned recognition for the number of employees certified in the last year.

"ARAMARK recognizes the importance of providing outstanding experiences, environments and outcomes for sports fans,” said Ned Paynter, Executive Vice President, ARAMARK Stadiums & Arenas and TEAM Coalition Executive Board Member. “As a founding member of TEAM and as part of our commitment to those we serve, we have established and continue to maintain the highest standards in the industry for the safe service of alcohol."

"Third party monitoring reports have shown marked improvements in Sportservice employees' adherence to alcohol service policies," stated Delaware North Companies Sportservice president Rick Abramson. "Sportservice will continue to set high standards when it comes to employee training, law compliance and creating a fan friendly environment."

Further, 2006 showed increased numbers of fans participating in designated driver programs across the leagues. TEAM’s Responsibility Has Its Rewards™ campaign and sweepstakes for designated drivers encourages fans to register to be a designated driver at the stadium or arena where their favorite teams compete through programs sponsored by brewers and concessionaires. Each time fans pledge to be a designated driver they are entered for a chance to follow their favorite team to the World Series®, MLS Cup™, or Super Bowl®. Over 400,000 fans from Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, and the National Football League pledged to stay sober and make sure their friends and family got home safely from the event. That represents a 67% increase from the 240,000 fans that participated in 2004 and a 33% increase from the 300,000 fans that participated in 2005.

According to TEAM Coalition Chairman and Major League Baseball Senior Vice President for Security and Facility Management, Kevin Hallinan, “TEAM has played a major role in improved fan behavior which has increased attendance at our games. We often say that TEAM stands for ‘Together Everyone Achieves More.’ So the more organizations represented on the Coalition, the better the game day experience will be for all sports fans.”

Finally, TEAM welcomes two new strategic partners – the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) and the Hero Campaign – to its unique coalition of public and private organizations. TEAM is an alliance of professional and collegiate sports, entertainment facilities, concessionaires, stadium service providers, the beer industry, broadcasters, governmental traffic safety experts, and others working together to promote responsible drinking and positive fan behavior at sports and entertainment facilities.

GHSA is the states' voice on highway safety. The 501(c)(3) nonprofit association represents the highway safety offices of states and territories. These offices work to change the behavior of drivers and other road users in order to reduce motor vehicle-related deaths and injuries. Areas of focus include: occupant protection, impaired driving and speed enforcement, as well as motorcycle, pedestrian and bicycle safety, and traffic records. The Association provides a collective voice for the states in working with Congress and the federal agencies to address the nation’s highway safety challenges. TEAM Coalition's prevention messages are a perfect complement to our effective enforcement messages and efforts," said GHSA Chairman Christopher J. Murphy. "The strategic partnership with TEAM will allow state highway safety offices to reach out even more to those who may be tempted to drink and drive, to remind them of both the alternatives and the consequences."

The HERO Campaign is dedicated to promoting designated driving and preventing drunk driving fatalities and injuries nationwide. The HERO Campaign was created by the family of Navy Ensign John R. Elliott, a recent graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy who was killed in a collision with a drunken driver in July, 2000. In addition to the HERO Campaign, the Elliott family has lobbied for tougher laws to prevent drunk drivers from resuming driving while under the influence following their arrest. Ensign Elliott was killed when a DUI suspect who had been arrested by the New Jersey State Police resumed driving after release, with tragic consequences. "The HERO Campaign is pleased and proud to be a strategic partner of TEAM Coalition, and to remind fans of the importance of being responsible and having sober designated drivers.” said William Elliott, Chairman of the HERO Campaign. “We look forward to taking the message to even more stadiums and arenas in 2007."

About TEAM Coalition:
TEAM Coalition (Techniques for Effective Alcohol Management), founded in 1985, is an alliance of professional and collegiate sports, entertainment facilities, concessionaires, stadium service providers, the beer industry, broadcasters, governmental traffic safety experts, and others working together to promote responsible drinking and positive fan behavior at sports and entertainment facilities. www.teamcoalition.org, 1800 Diagonal Road, Suite 600, Alexandria, VA 22314.