Kansas City, Aug. 2, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Major League Soccer (MLS), Sporting Kansas City, Budweiser and TEAM Coalition encouraged fans to be responsible and respect others while attending the 2013 AT&T MLS All-Star Game on Wednesday, July 31, 2013 at Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kansas. Responsibility elements included the Budweiser Good Sport program, safe-ride home options and the Responsibility Has Its Rewards sweepstakes for designated drivers.
Budweiser Good Sport is a comprehensive action plan that encourages a positive crowd environment by reminding fans to be responsible, respect the rights of others and use a designated driver. The program is supported by Budweiser brewer Anheuser-Busch and its Kansas City-area wholesalers along with MLS, TEAM Coalition, Sporting Park, Delaware North Companies Sports Services and local law enforcement.
Responsibility Has Its Rewards is an MLS league-wide sweepstakes which rewards one randomly-selected fan who pledged to be a designated driver during the previous regular season with a trip to the All-Star Game. This year's winner is Herb Weltig, a responsible New York Red Bulls fan who attended the 2013 AT&T MLS All-Star Game with his guest, Gene Rynkowski. Weltig was recognized on the field, serving as a representative of the 22,738 MLS fans who pledged to be designated drivers last season.
"One of Major League Soccer's top priorities is the safety of our fans, and our partnerships with Budweiser and TEAM Coalition include excellent programs that provide positive messages for our fans," said Evan Dabby, Senior Director of Supporter Relations and Safety for MLS. "We're pleased to work with Budweiser and TEAM Coalition to promote responsible habits."
462 adult soccer fans pledged to be responsible at the 2013 AT&T MLS All-Star Game. All soccer fans who visited the TEAM Coalition booth received a souvenir photo displaying the responsibility message along with All-Star images.
"Anheuser-Busch has led our industry in promoting responsible drinking for more than 30 years and Budweiser Good Sport is one of our most visible programs, which reminds fans who choose to drink, to do so responsibly and get their friends home safely," said Kathy Casso, vice president, Corporate Social Responsibility at Anheuser-Busch. "We all share the same streets after the game. This partnership with Major League Soccer, participating stadiums, concessionaires, TEAM Coalition and soccer fans displays our collective responsibility to help keep our roads safe."
MLS clubs promote responsible drinking among soccer fans by implementing designated driver programs at their stadiums throughout the season. Anheuser-Busch and its wholesalers provide Budweiser Good Sport fan responsibility programs with 10 MLS clubs.
"The success of the Responsibility Has Its Rewards campaign with Major League Soccer and Budweiser is a direct result of the commitment from the League, the MLS clubs, the wholesalers, concessionaires and all the campaign partners," said Jill Pepper, executive director of TEAM Coalition. "Teamwork is what this campaign is all about. We are demonstrating that when everyone - including the fans - takes responsibility, everyone wins."
About MLS
Headquartered in New York City, Major League Soccer is the top-flight professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. MLS features many stars from the U.S., Canada, and around the world. Major League Soccer's 18th season features 19 clubs each playing 34 regular-season matches. Those clubs include the Chicago Fire; Chivas USA; Colorado Rapids; Columbus Crew; D.C. United; FC Dallas; Houston Dynamo; 2012 MLS Cup champion LA Galaxy; Montreal Impact; New York Red Bulls; New England Revolution; Philadelphia Union; Portland Timbers; Real Salt Lake; San Jose Earthquakes; Seattle Sounders FC; Sporting Kansas City; Toronto FC and Vancouver Whitecaps FC. New York City FC was unveiled May 21, 2013. For more information about MLS, log on to the league's official website at www.MLSsoccer.com .
About Anheuser-Busch
For more than three decades, Anheuser-Busch and its nationwide network of wholesalers have invested more than $980 million in national advertising campaigns and community-based programs to promote responsible drinking, prevent underage drinking and drunk driving and address college issues. For more information on these alcohol responsibility efforts and the progress being made, visit www.anheuser-busch.com .
About TEAM Coalition
TEAM Coalition is an alliance of professional and collegiate sports, entertainment facilities, concessionaries, 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, National Basketball Association, NASCAR, 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, International Association of Venue Managers, Stadium Managers Association and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
For more information, go to www.TEAMCoalition.org , www.ResponsibilityHasItsRewards.org .
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A photo accompanying this release is available at:
http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=20218
Beth Kerley - Budweiser (314) 765-2329 or Jill Pepper -TEAM Coalition (703) 647-7431 or
