ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA -- TEAM Coalition (Techniques for Effective Alcohol Management) announces the second year of the organization’s drunk driving prevention initiative, TEAM Up 2 Win!® TEAM Coalition 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.  This national program capitalizes on the excitement of the 2009 NCAA® Men’s Final Four® and encourages fans to celebrate responsibly.

Nationwide, nearly thirty companies and organizations have registered for the program in anticipation of NCAA® March Madness®.  For a complete list of the participating companies, please send your request to Jill Pepper at TEAM Coalition via e-mail at jill@teamcoalition.org or by phone at 703-647-7431.

Employees and members of participating organizations must make the “Responsibility Has Its Rewards” pledge to:

•     Never drive drunk

•     Always have a designated driver

•     Never provide alcohol to anyone under 21 years of age

•     Always buckle up every trip every time

Participants who make the pledge are encouraged to wear their favorite NCAA basketball teams' jersey, logo apparel or colors during a designated time during the 2009 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship.

Those participants who pledge have a chance to win the grand prize, a trip for two to the 2009 NCAA Men’s Final Four, provided courtesy of the NCAA.  The prize includes airfare and hotel for two guests to Detroit and two tickets to the 2009 NCAA Men's Final Four games on Saturday, April 4th and two tickets to the championship game on Monday, April 6th at Ford Field.

TEAM Coalition executive director, Jill Pepper, said, “TEAM Up 2 Win! reaches fans beyond the stadium or arena, reminding them to celebrate responsibly as they cheer on their favorite team.”

Visit TEAMUp2Win.org for more information.  The Web site offers easy instructions to implement the program and manage participation online.  Organizers create a unique Web site for participants to learn about the program, make the “Responsibility Has Its Rewards” pledge and make an optional donation to TEAM Coalition.  Participants must be 21 years of age or older.  Participating companies cannot use NCAA trademarks, logos or references to the NCAA championship in any materials, press releases or other internal or external communications.

A donation to TEAM Coalition is suggested, but not required for participation in TEAM Up 2 Win!  Any donations collected directly support TEAM Coalition's efforts to promote responsible drinking and prevent drunk driving.

Mary Wilfert, associate director of Health and Safety for the NCAA, said, “As a member of TEAM Coalition, the NCAA is very excited to partner with the TEAM Up 2 Win® promotion, and to encourage fans of NCAA March Madness to make their responsibility pledges so that all basketball fans can safely enjoy the games!”

ABOUT TEAM

TEAM Coalition is a 501c3 nonprofit 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. Visit www.teamcoalition.org for more details.

ABOUT the NCAA

The NCAA is a membership-led nonprofit association of colleges and universities committed to supporting academic and athletics opportunities for more than 400,000 student-athletes at more than 1,000 member colleges and universities.  Each year, more than 54,000 student-athletes compete in NCAA championships in Divisions I, II and III sports. Visit www.NCAA.org and www.NCAA.com for more details about the Association, its goals and members and corporate partnerships that help support programs for student-athletes.  Importantly, the NCAA opposes all sports wagering. This application should not be used for sweepstakes, contests, office pools or other gambling activities.

The NCAA is proud to have the following elite companies as official Corporate Champions - AT&T, Coca-Cola and Pontiac - and the following elite companies as official Corporate Partners -  Enterprise, The Hartford, Hershey’s, Lowe's, Sheraton and State Farm.