Fans of Notre Dame spring sports can now stay instantly connected to their favorite sport’s program using IRISH ALERT. The Department of Athletics at Notre Dame will keep all fans up-to-date with scores and team updates using TextCaster, a leading wireless messaging application from Kansas City-based Mobile Media Technologies LLC.

In launching Notre Dame’s IRISH ALERT coverage, four sports will be offered this spring as part of a FREE trial program. Baseball, softball, men’s lacrosse and women’s lacrosse will be covered by IRISH ALERT. Interest in the service will determine its expansion to other programs in the fall of 2006. Fans may sign up to receive the following types of information for each sport selected:

Game Updates - Scores throughout each game, including the final score. Also, fans will be immediately alerted of big game altering plays. 

Schedule Updates – Be the first to know if a game is delayed due to inclement weather or if a game has been added to the 2006 schedule. 

Web Site Alerts – Periodic updates on stories, releases and statistics updated on www.und.com

To sign up for the new Irish Alerts, the school has installed a link on the homepage of its Web site, www.und.com, where patrons can opt into the service and select the sports category and information they wish to receive. Interested fans currently may select the appropriate sports category to receive.

TextCaster is an FCC CAN SPAM Compliant communication service. According to Mobile Media CEO Rob Sweeney, “The opt-in aspect wards off unwanted spam, which is a major concern of wireless carriers, school administrators and message recipients alike.” After a new subscriber enters a cell phone number when opting into the service via the Web site, an authorization code is sent as a text message to their cell phone. He or she must then enter the unique authorization code to complete the registration process. “It’s very simple to use for our clients like Notre Dame and their subscribers,” added Sweeney.