GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – Although no fans will be in attendance, crews at Lambeau Field still have some preparations to finish ahead of the first Packers home game of the season.
As media toured the stadium bowl Tuesday morning, tarps were being installed over the first few rows closest to the field. The designs on the tarps vary from the classic Packers ‘G’ to other team partners to messages like ‘Packers United’ and ‘Honor Those on the Front Lines’.
That means any Lambeau Leaps on Sunday would be welcomed by a large sponsor, rather than the beer-filled hands of die-hard fans.
“Some partners of the Packers have the opportunity in this new way of showing their partnership with the team. That’s one of the many adjustments that are being made,” said Packers Public Affairs Director Aaron Popkey. “The stadium will be ready operationally. A lot of preparation went into what’s going to take place in terms of what’s needed for both teams, the game crew, the broadcast crew.”
Tarps with team partners and messages cover the first several rows surrounding the field at Lambeau Field on September 15, 2020. (PHOTO/WTAQ News)
Since March, the organization has been making constant adjustments and efforts to engage in the new way of doing things. That includes restricting the number of people in the building.
“We’ve got people here on site that are working every day – mainly people connected with the football operations. League-wide, the NFL still has a cap on the number of employees in the facility so a lot of us are still working remotely,” Popkey said. “There’s been a lot of information has been given out to all the clubs and how they need to engage those protocols at their facilities…Really everybody that’s involved in putting on the games has had to put in some time and extra effort and understanding to adopt all these changes and we feel really good about where we’re at, and looking forward to Sunday…As we get ready to have our first home game, I think it’s just a realization that we’re still continuing to do the things the way we need to do them.”
Even the engagement with fans and the community hasn’t quite what it usually is – as the organization, like many others, struggled to find it’s footing amid the coronavirus pandemic. But once things were able to open up again, it gave the team an opportunity to better reconnect.
“Ways that we usually get ready for the season, we didn’t have any of that for the general public and we recognize that. As we were able to open up the atrium again, I think that was helpful – and the pro shop, the hall of fame, and 1919 [Kitchen and Tap],” Popkey told WTAQ News. “I remember being here the first day the pro shop opened, and could tell there was this desire to connect and engage. So that was that was fun to see.”
Another piece of that puzzle is the Gameday-To-Go food service, offering usual Lambeau Field cuisine via takeout from the Johnsonville Tailgate Village.
Even with a no-fan policy for the first home game, the team is hoping to keep that connection with the fanbase and community as the Detroit Lions come to town.
“Even though we won’t have fans at the game on Sunday, it’ll still be a great energy in the community that comes with having a game. I think there was a sense of that last weekend with getting that first game going,” Popkey said. “With the game here at the stadium I think there will still be some energy in the community, so that’s good. I think everyone just needs to keep working toward being able to engage down the road more.”
There are currently no plans to take after other leagues and even other NFL teams who have placed cardboard fan cutouts in the stands. But the organization is looking into other ideas to find ways to engage, whether it’s in the stadium or with new and different online platforms.
However on game day, for the first time in decades, Lambeau Field will not be filled to the brim with fans. The only people who will even be allowed parking access will be the essential staff and the teams. That change, and how it works, will be something the organization keeps a close eye on this weekend.
“Operationally, we’ll see how things go this weekend. And after that, I think it’s just taking a look at where the pandemic is here locally. We know where the numbers are in Brown County, we know where they are statewide,” Popkey said. “Hopefully we get these numbers down to where we could be in a situation where we could consider having fans at a game. So I think the general message there is just to encourage people to continue to mask, proper hygiene, and all those things…If we do get to a point where we’re going to have plans to at least expect to have fans at a game, we’re working through the final details now of what that ticket program would look like – in terms of the sale being online and how that would work.”
The Packers will host the Detroit Lions at noon this Sunday.
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