GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – For this first time this season, several thousand fans were back inside Lambeau for the game this past weekend, and more will be back for Sunday’s game.
For Green Bay Police Commander Kevin Warych, it’s no secret things were quieter than usual on Saturday.
“Only over 8,000 fans were invited to the game, there’s really no comparison during a normal game where there’s over 84,000 fans.”
According to Green Bay Police, there were two arrests at the game and six people ejected for various fan conduct violations.
“There’s really no comparison with the fans but police officers are there just to help in anyway possible,” said Warych.
But, Warych tells FOX 11 even with fewer fans, there’s a curve ball for fan safety with COVID-19 protocols.
“With COVID upon us, the most important thing is people take every precaution possible to stay safe. They need to wear their masks all the time, they need to socially distance to minimize some of the complaints we got of people not social distancing and not wearing masks.”
As for fan engagement, during the pandemic and post season, the Packers front office has their own adjustments. Working to please two crowds, those outside Lambeau Field.
“We’ve done a lot of digital initiatives this year, but this post season is really the pep rallies,” said Packers fan engagement specialist, Haylee Helmlee. “We’re not hosting events in person, but we’re doing them online and virtually.”
As well as inside…
“There’s a lot of safety protocols in place so it was great game day environment and everyone was so loud you can tell there was a lot of energy in the building.”
But, regardless of where you watch, the Packers post-season energy is still there.
“It’s the NFC championship game at home, in Green Bay, at Lambeau Field,” said Helmlee. “so, there’s energy in the building and I think that’s coming from outside the building from our fans.”
The Packers are hosting virtual events and giveaways all week long.
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