
The Green Bay Packers presented no less than seven possible options for expanding Lambeau Field to focus groups, Friday morning.
The plans would increase seating and change the layout of Lambeau Field in the south end zone and they have the potential to add 6,000 to 8,000 seats to the 72,928-seat venue.
Here are the options the Packers presented, according to the Journal Sentinel.
1. A tailgate-theme area, with barbecues, seating in front and picnic tables in the back.
2. A large seating area, half of it indoor and half of it outdoor.
3. A Bavarian-style brew-pub setting, in which fans would sit at long tables to watch the game.
4. A play-zone area, featuring pool tables, arcade games and other interactive types of games. This area would have minimal seating, according to the rendering shown to attendees.
5. A fully enclosed press box-type setting, in which radio or TV stations could host live events, and fans would sit in traditional seats. One attendee said this concept called for moving the current press box to the south end-zone area, and building the new press box-themed area for fans in the current press box area. The current press box is in the southwest corner of the stadium.
6. Another concept would be the creation of a restaurant along the lines of Friday’s Front Row Sports Grill at Miller Park. Fans would be able to sit at tables and watch the game at the restaurant. The Packers presumably would contract with a national chain to run the restaurant.
7. There was some talk of a rooftop type setting, similar in nature to what fans can do in buildings across the street from Wrigley Field in Chicago. Cubs fans sit in bleachers atop buildings on Waveland and Sheffield avenues.
The Journal Sentinel’s Don Walker also mentions the possibility of a simple expansion of club seats, which would add the aforementioned 6,000 to 8,000 new seats to Lambeau.
Whatever project the Packers end up choosing wouldn’t be completed in time for this season, but this is ultimately good news for fans, especially those on the season-ticket waiting list.
It’s also good news for the Packers’ bottom line. Expanding Lambeau Field will generate additional revenue for the team and allow the Packers to remain competitive financially with clubs who have new stadiums, such as those in Dallas and East Rutherford, New Jersey, where the Giants and Jets will open the New Meadowlands this season. NFL teams keep all of the revenue generated by their stadiums.
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Wild, none of those things would hurt. Have any other stadiums tried the Bavarian thing?
While I fully approve of anything involving the words “Bavarian” and “beer”, this is all misplaced. I’ll repeate my same four thoughts that I commented on in the jsonline article on the subject:
1) Max out revenue. More capacity = more fans.
2) Brown County residents already do get a benefit for their tax money. They get a lot of tax revenue back from the team staying in Green Bay. Oh, and they also have a lottery of single game tickets that only Brown County residents can apply to. Not a lot of tickets, but its still something.
3) Here’s what I want: a supporter’s section. Like what you see at soccer games, or like a student section at college sports. A section where fans are ENCOURAGED to stand, sing, chant and cheer all they want. These sorts of things would really add an edge to the Lambeau experience… things that canned music over the PA, little handheld TVs for the rich people, bland restaurants and pointless Miller Light End Zone sectiosn don’t do. They did something similar to boost the mauseleum-like atmosphere at Bucks games this year, and I thought it was really nice (even if Bucks games are still kind of lame).
4) While you’re at it: bring back The Lumberjack Band.