GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – We now know that the Green Bay Packers will open the 2021 season on Sunday September 12th at New Orleans.
The game will be a featured game on Fox with a 3:25 kickoff.
The NFL season will open on Thursday Sept. 9th with Dallas at Tampa Bay. The rest of the 2021 NFL schedule will be released tonight on the NFL Network.
Meanwhile, with the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks increasing capacity for home games to 50%, it has people thinking about what’s in store for the Packers this upcoming season.
Lambeau Field has served many purposes this last year and a half, like becoming a vaccine clinic. But, it hasn’t served its one main purpose. Being home to the roughly 81,000 fans that can fill the stadium.
The Packers did tell FOX 11 as of now, they’re going off what the NFL has already stated. That stadiums will be full capacity and the season will go on as scheduled.
In response to that news, Mark Murphy, President and CEO of the Packers said in a March interview it will take some work to get there.
“We’re going to do everything we can as a league and as the Packers organization just to encourage people as soon as you’re able and eligible to get vaccinated.”
The Packers organization also told FOX 11 in an email that, “we plan to continue to utilize appropriate protocols and safety measures for all players, personnel and attendees based on the latest advice of medical and public health officials, as well as in full compliance with current and future government regulations.”
Having even more fans return to Lambeau would help the tourism industry, according to Brenda Krainik with Green Bay Convention and Visitors Bureau.
“There is pent up demand to come to green bay and see a packers game again,” said Krainik. “So if in fact we’re able to host fans at 50% we will welcome that with open arms and roll out the hospitality red carpet for them.”
At its peak attendance last season, Lambeau Field allowed roughly 12,000 fans inside. That’s about 15% of total capacity.
Though limited, Krainik tells FOX 11 it helped hotels out.
“The hotels were at 60 to 70% those game weekends and that was just wonderful because we didn’t have very high occupancy during the month of January.”
The Packers did also share that if plans do change depending on the pandemic, they will make adjustments to allow games to still be played as safely as possible.
