GREEN BAY, Wis.— For several thousand people, Sunday is one last chance to see the Green Bay Packers play at home this season.
And it’s a big game: the NFC Championship.
There are a lot of people who wish they could be in the stands this weekend, including Tim Glander of Plymouth.
“I would love to be in there. It’s going to be cold, but that comes with the territory,” he says while visiting Lambeau Field with his son, Zach, on Friday.
The game-day experience will look similar to last week. The Packers are emphasizing that COVID-19 protocols are in place— including social distancing and wearing masks— for the 8,000 to 9,000 people expected to be in the stands.
“By and large everyone did that last Saturday,” says Aaron Popkey, the Packer’s director of public affairs. “We had a few instances of people who were not as receptive of the reminders when we gave them to them. If we have any of that going on this game, we will ask people to leave. We just want to make sure people are following the protocols out of respect and the safety of everyone around them.”
Game attendance has gradually increased over the last half of the season, from a few hundred people to several thousand. Players and coaches say is making a difference on the field.
“We’re looking forward to having the same impact this Sunday,” Popkey says. “We’ll be at roughly 10% capacity, so we’ll need everyone that’s there to be 10 times as loud.”
Zach Glander echoes the call for fans to go all out.
“Just be loud. Rodgers said last week it sounded like 50,000 people,” he says. ”We need everybody as loud as they can be.”
Even if he won’t see it in person, Tim is feeling good about the possibility of a win— and a trip to the Super Bowl for the team.
“They’ve got to keep Brady in check,” he says. “I think they’re going to win, but it’s also going to be a tight battle.”