GREEN BAY, Wis. — It’s a typical Thursday morning for Megan Ryczek as she and the staff at Hagemeister Park prepare to open for the day.


What You Need To Know

  • A friendly soccer match between Manchester City and FC Bayern Munich is being held at Lambeau Field Saturday

  • The game could generate an economic impact around $10 million for the local economy.

  • Packers training camp starts Monday​

  • Saturday's game could draw in more than 76,000 people

But it’s likely to be anything but a normal weekend with Green Bay hosting a soccer match between Manchester City and FC Bayern Munich on Saturday.

“I definitely think this afternoon, right around hotel check in time, we’re going to see a lot of people check into their hotels downtown and start to explore Green Bay and see what we’ve got to offer,” said Ryczek, the front of house manager at the downtown Green Bay restaurant.

She said events like the match bring a special vibe and excitement to the city.

“It’s really exciting to have so many people in Green Bay who wouldn’t normally be here,” Ryczek said. “We have an opportunity to showcase our resturaunt to people from outside the area and show them what Green Bay has to offer. We’re not just having the same people we have every week and all our regulars. It’s new people and kind of exciting for everybody.”

Nick Meisner with Discover Green Bay said the exhibition game could have an estimated $10 million impact on the area.

“I think we’ll exceed that, but there are just so many unknowns because it’s the first time we’ve had this event,” he said. “We’ll see how long people stay, how they spend their money, that sort of thing. We’re really looking forward to digging into the data afterwards to see what the actual is.”

Early Thursday afternoon grounds crews at Lambeau Field were preparing the pitch — you know, the field — for Saturday’s game, which could draw in excess of 76,000 people.

“We know the fans bring a different type of energy,” Packers spokesman Aaron Pokey said. “They have certain chants, they sing, they bring their flags in and we know we’re going to see and have a little bit of a different feel.”

While most of the regulations are the same as Packers games, flag poles will not be allowed nor will noisemakers, he said.

Hagemeister Park is hosting a pre-match party with Bayern Munich Friday night. Ryczek isn’t quite sure what to expect with soccer fans in the house.

“I don’t know if anybody really knows what we’re expecting just because we’ve never really had the opportunity to cater to soccer fans in the way we’ve grown so accustomed to the NFL fans,” she said. “It’ll be an exciting first for Green Bay and for us.”