ASHWAUBENON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — The NFL playoffs started on Saturday and it has Packers fans excited for next week.
Opted-in season ticket holders are eligible to buy tickets for the first time this season. And, those lucky fans aren’t the only ones looking to take advantage of that opportunity.
The Packers plan to welcome more than 6,000 fans to Lambeau Field next weekend — front line healthcare workers, first responders, and season-ticket holders — but with such a limited size crowd there should be plenty of room for them to park.
“My mom and dad always say it’s like living in a fishbowl, because the atmosphere of the community changes on that one day, and this year especially it’s been so noticeable because it doesn’t change,” neighbor Emily Bolden said.
In a normal year the lawns of houses surrounding Lambeau Field would be filled with parked cars on gameday.
“And it was a little extra cash for my son and daughter that help parking,” neighbor Evelyn Huvkiewicz added.
But next weekend, most homeowners aren’t expecting much.
“When our children were little they would get their spending money that way, it was three bucks a car,” neighbor Mary Demelle explained.
“And then it just slowly started increasing and it would kind of go down the neighborhood, like they were doing 15, so we’ll do 15, and then every year we kind of just kept bumping it up,” Bolden said. “We got up to 25 before COVID hit, and we can fit 29 cars on this lot.”
“Loyal customers pay 40 bucks,” Demelle said.
“This money funded me through college,” Bolden said. “And then it actually paid for like half of our wedding; and uh now I really miss it haha. It’s crazy the people that come here, we’ve had people from Canada.”
Thomas Willems is a season ticket holder living in Denver, but hoping for a seat on Lambeau’s bleachers next weekend.
“Part of me is like do I go or just watch it here? But, I can’t pass up the opportunity to try and go,” Willems said. “If there’s less than 10,000 people in Lambeau for a playoff game, that’s going to be pretty historic moment I think. It’ll be different, I mean, no tailgating, no nothing.”
Before the season started, only 20% of season ticket holders opted in for the chance at tickets this year. There’s no guarantee that all of them will be able to purchase tickets… which could create a ticket frenzy when they go on sale Tuesday at 10 a.m.
“We’ve been texting non-stop since the announcement, trying to come up with a game plan, should we go for six, should we go for four, should we go for two [tickets],” Willems said.
Fans will know who the Packers will be playing by Sunday night. Tickets for the game, ranging from $127 dollars to $177, will be mobile and cannot be transferred or resold.
