GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — This week’s draft in Kansas City isn’t just about football picks. With Green Bay hoping to host the NFL draft in 2025 or 2027, a team of people from Discover Green Bay and the local organizing committee, along with Packers officials, are making a scouting trip to Missouri.
While the finishing touches are being put on Kansas City ahead of the NFL draft, officials with Discover Green Bay are preparing to visit the site on Thursday and Friday to learn as much as they can from the host city. It’s all part of Green Bay’s bid to host the NFL draft in either 2025 or 2027.
“It’s great to be able to go down and actually see how Kansas City and the NFL has laid everything out in their community,” said Discover Green Bay President Brad Toll. “We’re able to see the spaces they used, how they used them, where they put different components that are part of the draft. And, of course, the whole time we’re envisioning how that fits in our city.”
Green Bay officials believe they’ve put together their best proposal, highlighting how a draft in Green Bay would be unlike one in any other NFL city.
“It will be, by far, the largest event we’ve ever held or likely ever could hold,” adds Toll.
Since the last proposal submitted by Green Bay, development in and around the stadium district has increased.
There are more attractions, additional hotel rooms and the restaurants in and around Brown County would be ready for the influx of diners too. All the entities involved in the planning understand the impact landing a draft can have, and they’re prepared for it.
“From an economic standpoint, in Brown County, you’re talking over $50 million — that’s huge. You’re talking about restaurants to hotels, gas stations,” said Patrick Buckley, local business owner and vice-chair of the Green Bay chapter of the Wisconsin Restaurant Association. “And in the restaurant industry, it’s not any particular part of the industry; it’s going to be the sit-down restaurants, it’s going to be the fast food restaurants — anybody and everybody will be stepping up that week.”
And everyone from the Packers to Discover Green Bay to business owners across the region are hoping the NFL will see the passion Titletown has for hosting the draft, not just in their proposal but by the faces who will represent Green Bay in Kansas City this week.
“It will be helpful. They know how earnest and sincere we are and the work we’re putting in on behalf of everyone in the community to hopefully have this type of event,” said Packers Director of Public Affairs Aaron Popkey. “So, I think just that familiarity lends itself to hopefully a more positive outcome.”
