Green Bay is nearly ready for the NFL Draft, now all that’s needed are the fans.
That was the message from public officials, the Packers, the NFL and partnering organizations during a press conference Monday.
““It’s the responsibility of everyone in Wisconsin to safely come down to the site, wear your Packers jersey, get into that sea of green and get ready for the show,” said Nicki Ewell, NFL senior director of events. Ewell explained the 2025 draft has been planned with a statewide focus and the NFL counts on fans to help create the excitement around the event.
Aaron Popkey, Green Bay Packers public affairs director described the draft as a legacy for those involved including the fans.
(Those who wish to attend the free event should download the NFL OnePass app.)
“We are all very excited to get to draft week,” said Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich.
Genrich said other communities that hosted the draft encouraged him to make sure the community used the opportunity to highlight the whole community. Green Bay plans to do that through offerings in the Broadway District and Downtown Green Bay that will be accessible via a free city bus route.
“We’re all coming together to really put our best foot forward,” said Brown County Executive Troy Streckenbach.
He spoke about the changes in and around the Resch Center as the area prepared for the draft had helped to create a new vision for the Resch Center. PMI officials said they believe the changes and the publicity from the draft will help them compete for events.
The economic impact of the draft will not be know until June, but officials said the estimated number of attendees will be announced during the draft and they expect it to be a large number. Officials had estimated it would draw 250,000 people. But they emphasized the economic impact already is visible with the number of local people hired by the NFL for the event, the work being performed by contractors for everything from feeding staff to building the venue.
Its a venue that will be one of the largest footprints ever for an NFL draft. Safety and security were discussed during the press conference, with Brown County Sheriff Todd Delain saying “Bring your energy, have a good time. We are prepared.”
