As the offseason marches on, so does the progress on the new additions to Lambeau Field. Above, the public areas of the stadium are quiet this time of year when there are no special events. But elsewhere, the new expanded football facilities are taking shape. So, what’s up with the new construction, you ask?
• The Packers have several projects underway this offseason, including an underground parking garage for players, expanding a practice facility and relocating coaches’ offices from the third floor of the atrium to the lowest level to be closer to players.
• Other projects included shoring up supports for the larger video scoreboards in the bowl and the ongoing renovation of concourse concession stands.
• The parking and practice facility project is scheduled for completion in May 2023.
• The underground parking garage will have 190 spaces and include charging stations for electric vehicles. It is located under the area where players previously parked. There will be some ground-level parking for players and coaches as well.
• Season ticket holders who normally parked and tailgated in Lot 1 on the east side of Lambeau Field were relocated to Lot 9 on the stadium’s southwest side in 2022.
• The Packers are expanding their conditioning, rehab and instruction center, which the team calls the CRIC, located below ground level on the east side of Lambeau Field, partly under the Oneida Nation gate. In addition to weight rooms and meeting rooms, the CRIC includes a turf field that allows squads to do walk-throughs and other training. Previously, the field was 35 yards long and the width of a football field, which allowed only one squad, offense or defense, to use it at a time. After the expansion, it will be large enough for both squads.
• Moving coaches’ offices and football meeting rooms to the same level as player facilities will be more efficient. In the NFL, where every second seems to count, coaches spend too much time moving from floor to floor for meetings and to interact with players.
• Concession stand renovation began several years ago. Primarily, the Packers are converting full-service concession stands to self-service stands, which they say allows fans to spend less time in the concourses and more time at their seats. 60 new video displays in the concourses will feature 2.9-millimeter pixel spacing as they connect with fans while away from their seats and keep them immersed in the action while moving about the stadium.
• Work on the new video scoreboards is proceeding with the installation of approximately 24,500 square feet of LED displays totaling 79.5 million pixels. The technology will debut at the beginning of the 2023 season this fall. Measuring more than 10,500 square feet at 48 feet high by nearly 220 feet wide, the Packers displays will be one of the few 4K displays in professional football, setting the standard in video board clarity and image quality. Additionally, the east and west sides auxiliary scoreboard displays will each measure more than 7 feet high by 74.5 feet wide.
• In 2022, the Packers raised $65.8 million through the sale of about 198,000 shares in the team’s sixth stock sale. The proceeds are what is being used for these construction projects. The NFL requires money raised by a stock sale to be used only for stadium projects that are beneficial to fans.
Sources: Packers.com; Green Bay Press-Gazette; Daktronics
*Click on photos to enlarge*
Vertical view of the north end scoreboard work.
View from the northeast showing the new football facility construction along the stadium’s east side (parallel to Oneida Street).
Close up view of the same part of the construction.
A view looking west from Oneida Street showing the full length of the new football facility construction.
A closer look at the northern end of the new football facility.
A closer look at the southern end of the new football facility. The underground players parking garage is under this portion of the construction.
Another view looking west along Oneida Street.
A vertical view of the south end of the stadium as new scoreboard work continues.
The south end of the new football facility.
The south end of the new football facility.
Across the street, the Don Hutson Center awaits the start of the offseason workout program.
