Incoming Packers leader Ed Policy describes first time he witnessed true team fandom
Ed Policy, incoming Packers president and CEO, says he knew of the special relationship between the team and its fans, but really experienced it for the first time in 2013.
(This story was updated with new information.)
The Green Bay Packers play their first game of the 2025 season, albeit a preseason one, at 7 p.m. Aug. 9 against the New York Jets at Lambeau Field.
The Packers play three preseason games this year, including two at Lambeau Field. In addition to the Jets, the Packers play the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium at noon Aug. 16 and the Seattle Seahawks at 3 p.m. Aug. 23 at Lambeau Field.
The Jets game is for Green package season ticket holders and the Seahawks game is for Gold package holders.Season ticket holders often sell or give away their preseason tickets, so there will be many first-time fans and fans who don’t come to Lambeau Field very often attending the game. Here are some things to know to make it a smoother visit:
Saturday will be hot with a chance of rain in Green Bay
Saturday night will be cooler than during the day, but still warm at 74, according to the National Weather Service Green Bay. The daytime high is forecast to be around 91 with a heat index near 100. The chance of showers and thunderstorms before 7 p.m. and showers likely and a possible thunderstorm after 7 p.m. There is a 70% chance of precipitation Saturday night.
Umbrellas are not allowed in the Lambeau Field bowl.
How do I stay cool?
If you need to cool off, the Johnsonville Tailgate Village and businesses within Titletown are climate controlled, the Packers said. You can also find misting tents inside Titletown.
Once your inside Lambeau, the atrium, the Verizon Loft and the Miller Lite End Zone bar are available.
Fans are reminded to stay hydrated. There are drinking fountains inside the atrium.
Symptoms of heat exhaustion include dizziness, thirst, heavy sweating, nausea and weakness.
Lambeau Field ranked No. 1
USA TODAY and Sports Illustrated ranked Lambeau Field No. 1 among the 30 stadiums in the NFL to attend a football game. SI sums it up nicely: “Football is Lambeau Field, and Lambeau Field is football.”
In addition, sports betting site Bookies.com, said Lambeau Field provides the best pregame experience — tailgating, stadium location and accessibility, nearby entertainment and family friendliness — in the NFL.
When will stadium open?
Lambeau Field parking lots open four hours before game time, so 3 p.m. before the Jets game. The Lambeau Field bowl opens two hours before kickoff. The Lambeau Field Atrium, including the Packers Pro Shop, is open only to ticketed fans beginning six hours before game time. The Packers will do exit scanning, allowing fans to leave and come back, until four hours before the game.
Lambeau Field and all Packers-owned businesses in Titletown are cashless.
Where can fans park?
For those who have parking passes, the Lambeau Field lots open four hours before game time. For those who do not, parking is available at homes and businesses around Lambeau Field. We haven’t had the chance to survey prices yet this year, but generally parking is between $25 and $60, depending on distance from the stadium.
Free parking on streets around Lambeau also is an option, but be mindful of parking-restriction signs, especially west and south of the stadium.
What are the pregame and in-game activities?
Guitarist Weston Wittek will play the national anthem and three generations of U.S. Navy sailors will be recognized as part of Operation Fan Mail.
At halftime, youth football teams from YMCA at Pabst Farms will scrimmage, and players from the Iola-Scandinavia Thunderbirds and Roncalli Jets will take part in the High School Quarterback Challenge.
Where can you watch the Packers-Jets preseason game?
Packers preseason games are televised over a network that includes 22 stations in Wisconsin, Upper Michigan, Minnesota, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota and Alaska. WTMJ (TMJ4) in Milwaukee and WGBA (NBC 26) in Green Bay are the lead stations. Others are:
WQOW/ABC – Eau ClaireWXOW/ABC – La CrosseWKOW/ABC – MadisonWAOW/ABC – WausauKQDS/FOX – Duluth, Minn./SuperiorWLUC-NBC/FOX UP – Escanaba/Marquette, MichiganWMBD/CBS – Peoria/Bloomington, IllinoisWQRF/FOX – Rockford, IllinoisKCCI/CBS – Des Moines, IowaWHBF/CBS – Davenport, IowaKWWL/NBC – Cedar Rapids/Waterloo, IowaKTVI/FOX – St. Louis, MissouriKETV/ABC – Omaha, NebraskaKNDB/BEK – Bismarck, North DakotaKNGF/BEK – Fargo, North DakotaKNDM/BEK – Minot, North DakotaKDLT/NBC – Sioux Falls, South DakotaKYUR/ABC – Anchorage, AlaskaKATN/ABC – Fairbanks, AlaskaKJUD/ABC – Juneau, AlaskaTELEMUNDO – Wisconsin
Announcers for the game are Kevin Harlan, a three-time National Sportscaster of the Year and son of former Packers President and CEO Bob Harlan, and former All-Pro Packers fullback John Kuhn.
Here’s where to listen to the game on radio
Packers games can be heard on the Packers Radio Network, which includes 54 stations in Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Illinois and North and South Dakota. WRNW-Milwaukee — 97.3 The Game — is the flagship station. Wayne Larrivee does play-by-play and two-time Packers Pro Bowler Larry McCarren provides analysis.
The radio broadcast will be streamed at Packers.com. The Packers mobile app will stream the radio broadcast within the Packers’ home market, per NFL broadcast restrictions. Fans within the Packers’ local home marketing area can watch the game on packers.com.
New York the largest market; Green Bay the smallest
New York City metro area is the largest in the NFL (and the United States) and Green Bay is the smallest. New York clocks in at about 20 million and Green Bay at 328,268, making New York almost 61 times larger.
That disparity does not carry over to home stadiums. MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, where the Jets and the Giants play, is the largest in the NFL, with a capacity of 82,500, but Lambeau Field is second at 81,441.
Contact Richard Ryman at rryman@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @RichRymanPG, on Instagram at @rrymanPG or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RichardRymanPG.