Packers fans turn out to Lambeau, despite rising cost of attending games

Green Bay Press Gazette

GREEN BAY - Losing records and rising ticket prices have not seriously affected attendance at Green Bay Packers games at Lambeau Field, but season ticket holders say costs increasingly are a factor in determining how many games a year they attend.

Attendance in 2018 did reach its lowest level in the past seven years, but it rebounded slightly in 2019, when the Packers posted a 13-3 regular-season record and advanced to the NFC championship game.

The NFL, overall, continues to be popular, notwithstanding the controversy surrounding players not standing for the national anthem, player safety, and occasional bad behavior by players and owners. The just-concluded Super Bowl drew an average audience of just under 100 million viewers, a 1% increase from the previous year.

The highest attendance at Lambeau Field was 627,308 in 2015. The lowest, since the south end zone added about 7,000 seats to the stadium in 2013, was 622,677 in 2018, when the Packers were 6-9-1 and had their worst season since 2008.

Packers fans cheer for the team as they are announcerd against the Seattle Seahawks during their NFC divisional round playoff football game Sunday, Jan. 12, 2020, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis.

Attendance in 2019 was 622,762, a smidgen higher than 2018, and 568 per game fewer than the 2015 record.

Lambeau Field averaged 77,845 fans per game in 2019. From 2014-17, the Packers averaged more than 78,000 fans per game.

The team's waiting list of about 135,000 ensures season tickets will be sold out each year, although that doesn't mean ticket holders will attend every game. The growth of the online secondary market makes it easier for season ticket holders to sell games, which they do to mitigate the higher costs.

Craig Stillman of Green Bay, a Green package ticket holder, always attends the home opener with the same four friends and one other game with family. Five years ago, he was a regular at four games or more and any home playoff games.

"I love going to games, but the cost has become the biggest detriment to how many games I go to in a season," he said. "With increasing ticket prices, it costs me on average about $500 to $700 to take my family of four to a Packers game."

He normally sells his tickets to family or friends, but at the end of the woeful 2018 season, he couldn't find buyers for two games.

"I ended up having to take people for free in order to fill the seats, so I essentially lost out on around $800 in tickets alone," he said. "I have a good friend who is actually contemplating giving his tickets back that have been in his family for more than 40 years because of the rising costs."

The Packers acknowledge that the on-field product is an important factor to organization success and fan satisfaction.

"I think the number one draw is the product on the field," said Aaron Popkey, Packers director of public affairs. "A winning team certainly helps that. That’s the top goal each year. Beyond that, can we make coming to the stadium a desirable opportunity?"

Game day enhancements over the years included new video boards, an improved sound system, the new south end zone and improved concessions.

The Packers have raised season ticket prices annually since 2010. They say they want to always be in the middle of average ticket prices among the league's 32 teams, walking a fine line between providing value to ticket buyers and satisfying other NFL teams, which share ticket revenue.

"The price we arrive at reflects those factors," Popkey said.

The team will announce ticket prices for 2020 soon.

The team offers two season ticket packages. The Green package includes one preseason and six regular-season games. The Gold package includes one preseason and two regular-season games. The Gold package was created when the Packers stopped playing a handful of games in Milwaukee each year. It remains predominantly owned by southern Wisconsin fans, but geography was not a factor in sales after its initial creation.

The least-expensive tickets in Lambeau in 2019 were end zone seats, priced at $111. At the high end, excluding club seats and suites, were seats between the 20-yard lines, priced at $142.

The total cost of the Green package last year ranged from $722 for end zone seats to $924 for sideline seats. The Gold package ranged from $278 to $356.

"In 2009, my seats cost $59 a seat in the end zone," Stillman said. "I'm a bit concerned that the average fan is getting priced out of the game, and when the Packers struggle, I get stuck with tickets that people don't want."

Jeff Albrecht of Silver Lake is a Gold package holder, but attended eight games at Lambeau Field in 2019, including a preseason game — "A waste of money at any price" — and the playoff game against Seattle.

Weather and opponent mattered in deciding which games to attend because of how far he has to drive, so he tends to keep late-season games to a minimum.

"Quality of product is a big factor from year to year, although personally we are diehards," Albrecht said. "No one wants to pay premium prices to watch the 2018 version of the Packers. Price is becoming more important as time goes on, as each year means yet another price increase. It is becoming a burden."

With the long waiting list and annual turnover in season ticket holders of less than 1%, the Packers seemingly have not reached a tipping point on ticket prices.

The team also monitors secondary market interest, to the degree it can.

"The little bit of information we have from the secondary market, (ticket demand) has stayed relatively consistent year over year. It’s something we will continue to monitor," Popkey said. "The ability to sell tickets is a benefit to season ticket holders."

Die-hard fans remain in the mix. Nancy Selinsky of Ashwaubenon has both ticket packages, which allows her to attend all games.

"I can't remember when we missed a home game. Our plans revolve around the Packers schedule," she said. "The record really doesn't matter. The games are pricey, but that's the NFL, and I just consider us fortunate to have an NFL team in Green Bay, owned by the fans, not a billionaire."

Contact Richard Ryman at 920-431-8342 or rryman@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @RichRymanPG, on Instagram at @rrymanPG or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RichardRymanPG/