GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — The Green Bay Packers are taking advantage of a longer offseason to the benefit of fans. Work has been underway since February on some major stadium upgrades.
Working high above Lambeau Field, crews from Miron Construction on Monday were laying the framework for new video boards at both the north and south ends of the stadium.
“They’ve grown from 110 feet by 48 feet to 220 feet by 48 feet,” said Mike Moynihan, the Packers’ director of facility operations.
The much wider video boards are replacing the monitors installed about 10 years ago.
The Packers explained how wear and tear on the boards and the availability of new technology led to the decision to upgrade — a project that’s being funded by the organization’s most recent stock sale.
Work on these upgrades actually began last offseason, when structural improvements needed to be completed inside the stadium first.
“They had to come in and blow open walls where all the column lines were all the way down to grade and we had to reinforce all that steel all the way up to the deck,” Moynihan said. “And then we had to expand it for the future of the 220-foot board.”
The new, massive, high-resolution end zone video boards will offer 4K display — believed to be the first of its kind at an NFL stadium.
“The six-millimeter pixel spacing is going to be such a clear picture and they’re huge,” Moynihan said. “It’s just going to be exciting.”
In addition to the new end zone video boards, the east and west side scoreboards are being upgraded too. Mounted in the same place the current boards sit, the new high-tech signage will expand to 75 feet long while staying the same 7 1/2 feet tall.
Not only will those new boards have the score and game clock, but they could be used for other gameday or league announcements and stats.
The Lambeau Field upgrades aren’t just in the bowl; renovations to the concourse are meant to enhance the fan experience while also speeding up concessions.
“You walk in, you see your drinks, you see your food, you see your dry goods, you grab, you take your credit card you hit the (point of sale) and you go,” Moynihan said.
All 10 concession stands on the third level of the stadium are being renovated to a grab-and-go concept.
The Packers say sales in grab-and-go concession stands are up more than 50% simply because of the speed in which someone can get through the line and back to their seat without missing any action.
And if a fan is in the concourse for a longer period of time, new LED monitors will be broadcasting the game so they don’t miss a minute of action.
Because as anyone who’s ever taken a game in, at Lambeau Field knows, it’s all about the fan experience.
The Packers say supply chain issues have been the biggest obstacle of the project, but they still expect the new video boards to be installed within the next couple of months.
