Green Bay Packers lining up NFL draft support from community leaders; City Council to vote Tuesday on support agreement

Richard Ryman, Green Bay Press-Gazette
·3 min read
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Editor's note: The Green Bay City Council on March 21 unanimously approved the community leader agreements signaling the city's support for hosting the NFL draft.

GREEN BAY – The Green Bay Packers are lining up support to host an NFL draft in advance of an announcement that could come in late spring.

The Packers hope to host the draft in 2025 or 2027. Lambeau Field will host a Wisconsin-Notre Dame NCAA football game in 2026. Although Green Bay is the smallest market in the NFL, the Packers maintain they are in the running as a draft site.

Doing so will take a significant commitment from the community, which is why the Packers are lining up support that they can show to the NFL. The Packers estimate putting on the draft could cost $6 million-$7 million. The total economic impact could be about $90 million, said Brad Toll, president and CEO of Discover Green Bay. That would be equal to six regular-season Packers home games.

FILE - In this April 28, 2016, file photo, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell opens the NFL football draft in Chicago. The NFL draft is headed for Dallas. The Cowboys will host the 2018 draft in April. Virtually every NFL city, plus the Pro Football Hall of Fame site in Canton, Ohio, has expressed interest in holding the draft now that the league moves it around. (AP Photo/Matt Marton, File)

The Green Bay City Council on Tuesday will consider community leader agreements unanimously approved by the city Finance Committee on March 14. The agreements tell the NFL that the region is serious about hosting the draft, Toll said.

Ashwaubenon Village President Mary Kardoskee said the village will consider the leadership agreements during its March 28 Village Board meeting. Brown County already has approved them, said Aaron Popkey, Packers director of public affairs.

The next two NFL league meetings are March 26-29 and May 22-24. No announcement is expected at the March meeting in Phoenix, but one is possible in May.

Normally, communities host the draft separate from participation by the football team. Because of Green Bay's size, the Packers have taken the lead and pledged $1 million to the cause.

More:Five reasons why Green Bay and the Packers should host an NFL draft

More:Packers President Mark Murphy tells shareholders that NFL draft 'likely' for Green Bay

The draft could bring hundreds of thousands of visitors to the Green Bay area over the three days of the event, not counting television crews, NFL staffers and others needed for its production, who would be here for up to six weeks.

Philadelphia reported 250,000 attendees in 2017; Nashville claimed 600,000 in 2019; and Cleveland 160,000 in 2021. Cleveland's smaller turnout was attributed to COVID-19 pandemic safety measures. The draft was held virtually in 2020 because of the pandemic.

The community leader agreements are not binding, but when the NFL does award an event, its requirements are quite particular. An example of the expectations include:

  • The host must commit to generally assist the NFL and LOC (local organizing committee) in coordinating logistics for the NFL Draft, including assistance in securing additional venues, storage space, hotels, and other services and assets.

  • The host must agree to seek passage of a “clean zone” ordinance that prevents temporary commercial activity (e.g. temporary advertising, sampling and vending) and protects the NFL and LOC partners from competitive ambush marketing in a designated area around the key venues and hotels during the week of the NFL Draft.

  • The host agrees to help coordinate plans and must cover all costs related to Public Works.

  • The host will be responsible to help offset any cost impacts on local businesses due to the proposed layout options in the bid and/or selected by the NFL.

  • The host must agree to provide, at its cost, a post-event impact report and grant the NFL and LOC the right to use this report and its data.

  • The host must cover all costs related to the deployment of city and state police, fire and emergency/medical services, street closure activities, police escort services, tactical support units and command centers required for the NFL Draft events.

  • The host must agree to work closely with the NFL and LOC to ensure necessary street closures are made when and where needs are identified for both partial and full closures, at no cost to the NFL or LOC. Both parties recognize that public safety remains a priority and allowing access to both private and public areas is taken into consideration when closures are requested.

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/.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Green Bay Packers lining up NFL draft support from community leaders