Packer Fan Tours In the News
Scoring tickets for Packers away games can be a challenge
By Thomas Rozwadowski
Posted August 15, 2006 at Green Bay Press Gazette
Keep your friends close, your enemies closer, right?
With horror stories from Philadelphia and Oakland common in National Football League circles, most local fans prefer donning green and gold at a Lambeau Field game than taking that same plunge in an opposing stadium.
And since the NFL can't stack the schedule in one team's favor, the ticket search for away games — and perhaps more importantly, which road trip to splurge on — can be challenging for Cheeseheads.
"The road trips people seem to be most enamored with this year are Miami, San Francisco and Seattle. Those three cities … are highly attractive to travel to, especially with the dates for those games, so they are extremely popular right now," said Dennis Garrity, president of Packer Fan Tours in Ashwaubenon.
"Thousands of Packers fans are going to fill those stadiums. It'll be like the good ol' days," he said.
As with sold-out home games at Lambeau, scoring tickets for away games boils down to two factors. One, do you have a sweet hook-up to get you inside, and if not, how much are you willing to pay on the open market?
In the case of Garrity's company, away packages include hotel accommodations and transportation costs, and for more expansive tours, other entertainment or sightseeing options, for instance, a stop at Niagara Falls for the Nov. 5 game at Buffalo. Prices vary.
The single game route can be had through Internet searches or local ticket companies such as Event USA — though you might have to work the phones to find what you're looking for.
Mark Wagner, director of ticket operations for the Packers, said the team gets an allotment of road tickets, but fills their demand with requests from players and team personnel. Because of the Packers' large fan following, the team knows it can be an uphill battle to find away tickets.
As his yearly ritual, Patrick Charles, a Green Bay native living in Chicago, picks one away game to attend with a friend. In the past, he's been to Washington, San Francisco and Baltimore, with Buffalo proving to be the most enticing option this season.
"It's a mix of time of year and attractiveness of the team that's playing," Charles said. "Also, how rabid the fan base is. I don't want to go to a game against the Houston Texans, not to dog on Houston, but I'd rather see a game in Denver, Kansas City, Pittsburgh, Baltimore or Buffalo — places you really know they love their football."
"My buddy was all decked out in green and gold from head to toe, and while walking to the stadium, about 20 or so Baltimore fans were waiting with us for the light to turn green," Charles said. "So my buddy goes, 'Who's ready to watch football tonight?' and starts clapping his hands. The razzing started right away, but it was very good-natured. Ditto in the stands."
Because of the rivalry factor and proximity to Green Bay, games in Minnesota, Chicago and Detroit are always huge draws, Garrity said. And while much is made of the bad blood between NFC North teams, he wouldn't go so far as to call any of the three sites "hostile."
"It's a spirited level of competition," Garrity said. "Certainly a fair amount of teasing goes forth both ways, and Chicago should be a really great trip this year on New Year's Eve. It really is a similar atmosphere to Green Bay. Even Minnesota, I don't find it unpleasant."
Then he quickly added, "We'll leave Philly out, though. We don't emphasize them all that much.