Packers fans, businesses make annual adjustment to new schedule

GREEN BAY – The 2018 Green Bay Packers schedule will please Gold Package fans, test the patience of Green Package holders and be better for businesses, except for that big doughnut hole in the middle. 

The regular-season schedule includes three home games in both September and December, but only one each in October and November. But there are no Thursday night home games and six of the eight home games are scheduled for noon, which makes fans happy.

"You'd prefer them to be a little more evenly spaced out," said Jess Miller, an owner of Hagemeister Park and The Bar, both in Green Bay, and Graystone Ale House in Ledgeview. "It's nice to have games early, but to have three games in December is not the best thing for us."

The Packers have only one Thursday night game this year and it's in Seattle. That pleases Jim Kratowicz, chief operating officer of Titletown Brewing Co. 

"Home Thursday night games are not the best for business," he said. "Particularly against an opponent that's driveable, such as the Bears and the Vikings."

RELATED:Five early thoughts on a challenging Packers' schedule

RELATED:Podcast: Early division games heighten pressure on Packers

Kratowicz said Titletown will develop its own events to fill the schedule in October and November, some pegged to University of Wisconsin football.

"The Badgers have been really good the last few years. We can create events around Badgers games," he said. "There's always opportunity to do other things. You are getting eight (Packers) games no matter what."

Bill Wenzel of Titletown Tickets and Tours said the 2018 schedule is better than most.

"In a perfect world, we would like it if there was a little bit more in the middle of the schedule, but any time you can get games in September and October in Lambeau Field, you take them," he said.

For fans, the bunching up of games can stress cash flow and pinch personal time off.

"As a fan who must travel five hours to Green Bay, the back-to-back home games make it tough to get to multiple games in a month," said Craig Krouth of Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. "Attending three games in the month of September alone could easily cost thousands of dollars."

On the other hand, the schedule will be kinder to Gold Package ticket holders. The Packers have two ticket packages: Green with six regular-season games and Gold with two. Gold Package games are always the second and fifth home games.

Random chance in the form of NFL schedulers has tested Gold Package fans. Last year, their game times were 3:25 p.m. on a Sunday and 7:30 p.m. on a Monday, and the year before that at 3:25 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Sundays.

The mostly southern Wisconsin holders of Gold Package tickets will get two noon games this year, one a marquee match against Minnesota on Sept. 16.

"I am thrilled to see they are both noon kickoffs," said Bobby Christensen of Kenosha County, a Gold Package holder. "I very rarely stay overnight anymore, even if there's a night game, due to hotels having two-night minimums and raising their prices, and just the difficulty in finding a room anyway."

There are other benefits to this year's regular-season lineup. For example, no holiday-weekend games and 10 scheduled noon starts overall, more than in past years.

The Packers play at Seattle and at Minnesota before and after Thanksgiving, respectively, and at the New York Jets on Dec. 23. They host the Lions on Dec. 30, but that's better than New Year's Eve.

"Holiday weekends and Packers games, it's difficult to staff all those days," Miller said.

Deer-hunting season falls neatly between games this year. The only conflict is Nov. 25, the final day of hunting season, and the game is at Minnesota. 

Green Package fans will go six weeks without a game at Lambeau Field, from mid-October to December.

Wayne Sargent, who owns both Green and Gold tickets, is happy to see so many fair-weather games and noon starts, and he's OK with dome team Detroit having to play in Lambeau at the end of December.

As someone who drives to and from games on the same day, he's not as concerned about the bunching of home games. 

"The biggest expense is the ticket itself and that was paid for back in March," Sargent said. "So the only expense left is a few gallons of gas and the tailgate."

A lot of Packers fans do not live in Green Bay, or even Wisconsin. This year's schedule works out for some of them as well. 

Todd Gile is a third-generation season-ticket holder who lives in New York, so he doesn't get to many games at Lambeau Field. He and his son try for one game a year, and this year it will be the Lions on Dec. 30.

But the road schedule is more inviting, too. His best friend lives in Boston, near where the Packers will play the Patriots on Nov. 4, and the Packers will play the Jets at MetLife Stadium on Dec. 23.

"The Jets will have hung it up by Thanksgiving, so tickets will be easy to come by," he said. 

Tyler Smith is a Gold Package holder who lives in Las Vegas, so even games at Lambeau are road games for him. He's pleased with both Gold Package games this year, especially the Vikings game, and is looking forward to the Packers visiting the Los Angeles Rams in late October.

"Each year, I always plan to attend whatever games I'm given," he said. "Living in Las Vegas, Los Angeles isn't too far. I'll be making the drive to Southern California on Oct. 28."

Schedule highlights

• Gun deer-hunting season is Nov. 17-25. The only Packers game during that stretch is Nov. 25 at Minnesota.
• The schedule includes 10 noon games, compared to eight each of the last two years. Unless the NFL changes the times, the last five games will start at noon.
• The Packers have one of the more brutal travel turnarounds, flying to Los Angeles for the Oct. 28 game and to Boston a week later. That's more than 5,200 air miles round trip for both.
• Gold Package fans, who are mostly from southern Wisconsin, get two Sunday noon games. Last year, games times were 3:25 p.m. on a Sunday and 7:30 p.m. on a Monday, and the year before they were 3:25 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Sundays.
• The season's opening weekend at Lambeau Field, when the Packers will play the Bears on Sept. 9, will include a concert. The performers have not been announced.