GREEN BAY, Wis. (WSAW) - For the first time since December, the stands at Lambeau Field will be filled with fans Friday night as the Green Bay Packers hold their annual Family Night practice — a tradition that dates back more than two decades.
The event, which draws more than 70,000 fans, gives families an opportunity to get inside Lambeau Field and watch the team practice under the lights. The Packers are set to take the field at 7 p.m., with practice beginning at 7:30 p.m.
‘It feels more like a preseason game than a practice’
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Head coach Matt LaFleur, who has spent time with six different NFL teams, said Family Night in Green Bay stands apart from anything else in the league.
“I’ve never experienced anything like this,” LaFleur said. “I think it’s so good for our young players. It’s really the first time you’re in our stadium. You’ve got, hopefully, we get 60,000 or whatever we’re going to get, but it feels more like a preseason game than a practice.”
LaFleur said other teams welcome fans into their stadiums for similar events, but not at this scale.
Jordan Love on his first Family Night as a father
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Quarterback Jordan Love said the event carries personal meaning this year.
“I’m excited. You know, first family night with a kid now,” Love said. “So, be able to be out there with all the other guys and their kids. So, it’ll be fun. I’m excited about it. I think it’ll be very cool. Obviously, it’ll be something that, you know, we’ll have a memory forever. Something that we can look back on when it gets older. But, no, I really don’t approach it any differently. Football-wise, it’s always kind of our first chance to be back in Lambeau, be in there with fans. So, really, that’s our game environment.”
Love said it is important for the offense to use Friday night’s practice to make sure everything runs smoothly.
A rookie’s first look at Lambeau
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For first-year players, Family Night serves as an early opportunity to perform in front of a large crowd. Rookie Chris McClellan said his family will be in attendance for the first time since he was drafted.
“My family has not come up here yet since I got drafted, so everybody will be here, I think coming here Thursday night, and I’ll get to see them Friday, and obviously they get to see the stadium, and I’m excited to see their reaction, so I’m just excited to have everybody down here,” McClellan said. “And I heard they said it’s supposed to be 60,000 to 70,000 people there, so just to get that full experience at Lambeau and get those jitters out before our real first home game against the Falcons, that’s going to be exciting for sure.”
McClellan said he experienced fan practices in college at Missouri, but said nothing compares to this.
What to expect Friday night
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The Packers previously held a full scrimmage for Family Night. The event is now a practice that includes some live team periods. Post-practice fireworks are also scheduled. General Manager Brian Gutekunst said this week that Family Night is one of his family’s favorite nights, and that he has fond memories of watching the fireworks together on the field.
After Family Night, Green Bay turns its attention to Thursday and its first preseason game in Pittsburgh. The Packers have only one home preseason game this year, and the first regular-season home game is not until Week 3.
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