Lambeau Field’s ready for international soccer and storms

GREEN BAY, Wis. (WBAY) - Are you ready for some fuβbal?

Saturday evening, Lambeau Field is expected to be filled with fans from all over the world for its first-ever soccer game, and the chance for strong storms isn’t putting a hold on game day.

Even under the shadow of weather alerts, people are having fun and are excited about Saturday’s match. The Packers Pro Shop is carrying Manchester City and Bayern Munich merchandise.

Kids aged 6 to 16 took part in free soccer clinics with Manchester City in nearby Titletown.

”I’m really excited to watch some of these top world-class players in action tomorrow, so should be good too. Should be a fun time,” Frazer Galt, who came from Chicago, said.

”I’ve always watched soccer on TV and dreamed about going to England to watch a game, so now it’s nice that one of the teachers from England is coming here,” Cory Tinn from Green Bay said.

“It was like really cool and fun to like get to meet players,” Braelynn Galt said. “I actually got to meet like Mandy Nora and like, he was like one of my favorite goalies and all that so it was kind of cool.”

Lambeau Field will be filled almost to capacity with 77,000 people from every U.S. state and 19 foreign countries.

Packers officials say they’ve weathered storms before at the stadium and have plans in place. They encourage people to be patient, dress for the weather, and bring a poncho. Umbrellas are not allowed in the stadium.

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“The hope is that it falls in a good way that will be friendly that evening, and if things do come up we will keep fans apprised of it with the normal ways we do with announcements and messages on video boards, and we will engage it as it happens,” Aaron Popkey, director of public affairs, said.

The Packers say safety is their first priority. In the event of lightning or other severe weather, the organization would remove everyone from the stadium bowl for covered areas.

“When it is deemed safe again we will invite the fans back in as well as the teams,” Popkey said. “Safety is our primary concern, of course, but I’m very confident that we will be able to get the match in no matter what happens.”

And they’re hoping to host another match in the future.

“The excitement that’s building is a lot of fun for us to be a part of,” Popkey said. “We’ve been putting on different events here for years. We had hockey in the 2000s, concerts, college football, and now we’ve got international football with two of the top clubs in the world.”

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