Green Bay East gets $200,000 from Packers

Green Bay East High School was awarded $200,000 from the Green Bay Packers Foundation to replace the playing surface at City Stadium, the historic home of the Packers.

The foundation made the award through the NFL Club Matching Youth Football Field/Stadium Grant Program. It will match money raised by the high school. The new surface is expected to be installed in summer 2017 and playable by the start of that season.

City Stadium, 1415 E. Walnut St., was home to the Packers for 32 years, before the team moved to what is now Lambeau Field.

East athletic director Timothy Flood said a synthetic turf surface will stand up better than the existing grass field. High school football and soccer teams, junior high and Pop Warner teams use the field, as well as physical education classes.

"Our field just gets beat up, there is so much action on it,"  Flood said. "The new turf field will create many positive opportunities for our students and community with greater access to our field."

The playing surface will be similar to those at Bay Port, Ashwaubenon and Southwest high schools, he said.

This is the third grant through the NFL field/stadium program, and the 15th grant overall, secured by the Packers since 1998 for Wisconsin organizations working on new or renovated athletic fields and stadiums. Grants totaled $2.1 million.

East received an earlier grant for the City Stadium Commemoration Project.

Locally, Bay Port, Ashwaubenon, Wrightstown, Green Bay Southwest, Green Bay Preble high schools and the Boys & Girls Club of Green Bay received grants.

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