Packers join Chiefs in ask for more money for stadium improvement

The Green Bay Packers are seeking $3 million from the Stadium District Board to help build a third locker room at Lambeau Field. The locker room would be used for soccer games and other non-team-related events.

The Packers use their locker room year-round, making it difficult to accommodate events that require two locker rooms. For events that host two teams, one team has used the visiting team locker room while the other has been required to use a makeshift locker room in the players' gym. A third locker room would allow Green Bay to accommodate both visiting teams with their own locker rooms in the stadium.

Packers ask for funds in a potentially petty move against Green Bay

According to documents obtained by FOX 11, the team would also help fund the $5 million project.

The locker room would be located near the media dining hall at the top of the current facility's offices on the lower level, according to the document. The players' gym, which has been used as a temporary locker room for events, is currently being utilized for temporary offices while the facility undergoes renovations to its office space. The renovations aren't expected to be complete until January 2025. The team expects to convert the gym space to additional team space after 2025, although "the club is still determining how that space will be utilized." The gym will no longer be able to host third-party events, according to the document.

Teams usually cover these sorts of expenses by themselves, but the Packers may be sending a message to the city of Green Bay after negotiations for a stadium lease extension stalled.

The Packers reached out to the Green Bay-Brown County Professional Football Stadium District in hopes of signing a long-term lease for their stadium. After both sides were unable to reach a mutually beneficial agreement, the city of Green Bay elected to pause negotiations. The Packers responded by delaying plans to renovate the stadium this summer.

The current lease runs through 2033 with an option for a 10-year extension. The Packers were seeking more than just a long-term deal, however — they also wanted a lower cost. The Packers' current lease agreement for the stadium includes an annual rent increase of 2.75 percent. The Packers asked to defer the escalator into a "maintenance fund" to help preserve the facility, according to the Green Bay Press-Gazette.

By asking for funds to build a third locker room, the Packers may be refusing to host events for the stadium without compensation. In the document, the team said "The gym will no longer be able to host third-party events" since it's being converted into additional team space, even though the team still isn't sure what the new team space will be used for.