By Sarah Conery
Sarah Conery is a freelance correspondent reporting for the Steelers at the NFL Draft in Green Bay
Now that the 2025 Draft has come to a close, thousands of visitors have traveled back to their homes, and the handoff to Pittsburgh has been completed, what remains in Green Bay? Many will note the economic impact while some mention the donations to food banks and nonprofit partners in the area. Others might mention the memories made and photos captured throughout the event. Combined these create a legacy left behind for the community of Green Bay.
Some visitors may not know of all the community events and activations that took place during the week of the Draft. The NFL shared an extensive list. Some of these events included planting trees in Amelia Cornelius Culture Park on Monday, feeding community members and families at the New Community Shelter on Tuesday, fundraising to end student hunger in Wisconsin at the 'Taste of the Draft' event on Wednesday, and supporting Habitat for Humanity building efforts on Thursday. Additionally, there were events at local schools hosted to provide education around mental wellness and the game of football.
On Thursday, April 24, representatives from the NFL, Green Bay Packers, and Oneida Nation gathered at Oneida Nation Elementary School to address the digital divide affecting Oneida Nation youth. A $150,000 grant was donated to Compudopt, a nonprofit that provides devices to communities in need, to support the donation of 500 devices for students at the Oneida Nation School. The devices will be available for students to use while at school and at home.
"When the actual event is over, a lot of the things that were used here, some of the furniture, the carpeting, the fencing, those things are all donated to nonprofit groups in the Green Bay area. So this is an event that just keeps giving back to the community and it's a terrific one to host" said Brad Toll, CEO of Discover Green Bay. In an effort to reduce food waste, quantities of left over food from catered events and vendors were donated to food banks and community shelters.
Touch Down Downtown was a campaign with activations throughout the downtown area designed to bring visitors downtown in hours when the Draft footprint was closed to the public. Touch Down Downtown included a 2-day music festival, a special edition farmers market, a booyah competition to benefit local nonprofits, and the living history Packers Heritage Trail. Jeff Mirkes, CEO of Downtown Green Bay Inc., shared a recap of the Booyah Battle. Mirkes noted that there were 20 chefs, 13 kettles full of booyah, many nonprofit volunteers. Even though the weather was poor with rain that would normally deter attendees, all 13 stands sold out of booyah before the event ended. Proceeds from the Booyah Battle totalled $20,000 and went directly to local nonprofits. Reflecting on the Touch Down Downtown campaign and efforts Mirkes stated, "Overall we were very pleased with the business development activities in the downtown district."
"This really proves that Green Bay is capable of these larger events" stated Aaron Popkey, Director of Public Affairs for the Green Bay Packers, at a press conference following the Draft. When reflecting on the responses he had heard from fans and visitors, Popkey said "those memories will live on and I think provide other opportunities for our community whether its simple tourism or business development… we've got a lot to look forward to moving ahead."
Brown County Executive Troy Streckenbach said "I think one of the big things that we really wanted to accomplish was to showcase the state of Wisconsin, showcase Brown County, showcase Green Bay… We just really did a great job."
When it comes to long term impacts of hosting the 2026 Draft in Pittsburgh, Jerad Bachar, CEO of Visit Pittsburgh, is anticipating benefits from publicity that comes with hosting the Draft. "The bigger the brand from a city standpoint, the easier it is to attract visitors and increase economic impact. So the economic impact is important but building brand Pittsburgh is also important and hosting something like the NFL draft is key in us achieving that." said Bachar. To measure success, Visit Pittsburgh will be tracking economic impact, development projects, attendance data, and the legacy impact which includes things like expanding youth programs, working with local charities and nonprofits, and engaging environmental programs.
