NEWS

Packers shareholders meeting July 24

Richard Ryman

USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

GREEN BAY – Green Bay Packers shareholders will meet on a Monday this year.

The meeting is scheduled for 11 a.m. July 24 in the Lambeau Field bowl, rain or shine. That is a break from the usual practice of holding midweek shareholder meetings, and means a possible financial bump for the local economy if the 8,000 to 12,000 owners and guests come to town for the weekend. The record annual meeting attendance is 18,707, set in 1998.

The Packers are the only fan-owned team in U.S. professional sports and the only one to publicly report its finances. Though the team in recent years curtailed the amount of information it provides, the report is the best look at the operations of an NFL team.

The Packers have 363,948 shareholders. Shares are not traded and they are rarely sold. The last sale was in 2012 to help fund the south end zone expansion. No additional sales are contemplated, the team has said.

The Packers, the NFL's smallest-market team, last year reported record revenue of $408.7 million. Revenue has increased every year since the renovation of Lambeau Field in 2003.

Up to four tickets will be issued for each shareholder account. Proxy materials and information about tickets will be sent electronically or by mail in mid-June. The Packers said any shareholder who has not received communication from the team in the past 12 months should contact Shareholders Services at (855) 846-7225 or shareholderservices@packers.com.

The meeting will include remarks by President and CEO Mark Murphy and general manager Ted Thompson, as well as reports by directors heading various committees. Thompson's talk on the football aspects of the organization is the most anticipated portion of the meeting, although he rarely offers any insights or information that isn't known.

Green Bay Packers shareholders dress for the full stadium experience during the annual meeting at Lambeau Field.

Shareholders can register to receive proxy materials electronically by going to www.packersowner.com. Shareholders who receive information electronically can print their meeting tickets at home.