"We're ready for it!" Soccer match a first for Miller Park, a HUGE night for Milwaukee bars
MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- A first for Miller Park! The baseball stadium on Wednesday, July 16th was set to play host to the first international soccer match featuring popular soccer club Chivas de Guadalajara and English Premier League club Swansea City at Miller Park. The game is expected to draw a big crowd...and big business! Bars close to the stadium and even in the suburbs expect business will triple on Wednesday night.
The Three Lions Pub on Oakland Avenue on the city's East Side was one of many bars getting the party started early on Wednesday. The pub is actually busing fans to Miller Park for the soccer match.
Another bar transporting soccer fans to Miller Park: Kelly's Bleachers on Bluemound Road in Milwaukee. During the Brewers season, the bar uses its shuttles to take fans to Miller Park for baseball. On Wednesday -- it was all about soccer!
"We`ll shuttle you over, we`ll give you some drink specials and we`ll be here for you," Patrick Guenther, the co-owner of Kelly's Bleachers said.
Guenther says it should be a busy night for his bar. The bar is taking advantage of a rare opportunity while the Brewers are far from home.
More than 30,000 are expected for the soccer match at Miller Park -- and Guenther says he's treating this night as though it's one of baseball's biggest.
"We`re geared up for a busy game. Like a St. Louis or Chicago Cubs game. Like a Friday or Saturday game. We`re ready for it," Guenther said.
Guenther says business will likely triple as Miller Park is transformed into a soccer field for just one night. In addition to drink specials, Kelly's Bleachers is also playing a role in getting fans to the stadium.
"Three different shuttles, running continuously from 5:00 p.m. until maybe an hour after the game ends," Guenther said.
Meanwhile, in Shorewood, expat David Price was also gearing up for a big night at his bar, the Three Lions Pub.
"To see the way soccer gets embraced the way it has in the U.S .and Milwaukee from 10 years ago to now - the growth has been unbelievable," Price said.
Price credits the most recent push to the World Cup, which just wrapped up on Sunday.
Combined with a soccer match in Milwaukee, the exposure has been a big boost to Price's bottom line. Nearly 100 will jump aboard the "Three Lions Pub shuttle" and join a one-of-a-kind sold-out tailgate.
"We`ll have music down there, food and beer. It will be cool to see the Wisconsin culture merge with the British culture today," Price said.
The Three Lions Pub is also planning an all-inclusive trip for fans to see another big soccer showdown at Soldier Field in Chicago on July 27th. They will bring 175 to that game -- and they only have a few tickets left!
CLICK HERE to learn more about Kelly's Bleachers.
CLICK HERE to learn more about the Three Lions Pub.
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