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There is a lot to get out of Packers training camp but one thing pretty much everyone wants is autographs. While everyone wants autographs, everyone can’t get autographs. I have been attending Packers training camp practices since I was very young and in that time I have come across many things that improve your chances of getting an autograph. I have been hunting for autographs at training camp for around 12 years so I have a good idea what helps improve your chances of getting an autograph. I have decided to share some of my tips to anyone who wants to improve their chance of getting an autograph. In total there will be 13 tips that will lead up to the start of training camp. I can’t guarentee these will help your chances but in my past experiences they have helped me quite a bit so they should be able to help you as well.Here are twelve tips I have come up with in order to help you increase your chances of getting an autograph at Packers Training Camp.

Tip #1 The Almighty Sharpie

We will begin with probably the most important tip for getting autographs. It is the almighty sharpie. Obviously to get an autograph you need to have a sharpie on hand. If you don’t have one you can’t get an autograph. Just having a sharpie is not everything though. You should have it ready so the player can sign your item right away. The players have gone through a tough practice and after that practice they really don’t want to worry about taking the cap off you sharpie. Have the cap of the sharpie off before you even hand it to them. This will save the player time and will also increase your chances of getting an autograph. Also remember to have backups in case your sharpie runs out of ink. Nothing is worse than your sharpie not working so you need to ask someone to borrow theirs.

Something that I haven’t tried personally but I have seen a lot of success with are pens that are colors other than black. While I can’t confirm that you will get more autographs with a unique color sharpie, it really can’t hurt. One reason why I think players might be more willing to sign when you have a different colored sharpie is that they might want some variety since most people just use a generic black pen. Some players probably get sick of using the same color sharpies over and over again so they are more willing to sign you item if you use a unique pen color. I am actually going to try this myself this year. Along with a black sharpie I will also have a yellow and green sharpie as well. After I try out this strategy I will report back here on my findings. Even if it doesn’t help your chances of getting an autograh, I don’t know how it would hurt and the autograph would probably look so much nicer in green or yellow instead of the bland black.

I actually have another tip to go along with the other two tips related to the sharpie. As I mentioned earlier you don’t want one of your pens to run out of ink. This doesn’t mean that you can’t benefit out of other people’s pens running out of ink. If one of the people next to you either doesn’t have a pen or their pen has ran out of ink, offer to let the person use your sharpie. First of all this is the kind thing to do and everyone wants to be a nice person (or I would at least hope everyone would like to be a nice person). While it is a nice thing to do, you also get a benefit from your kidness as well. If a player sees that you are helping out a fellow fan you are almost guaranteed to get your item signed as well. That’s karma rewarding you. I have only had success with this tip and I have actually never seen it not work in over 12 years of autographing seeking. So you feel good about yourself and you get an autograph. What can be better than that?

So you need to keep in mind to always have a sharpie on hand that works and the cap is off. Also if one of your fellow Packer fans aren’t so lucky let them use your sharpie and you will be rewarded with an autograph yourself.

Tip #2 Pick the Right Item

This tip involves what item you should bring to get signed. There are hundreds of items that can be signed but what item do you end up picking? There is no clear choice but I do have some tips for you. First if you are going to get pictures (that you personally took) make sure you don’t pick a glossy print. I learned this myself when I had some pictures I wanted players to sign and it was almost impossible for them to sign them. Second I would say be cautious about asking players to sign sports cards. While they look really cool, I have seen some players avoid signing cards because I believe they think you might just turn around and sell the card to make a profit. This isn’t the case for most players but it does apply to some players so if you can tell that the player is avoiding signing cards, you should have a backup item ready to be signed.

So what items do I think are the best or easiest things to get signe?. In my opinion footballs, and hats are the easiest and have some of the highest success rates. I personally get most of my autographs on hats since players seem to be most willing to sign them since they realize you want their autograph since you really can’t sell an autographed hat for much. With hats make sure the color isn’t too dark or the autograph won’t show up that well. If you happen to have one of the many Packer hats that raised money for charity (like the hat for heart disease, etc.) and would like to get it signed that is a great idea since I have found that if you use one of these items players are more likely to sign it. I also like footballs since they are pretty big which allows many players to be able to sign it.

Another thing that I haven’t tried personally but I have seen be success is having unique items to sell. Most players are astounded by some of the items and they realize that you must be a big Packer fan if you would own the item in the first place. One year I saw a person bring their Packer grill (shaped as a Packer helmet I believe) to get signed. To put it simply, the Packer players that did stop to sign autographs all headed his way since they wanted to get their name on the grill. Since I have never tried this myself I can’t guarentee that it will work, from experience it seems like the more unique your item is the more willing players are to sign it. Don’t go overboard though since if it is almost impossible to sign it will turn players off.

No matter what you decide to get signed I would also bring backup items since there are many players that have large signatures so if you get a decent amount of autographs your items fill up quickly. If you have two of three bigger items you should be ok, no matter how many signatures you happen to get.

So as far as items to autograph go, you have many choices. Be sure that the item isn’t to dark and the item can be easily signed though. If you don’t have any items to get signed you can check out the Pro Shop or one of the Packer stores in the area since they all have great items to get signed.

Tip #3 Call the Player By the Correct Name

This tip will address the all too prevalent problem when players arrive at the fences for signatures, people mistaking players for other players.

You probably don’t think this is a problem but it definently is. If you don’t know for sure who the player is, keep your mouth shut. Your are hurting your chances along with everyone else’s. Why you might ask? How willing would you be to signing autographs if something things you are a different player? Not very likely. I have seen many players decide not to sign any autographs after someone mistakes them for another player. The big problem with this is that they were willing to sign before the person yelled out the incorrect name.

This doesn’t affect all the players since some of the more unknown players know that people won’t know who they are. Even though it usually doesn’t affect things very much, it is not called for. If you are not positive of who the player is, keep quiet and look at one of the newspaper inserts (which are given out free) and try to find the player in the player profiles. They have pictures of all the players so it shouldn’t take you very long to find the player’s correct name. If you need help check their shoulder pads since most of them have their jersey numbers on them.

If you call a more unknown player by the correct name you also benefit out of it. Most of the unknown players would probably be impressed that people know who he is and will be more willing to give you an autograph. If you can’t figure out who the player is, it’s not that bad to just ask the player who they are. Most won’t be offended since they know they are unknown players. Most are glad to tell you who they are since who doesn’t like talking about themselves.

So to recap today’s tip, if you aren’t positive who a player is don’t yell out a name. It won’t hurt just you but everyone around you. Try to find out who they are through the free newspaper inserts or if that doesn’t work just ask them who they are.

Tip #4 Children Have the Upper Hand

This tip revolves around who you should use to maximize you chances to get an autograph. This is probably an obvious tip but if your kid asks for the autograph they are more likely to get an autograph than if you ask a player for an autograph.

This tip is actually pretty obvious. It shouldn’t come as a surprised to anyone but players are more willing to sign autographs for children than they are for adults. This doesn’t mean that they aren’t willing to sign for adults but if they have to chose between giving a kid an autograph or an adult they will almost always pick the kid, as they probably should. If you have young children you can use this to your advantage. If your kids want autographs you should stand by them while they stand by the fence. If they are smaller you can also lift them up in order to have them give the item to the player since this increases your chances of getting an autograph.

Tip #5 Autographs Before Practice

This tip  I actually confirmed just last training camp. Not as many Packer fans know this as you would think. If you have ever been to training camp you probably know where the players enter the field. If you don’t know where I am talking about it’s the far left side on the fence surrounding Clark Hinkle Field. Players enter the field here but some fans don’t know this is actually a very good place to get autographs.

If players arrive at the practice field early they are usually willing to sign some autographs. You actually will probably have more success here than after practices due to the fact that the players haven’t practiced yet so they aren’t tired yet so they should be more willing to sign. Plus not as many fans know that players sign autographs before practice. If you are skeptical, two of my best autographs last season came as players were entering the practice field. I actually got Nick Barnett and Atari Bigby last season using this tip. I also almost got Greg Jennings and James Jones (I was the next to get a signature but then they had to get to practice). You might be skeptical but this tip does work. If you have multiple people with you, someone should sit and keep your seats for the practice while the rest of your members should wait by the gate hoping to get a few quick autographs.

It’s seems like more people are catching onto this tip though so success with this tip might start to decline. You might as well give it a try though since if you have someone watching your seats you really aren’t missing much if you end up not getting any autographs.

Tip #6 The Early Bird Gets the Autograph

This tip I so cleverly called “The Early Bird Gets the Autograph”.

What do I mean by that? The best way to improve your chances of getting an autograph is to leave practice a little early and get your spot on the fence. If you leave early you are essentially guaranteed to get a spot on the fence. This is a good thing since if you are in the first row of fans you have a better chance of getting an autograph.

So when should you leave the practice? There are two possible times. First you can go when the team is working on the two minute drill or on team drills. These are always the last two parts of every practice. So if you leave when there is about 5 or so minutes left on the clock during the 2 minute drills or team drills it should give you enough time to get back to the stadium and get a good spot. At the very latest you need to leave when the team huddles up since this is a for sure sign that the practice is coming to an end. If you wait for this time you are going to have to really hustle to get a good spot on the fence.

So where on the fence is the best place to get autographs. That kind of depends. For the most part it is pretty random where players will sign. In my experience there are two goods spots. First you can get a spot in the corner of the fence near the steps going into Lambeau. This is a good spot since a lot of players sign a few autographs before they go inside. The other place that I like is near the center of the fence facing the door going into the stadium. I like this spot since you are more flexible since you can move left and right to get autographs that you want. The final area I would suggest getting is if you can find a spot where a lot of children are lined up. As I said in a previous post, players sign more for children so if you are near a bunch of kids you improve your chances for a signature as well.

Another tip that really helps is if you have multiple people with you and they are comfortable splitting up (if you have smaller children this isn’t a good idea). If you can and are willing to split up, do it. Try to spread yourselves out as much as possible and you will increase the amount of autographs you get. If you are well spread out and you have another free person have them float between the best players that are signing. While this person could get very few autographs, if they target the right players they could get quite a few of the best players’ autographs.

So what shouldn’t you do when you are picking out a spot. There are three tips that I have for this situation. First don’t line up where the Packers enter the field. While this works before practice, it works exactly the opposite after practice. You will probably get no autographs since most players get on the bicycles since they are planning on signing when they get to the stadium. The second tip is to never give up your spot. If you are in the first row you should never give up your spot. While players might not be at your position right away some will eventually come there since players tend to spread out when they sign autographs. Finally don’t leave too early. In every practice there are a couple stranglers. Wait a couple minutes after all the Packers are done signing since some will stay late after practice and they might be willing to sign a couple quick autographs.

Out of today’s tips you should have learned to:

1. Leave practice a little early in order to get a good spot for autographs
2. If you can get a spot by a bunch of kids, get it
3. If not find a spot near the center of the fence facing the door into the stadium or near the corner of the fence on the other side
4. Get in the first row if possible
5. If possible split up your party to increase your chances
6. Don’t expect autographs by the gate to get into the practice field after practice
7. Don’t give up your spot no matter what
8. Wait for stranglers

Tip #7 Dress the Part

We are now on tip #7 which I like to call, “Look the Part”. What do I mean by this? If you want to improve your chances of getting an autograph you should look like a Packer fan. Obviously don’t wear a shirt from another team (that is pretty obvious). This tip goes farther than this though.

Since you are at Packers training camp I am assuming you brought some Packer shirts along with you. Since you brought them you might as well wear them. How do you think it looks to a player if you didn’t even bother wearing a Packer shirt. You probably won’t look like much of a fan to the players and this will hurt your chances of getting an autograph.

I can actually delve further into this topic. If you really want to improve your chances wear something to make yourself really stand out from the rest of the fans. If you take that next step you are more likely to be noticed which leads to a better chance of getting an autograph. For example if Saint Vince, stood at the fence looking for autographs I can almost guarentee that he would get more autographs than everyone else.

After saying this you can’t go overboard for a couple reasons. If you look creepy the players will probably avoid you. You want to look like a diehard fan not a creepy fan. Also remember that there is security near where the players sign so keep that in mind.

So in conclusion, if you want an autograph you need to wear at the very least a Packers shirt. If you want to improve your chances more you should try to find a way to stand out from the rest of the fans (within reason) and show that you are a diehard Packers fan. Players are more willing to sign for a person that they know is a diehard fan.

Tip #8 Check Out the Future Lambeau Leapers

This tip is for parents with children under the age of 12. Back in 2006 the Packers instituted a new feature to training camp for children under the age of 12. It’s called Future Lambeau Leapers. This a a zone designated for children and their parents where younger children can meet some of the Packers. While I don’t have any personal experiences with the Future Lambeau Leapers (since I was too old when they instituted it and I don’t have any children), from what I have heard it is a good way to meet some of the Packers and get some autographs.

For those of you who don’t know where to go for the Future Lambeau Leapers you need to head to the new Tailgate center that was recently added this summer (check for the big tents).

I recommend that parents with smaller children should probably check out the Future Lambeau Leapers. I believe there are usually around 10-12 players that the kids get to meet and they can also get their autographs. While most of these players are scrubs (most likely not going to make the team) there are usually 4-5 that are pretty good, and at least one player that is a starter. I believe you can find out who is going to sign which days ahead of time (I am not positive about this) so you should keep checking back at the Future Lambeau Leapers page since it says that it will update information about which players are going to take part in the Future Lambeau Leapers.

There are several reasons that I would recommend parents take their kids to the Future Lambeau Leapers. The first is pretty selfish. Since I obviously can’t go to it, if more kids go there, I and a bunch of other adults will have a better chance to get autographs which are pretty hard to get if there are a lot of kids around. The second reason you should check it out is that it is a lot less hectic. It could actually get a little dangerous if you take smaller children to get autographs with everyone else. The lines to get autographs sometimes get a little pushy so it is probably not a good spot for smaller children. Finally the kids will have a much better experience since they actually get some face to face time with the players which is very rare when you are with a bunch of Packer fans that really want an autograph. While I can’t personally confirm this, from what I have heard kids get a little time to talk with the players and it is also much easier to get a picture with a player.

If these weren’t enough reasons, probably the biggest reason to head to the Future Lambeau Leapers zone is for the fact that you can get autographs from players that you will have no chance to get if you try to get an autograph the old fashioned way. The most popular players on the team rarely ever sign autographs. This usually isn’t because they don’t want to. For the most part I think it is because they are advised against doing it. For example if you have a player like Donald Driver signing everyone will want to get his autograph and this will cause a rush to him. Driver obviously can’t sign an autograph for everyone who wants one or he would be stuck out there all afternoon.

If you have children under the age of 12 you should seriously consider checking out the Future Lambeau Leapers since the Packers specifically made the zone in order to help younger children meet some Packers.

Tip #9 How to Attract a Player

This tip comes in two parts; attracting a player and what to do when you attract a player. We will first begin with how to attract players.

This tip relies on the fact that you are willing to yell something out in order to attract a player’s attention. If you are trying to attract a certain player, yell something that will get their attention. What you yell should show that you know something about the player. For example you can bring up something about the college they went to or something about their family. Obviously don’t make these comments negative or you will probably do the opposite and drive the player away. It’s also never a bad thing to yell out some compliments about a player and wishing for them to have a good season. These things never really hurt and they might be encouraging to some players.

Another strategy to try and attract players is to bring a sign with you. I have seen this done a couple times and every time it has worked. The problem with this strategy is that you can only really target one player with the sign and succesfully attract their attention. If you only target one player it will look like you personalized the sign for them and the player will most likely feel that you are more worthy of getting their autograph.

So now that you have accomplished in getting the player to come your way, what should you do. Obviously you hold your item out in front of you with the pen in your other hand right next to it. If there are other fans that are trying to get the player’s autograph you should try to get you item either the lowest or the highest. This obviously doesn’t always improve your chances but in my experience you usually get your item picked more often. You should also try to get your item right in front of the player since most players don’t sign items that are to the left and right of them.

So if you are lucky enough to get your item signed you should always thank the player. First of all it is the polite thing to do. The player didn’t have to sign your item so it is a good thing to thank them for taking a little time out of their day to sign your item. Second if other players hear that you are polite to the player that signed your item, they are more likely to sign your item as well. Finally you might want to give the player some encouragement as well since it doesn’t really hurt and the player usually responds to what you talk to them about.

In summary if you want to get a player to come in your direction:

1. Yell out some encouragement to the player
2. Yell out relevent information to the player that shows them that you know a lot about them.
3. While signs are not guaranteed to work, if you target just one player they could be successful

When you get a player to come to your location:

1. Put your item out as far as you can along with your pen
2. If you go lower or higher than everyone else you might increase the chances of your item being selected
3. Try to keep your item in front of the player since they rarely turn to sign autographs to their left and right
4. If you get an autograph thank the player and possibly give them some words of encouragement

Tip #10 Be Polite to Other Fans

Today’s tip is to simply be polite to your fellow Packer fans and players.

While this tip might not improve your chances to get an autograph that much it is still a tip to keep in mind. We are all civilized people so we might as well act like it when trying to get autographs. While it might be hectic trying to get autographs, we can all give each other some respect. So here are two ways to be repsectful to your fellow fans.

First, don’t budge. We all learned this when we were little children but not even people follow it. If you are waiting for an autograph and someone was there before you, you shouldn’t budge in line in order to improve your chances. First it is not the right thing to do. Second you never know how the person is going to react. Third if the players can tell that you are budging in line you most likely won’t have as much success in getting autographs.

Second, keep a positive attitude or in simpler terms don’t be a crybaby if you don’t get the player you wanted. First of all most of the star players don’t sign in the first place since they would get swamped and I have a feeling the Packers tell them not to sign. The reason I think this is because Donald Driver used to sign like mad. In his first couple of seasons on the team he would essentially sign an autograph for anyone who wanted one. The last couple of season he hasn’t signed or at least not as often. So if you are expecting to get autographs from players such as Driver, Kampman, Woodson, Harris, etc you will probably be let down. If you want autographs of the bigger players you need to get them when they are younger players on the team. My brother and I actually have quite a few autographs of the key players on the team (Rodgers, Grant, Jennings, Driver, Kampman, Jenkins, Harrell, Bigby, Hawk, Barnett, Poppinga) but most of them we got in their first couple years on the team. While it is possible to still get these players autographs don’t get your hopes up since they don’t sign everyday and if they do they don’t sign many autographs.

So you didn’t get your favorite players’ autograph? What do you do now? Stay positive since you should still be able to get a lot of autographs. Also as I mentioned earlier, you never know who will become a big player. When we got Driver’s and Kampman’s autograph we weren’t expecting much. We got both in either their rookie or second year and since they were late round picks we didn’t expect much. Obviously they both became big players on the team so their autographs were obviously worthwhile.

So if you go for autographs this training camp make sure you respect your fellow fans.

Tip #11 It’s Never Too Late to Get an Autograph

So far I have already introduced you to two different times to get autographs. There is actually a couple other as long as you are willing to wait.

The two most popular times to get autographs is before and after practice. There is also a third time though. If you wait long enough you can get some autographs when the players leave the locker room for lunch or to return home. The amount of time that you are going to have to wait changes each year since there is no to tell how long meetings are going to run. At the very least you are going to have to wait for at least an hour. While the wait might be annoying, the payoff could be great. Very few people are willing to wait this long for an autograph so you won’t have much competition to get an autograph.

Having no other people there could be a benefit or a problem. Since you will be one of the only people there you will have to try and get the players attention and get them to sign your autograph. This usually isn’t a problem but I know some players avoid signing autographs since they just want to get where they need to go. Having no one else around is also a plus since if a player sees that you were willing to wait that long for their autograph they may be more willing to sign your item.

This tip is not always successful. If it is successful you could get quite a few autographs. If it doesn’t work you end up wasting some time.

Tip #12 Just Have Fun

The final tip is probably the easiest of all tips and is also the most crucial. That tip is to just have fun.

You most likely won’t get all the autographs that you want but don’t let that get you down. You should enjoy the experience. There isn’t a similar experience in the whole world. I would love for someone to try and name a team that has a training camp experience like the Packers. Packer players ride kids bike. Hundreds to thousands of people head to Green Bay to watch the Packers PRACTICE every summer. On top of all that fans are able to get autographs from some of their favorite players. You can’t top a Packers training camp experience and I would be shocked if any other NFL team even came near the Packers training camp traditions. I am hoping that my other 11 tips help you get an autograph but if they don’t I hope my best tip of all helps you to just enjoy your surroundings since you really can’t get much more as far as a training camp experience.

My Past Success Stories

I wouldn’t give you all these tips without telling you about my sucesses in the past. I think have done pretty well over the past couple of years. Just to warn you, most of the stars probably won’t sign any longer. Players like Driver and Kampman I got when they were in their first or second season when they were still unknowns. At this point I currently have the following player’s autographs:

Current Packers:

• Aaron Rodgers
• Ryan Grant
• Brandon Jackson
• Korey Hall
• Corey White
• Donald Driver
• Greg Jennings
• Jermichael Finley
• Tory Humphrey
• Junius Coston
• Darryn Colledge
• Scott Wells
• Josh Sitton
• Aaron Kampman
• Cullen Jenkins
• Johnny Jolly
• Justin Harrell
• Colin Cole
• Jason Hunter
• Michael Montgomery
• Nick Barnett
• AJ Hawk
• Desmond Bishop
• Tracy White
• Atari Bigby
• Nick Collins
• Aaron Rouse
• Will Blackmon
• Tramon Williams
• Mason Crosby

Former Packers:

• Ahman Green
• Edgar Bennet
• Brian Noble
• Samkon Gado

Do you have any autograph tips to share with your fellow Packer fans? If you have a tip or would just like to comment on my tips feel free to leave a comment on this post.