The Carolina Panthers are on the hunt to upgrade their training facilities. This week, Tepper Sports and Entertainment — team owner David Tepper’s media company — filed additional planning documents to the city of Charlotte for an expansion at 325 S. Cedar St. near Uptown.
New and improved
Rezoning plans filed by the Panthers call for the development of ~12 acres of land adjacent to Bank of America Stadium. The team is considering a field house for training camp and other football operations. The training facility will hold 5,000 seats. Though not planned to be a public facility, the site could also include periodic space for a restaurant and bar, retail stores, food trucks, and lodging for special events.
What the Panthers are saying
“The rezoning filing is a necessary step as we work through the strategic vision for our facilities,” a Panthers spokesperson released in a statement. “It will enable us to pursue enhancements and modifications to the practice fields with the goal of constructing a field house for football operations and community opportunities like Training Camp.”
Questions surrounding estimated cost of the project and who is funding the project — either entirely by Tepper Sports and Entertainment or a public-private collaboration — has yet to be determined.
A new era
Plans for this new training site come following the Panthers’ announcement the team would no longer hold training camp at Wofford College in Spartanburg, SC. Players will instead remain in Charlotte for their summer workouts — ending a nearly 30-year-old partnership with the institution.
The Panthers are also entering the 2024 season with a new head coach, Dave Canales. He and first-year general manager Dan Morgan will look to turn the team around — last season, the team finished with a 2-15 record.
