Things to do

Be a part of history: Charlotte 49ers first night football game Saturday

By Russell Burton
TODD SUMLIN tsumlin@charlotteobserver.com

The Charlotte 49ers football team plays under the lights at Richardson Stadium for the first time ever this Saturday, 6 p.m., in the Green-White spring game. Here’s everything you need to know about this HUGE Niners event:

Get your schedule straight 2 p.m.: Middle Tennessee-Charlotte baseball game. A $10 spring game ticket from TicketReturn will get you in Robert & Mariam Hayes Stadium for a baseball game against the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders. This is what we call a tailgate loophole — you could very well show up at noon (or earlier) — begin the day’s festivities grilling and drinking cold ones before the baseball game and then resume the party prior to the Green-White Spring Game.

3:30-5:30 p.m.: UNC Charlotte Alumni Association Tailgate. Located at the corner of Cameron Blvd and Craver Road, the UNC Charlotte Alumni Association tent has been the epicenter of pregame festivities since the first game in August 2013. A $20 ticket gets you access to a buffet and open bar all while a DJ subliminally influences you and your old college buddies to suck down strong libations while reminiscing about your days in the high rises.

If you don’t register by the end of today, you are stuck paying an extra 10 bucks as part of late registration. Register here.

All day: People Watch. This is the first game that doesn’t kick off before noon. This means fans won’t have to pound screwdrivers and mimosas at 8 a.m. and can instead take their time getting the day started. The official tailgating rules — from Feb. 2013, mind you — state parking lots open four hours to kickoff. We personally think 2 p.m. is too late to get started and we’re sure others feel the same way. See baseball loophole above.

Plan your tailgate using the school’s parking and transportation services page. Parking is free on Saturday!

The alumni connection

Charlotte 49ers football is built on alumni. Consider:

– UNC Charlotte boasts more than 110,000 alumni.

– According to LinkedIn stats, of the near 63,000 alumni with profiles, almost 40,000 work in the Charlotte area. That is almost enough people to fill Jerry Richardson Stadium three times over.

//><!--– Thanks to student government vote in January, the student ticket allotment was reduced from 7,500 to 4,000 tickets – meaning more for alums and fans.//--><!

– Surely, you’ve noticed the extensive construction down Tryon Street. It’s all part of the Lynx Light Rail expansion that will extend all the way to the highway 29 entrance of the UNC Charlotte campus. The light rail will make getting to football games in 2017 and beyond a breeze for Charlotte city residents. Be a part of history before Charlotte 49ers football games go mainstream!

Fast facts

Lights: The university just added exterior lights to the stadium – thus a night game. Estimated $2.5 million cost.

Stadium: The official capacity of Jerry Richardson Stadium is 15,300, but on three occasions a standing room-only crowd of 16,630 has squeezed in. However, plans to expand the seating capacity have been shelved as attendance waned over the first two seasons. Team: In the program’s first two years at the FCS-Independent level, Charlotte has posted back-to-back 5-6 seasons. The 49ers officially kick off their FBS existence inside the Georgia Dome against Georgia State on Sept. 4. See the full 2015-2016 schedule here.

Russell Burton

@russellLburton

This story was originally published April 14, 2015 at 12:02 PM with the headline "Be a part of history: Charlotte 49ers first night football game Saturday."

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