David Tepper confident about Charlotte’s MLS bid. Here’s what BOA Stadium needs first
In a Monday night meeting with media, Panthers owner David Tepper seemed confident about Charlotte’s bid for a Major League Soccer expansion team. But Bank of America Stadium will first need some major renovations.
Tepper said the stadium will need specific updates to support a soccer team, including outfitting for soccer camera angles, a center tunnel and two new locker rooms.
The Panthers’ owner said he hopes to hear a decision from MLS soon.
The team wouldn’t give specifics on what Tepper would be prepared to pay to bring the 30th MLS team to Charlotte, or speak further about Tepper’s MLS bid.
The last two MLS expansion teams, St. Louis and Sacramento, Calif., each paid an expansion fee of $200 million. That fee has risen steadily in recent years, but MLS has not yet announced what the fee would be for the 30th team.
MLS Commissioner Don Garner supported Tepper’s confidence in the bid during his State of the League speech Nov. 8, saying Charlotte had done a lot of work to move its bid to the “front of the line.”
Tepper had been pushing for an MLS team after the league announced in April it would expand to 30 teams.
Charlotte is competing with Las Vegas and Phoenix, Ariz. for the 30th spot.
This story was originally published November 18, 2019 at 7:00 PM.
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