Charlotte FC to play on home turf with NFL lines again — thanks to Hurricane Ian

Hurricane Ian is threatening to soak Charlotte this weekend, and Bank of America Stadium will look a bit different because of it.

Charlotte FC is scheduled to play its match against the Philadelphia Union at 5:30 p.m. Saturday with MLS and NFL markings on the pitch, Tepper Sports and Entertainment said Wednesday.

The lines on the turf used for the CLTFC match will be in yellow; the lines used for the Carolina Panthers’ game against the Arizona Cardinals will be white.

This is a precautionary measure because of the weather forecast, a TSE spokesperson said, to ensure that the markings needed for both games will be in place before the rain arrives. The same thing happened Sept. 10-11, when CLTFC, which played on a Saturday, shared the stadium on a rain-riddled weekend with the Panthers, who played the next day. (Charlotte FC defeated New York City FC on that transformed turf, 1-0.)

Following the Charlotte FC match Saturday, the yellow lines will be removed.

The remnants of Hurricane Ian are expected to arrive in the Charlotte area after daylight Thursday, The Charlotte Observer previously reported, with wind gusts expected to reach 26 mph. The area will see heavy rain beginning Friday afternoon and continuing into Saturday night, with wind gusts fast enough to “topple a power line or two and some trees” as the Category 4 hurricane continues its rampage up the East Coast.

There’s an 80% chance of rain on Saturday, with steady showers expected between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m.

This isn’t a question of timing. It’s a question of the threat of inclement weather.

Last month, the Panthers played their only preseason home game on a Friday night. In that instance, the football-to-soccer conversion began at 11 p.m. on Friday (after the Panthers game ended) and continued through 7 a.m.

This story was originally published September 28, 2022 at 12:00 AM.

Alex Zietlow

The Charlotte Observer

Alex Zietlow writes about the Carolina Panthers and the ways in which sports intersect with life for The Charlotte Observer, where he has been a reporter since August 2022. Zietlow’s work has been honored by the Pro Football Writers Association, the N.C. and S.C. Press Associations, as well as the Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE) group. He’s earned six APSE Top 10 distinctions for his coverage on a variety of topics, from billion-dollar stadium renovations to the small moments of triumph that helped a Panthers kicker defy the steepest odds in sports. Zietlow previously wrote for The Herald in Rock Hill (S.C.) from 2019-22. Support my work with a digital subscription