Bank of America Stadium to open at full capacity for all 2021 stadium events
Sundays at Bank of America Stadium will look more familiar this fall.
The Carolina Panthers will have full stadium capacity for the 2021 NFL season, Tepper Sport & Entertainment president Tom Glick said Monday; masks and COVID-19 vaccinations will not be required. The new policy will apply to all stadium events this year.
The first home game and event at the stadium under the new policy will be a preseason matchup with the Baltimore Ravens scheduled for 7 p.m. Aug. 21.
“This last year has been a challenging year and a disruptive year. It’s also led us to create smart and innovative solutions to the challenges that we all face, and that’s been true here at Bank of America Stadium,” Glick said. “We’ve reinvented the way we operate, and many of the new features that the fans who attended the 2020 season in limited capacity (experienced), will be back and will be part of our normal operating procedure.”
The Panthers are hosting two preseason games and eight regular-season games this year. The new standard of attendance impacts any concerts, events or college football games being held at the stadium in the coming months. This includes the game between Clemson and Georgia scheduled for Sept. 4.
While masks are not required, they are optional and available to any fans who would like them. There will not be separate sections for vaccinated and unvaccinated fans, and the team will not verify vaccination status or do temperature checks.
Hand sanitizer will continue to be available throughout the stadium and some of the enhanced cleaning methods introduced last year will carry over. Mobile ticketing will remain in effect.
“The decision we’re making today is just consistent and in keeping with the changes to the guidelines that they announced on the 14th of May,” Glick said. “We will continue to stay in touch with them, as well as Mecklenberg County, the city of Charlotte going forward in case there are any nuances or any changes we should be aware of.”
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper has continued to loosen restrictions and regulations related to COVID-19 over the last month, including those that limit capacity at indoor restaurants, bars and concert venues, as well as indoor and outdoor gatherings. Most mask mandates have also been lifted. Charlotte Motor Speedway is expecting to have full capacity at the Coca-Cola 600 this weekend.
“We’ve been looking ahead to this day and looking ahead to the season for many weeks, preparing to be in this position,” Glick said. “The change to the state guidelines just confirmed for us, along with our ongoing consultation with local and state partners, with our local health partners, Atrium Health, that this is the right decision for us to be making as we go forward.”
The team had previously informed personal seat license (PSL) owners and single-game ticket owners that it was preparing for full capacity. There will be flexibility involved if an issue related to COVID-19 arises. The stadium seats about 75,000 people.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in March the league expects full attendance at every stadium for the 2021 season. Other stadiums and teams have recently announce similar decisions. MetLife Stadium, where the New York Jets and Giants play, was also cleared for full capacity in the fall Monday.
Last year, only PSL owners were initially eligible to attend games due to limited attendance related to COVID-19; however, games were later opened up for single-game ticket purchases. Masks were required for every fan in attendance, in addition to a variety of safety protocols in place, including distanced seating in pods. For much of the season, attendance was restricted to 7% capacity or about 5,240 fans.
Panthers stadium changes
In March, the team informed PSL owners of ticket prices for the upcoming season, including some price increases. Single-game tickets were priced separately based on opponents and other factors.
More than 56% of the non-premium seats, not including club seats and suites, did not experience a change in pricing, including 78% on the upper level. In total, more than 33,000 seats will stay the same price — including 4,000 on the lower level and over 29,000 on the upper level.
The stadium is under renovation this offseason to get ready for the introduction of an MLS club for the 2022 season. The field is also in the process of being replaced with artificial turf, FieldTurf, despite the NFL Players Association being in favor of natural grass surfaces due to an increase in injuries on artificial surfaces. Glick said that they did speak to some Panthers players about the decision. The turf will be in place prior to the first preseason game and ready for all of the events that follow.
While Panthers and Charlotte FC owner David Tepper has spoken often about the need for a new stadium, Glick instead discussed Monday the investment being done to the current stadium.
“We’re focused on Bank of America Stadium. This is a great facility,” he said. “We couldn’t have a better location. We continue to invest in all parts of the experience for our players, for both sports, for our fans.”
This story was originally published May 24, 2021 at 1:03 PM.
