Panthers are returning to Wofford College for training camp this summer
The Carolina Panthers will make their return to Spartanburg, South Carolina.
The team announced Monday afternoon that training camp will be held at Wofford College this summer.
“We’re ready to get back to Spartanburg,” Tepper Sports & Entertainment president Tom Glick said. “We have a great history of training camp at Wofford, and we’re all looking forward to that.”
The first day of training camp will be Tuesday, July 27. The team is continuing to work on plans for fans and what level of interaction with players will be allowed. Based on the team’s decision to have full capacity at Bank of America Stadium for games this year, there will likely be some fans in attendance, although protocols may defer from years prior. The school has deferred to the Panthers and the NFL on training camp protocols and news.
Training camp took place at the team’s facilities last year due to a league-wide rule that forced all teams to hold camps at their practice facilities in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19. The NFL announced earlier this month that teams could once again hold camp at sites away from their practice facilities.
The Panthers are also in discussions with the Indianapolis Colts to practice against each other in Indiana prior to their preseason matchup early in August.
The franchise had held camp at the college every year outside of 2020 since the team’s first season in 1995. Team founder and previous owner Jerry Richardson attended Wofford and maintains close ties to the school.
There will be plenty of new faces in Spartanburg this year. This will be the first time Matt Rhule and his staff will spend time at Wofford.
Camp could also return to the school for the 2022 season as the team’s new headquarters and facilities in Rock Hill are not scheduled to open until Summer 2023. The timeline was pushed back a year due to the pandemic.
“We’re right on schedule,” Glick said of the new facility. “I think if you drive down I-77 from either direction you can see the cranes that are putting the Panthers headquarters in place. We’re planning to be ready and open for business in the summer of 2023. It’s going to be an amazing place.”
Two preseason games will also be hosted in Charlotte with full capacity allowed. The first is scheduled for 7 p.m. Aug. 21 vs. the Ravens and the second will take place 7 p.m. Aug. 27 vs. the Steelers.
This story was originally published May 24, 2021 at 12:31 PM.
