Carolina Panthers unveil details of new training facility, including naming sponsor
The new practice facility for the Carolina Panthers now has a naming sponsor.
And it’s one you might find familiar.
On Thursday morning, the Panthers announced that their new practice space in uptown Charlotte will be called the Atrium Health Training Facility. If the name has a ring to it, that’s by design: Charlotte FC, the Major League Soccer club also owned by Tepper Sports and Entertainment, has been practicing at Atrium Health Performance Park in east Charlotte since 2023.
The 101,400-square-foot venue will be used by the Panthers in 2027 and beyond, once construction at the site concludes. It’ll represent a “best-in-class facility,” leaders say — housing a full-sized indoor turf practice field, two full-sized outdoor grass fields, nutrition spaces and also “flex spaces” that can be used by the football team and the community.
“This is where ‘Keep Pounding’ comes to life every single day that we’re not playing in Bank of America Stadium,” said Eric Sudol, chief revenue officer at Tepper Sports. “Atrium, being literally Day One partners, and now putting their name on this, shows their continued belief in who we are, what we’re doing and where we’re headed.”
The news — announced at an event attended by David and Nicole Tepper, Tepper Sports CEO Kristi Coleman, head coach Dave Canales, current players, among others — is a milestone for the Panthers as they continue making progress along their renovations to Bank of America Stadium and its adjacent practice facility.
The renovations, after all, constitute a $1 billion-plus undertaking that is set to be complete by 2030. The plans were approved by Charlotte City Council in June 2024; they called for $650 million in public money to go along with hundreds of millions in funds raised by Tepper Sports.
The facility is just off Cedar Street, a short walk from Bank of America Stadium, and it’s in the “vertical” part of its construction; the foundation has been laid, in other words.
Atrium Health Training Facility will not only be the site where Panthers practice unfolds but also where organized team activities (OTAs) and training camp take place. Training camp, because of the ongoing construction, will not be open to fans this summer for a second consecutive year — but the Panthers have plans to let fans watch the training camp action again beginning in 2027, TSE leaders confirmed. (Same as last year, fans can watch a practice in Bank of America Stadium at FanFest, date still to be announced.)
The facility, according to previously reported filings, will include “up to 5,000 seats” for “sports and events/performances” on a periodic basis.
“It’s part of a broader vision we have,” Coleman said. “We’ll have fans here in 2027 with the training facility. We’ll have the music venue (adjacent to the stadium) that will be in 2028-29. And then we’ll have the renovations done in 2030. It’s a lot going on, but all for the betterment of our football team and the community.”
Panthers practice facility represents big dreams, plans
Dave Tepper, after taking part in the Keep Pounding drum tradition, made it clear that the primary use for this facility was the football team. But he didn’t shy away from the fact that it has other uses, too.
“This facility is not just a practice facility — which again, first and foremost it’s football — but also to be a place for the community,” Tepper said. “A place for corporations and others in the community to use. And for fans. ... It’s the beginning of a vision, a new vision for downtown Charlotte.”
Canales echoed those comments.
“We have a motto what we talk about,” Canales said. “We say practice is everything. And the way we describe that and define that is: It’s where we make us. ... This field is everything we have. It’s how we’re becoming what we’re becoming.”
Panthers star defensive lineman Derrick Brown, who was in attendance for the event alongside Chuba Hubbard, offered insight as to how this facility feeds into the broader ascension and vision of the franchise. He clarified that while it isn’t a primary recruitment tool — money handles a lot of that — it will certainly still be selling point for free agents.
“I think it plays a lot into the big picture,” Brown said. “I always tell people, like free agents when they call and ask me about it, I say, ‘The work is going to be the work.’ We’re going to show up and work. That’s the player standard, one held by the coaches. And the investment in the facility, it’s special.”
As the event drew was coming to a conclusion, and emcee Anish Shroff continued his closing remarks, he was interrupted. This wasn’t just any interruption, either; this was by Tepper himself.
“Mr. Tepper,” Shroff said, ushering the owner behind the lectern.
Tepper offered one last word — a lighthearted “challenge,” as he put it.
“This facility is supposed to be done in May of next year,” Tepper said. “So the challenge to people here ... is to have this facility ready for OTAs and to have this facility ready so we can have one hell of a draft party in it next year. There you go!”
‘A 31-year partnership’
Dr. T. Moorman, president of Atrium Health’s Musculoskeletal Institute and lead surgeon for the company’s partnership with the Panthers, told The Charlotte Observer that the announcement represents another milestone in a long partnership with the Panthers.
“We’ve had a 31-year partnership with them in lockstep,” Moorman said, referencing the franchise’s first season in 1995. “And we’ve really tried to make sure that they have the best as it relates to prevention, rehabilitation, innovation — everything that’s required for safety and also for success.
“Because ultimately, at the end of the day, we want to see somebody host the Lombardi Trophy here in Charlotte.”
The practice facility will also include a special installation that highlights the impact made by the Keep Pounding Fund and other Panthers-led efforts with Atrium Health. It’ll come to life as an interactive digital photo wall, an Atrium spokesperson said.
This story was originally published April 16, 2026 at 9:57 AM.
