<p>Charlotte Panthers and Charlotte FC owner David Tepper recently asked the city to pay upwards of $650 million for their stadium renovation. City officials stated that tourism taxes would make up the brunt of their spending.</p>



<p>Per Carolina Panthers president Kristi Coleman, Tepper’s Sports and Entertainment (TSE) is <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5537952/2024/06/03/carolina-panthers-bank-of-america-stadium-renovations/">pleased with the location</a>. In a statement, she said the stadium’s foundation was intact and both Charlotte and TSE made a lot of money off the stadium. The Bank of America Stadium generated north of $1.1 billion and supports 9,000 jobs in the area.</p>



<p>Rather than a complete renovation of the Bank of America stadium, TSE aims to modernize it, adding key elements and making the stadium a community center for the city of Charlotte.</p>



<h2>How will this happen?</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" width="1200" height="670" src="https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.worldsoccertalk.com/webp/full/WST_20240604_WST_510144_Charlotte-renovation-1-1200x670_083db2f9.webp&amp;width=1200&amp;height=670" alt="" class="wp-image-510176" srcset="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/06/Charlotte-renovation-1-1200x670.jpg 1200w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/06/Charlotte-renovation-1-300x168.jpg 300w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/06/Charlotte-renovation-1-768x429.jpg 768w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/06/Charlotte-renovation-1.jpg 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px"></figure></figure>



<p>TSE is <a href="https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article288978005.html">proposing</a> to pay $150 million of the fee, leaving the city of Charlotte to foot around $650 million (over 80%) of the cost. It’s something that Charlotte regularly encounters with other teams and tournaments. Charlotte paid over $285 million to renovate the Charlotte Hornets’ facilities and nearly spent $65 million to earn hosting rights to a top-tier tennis tournament.</p>



<p>The city of Charlotte will pay the cost through taxes from restaurants and hotels. They impose these taxes when Charlotte residents go out to eat, or even when Mecklenburg County visitors book a hotel. Charlotte, in turn, will get a promise that Charlotte FC and the Panthers will stay in Charlotte for 20 years and the billion dollars of economic impact the stadium brings in.</p>



<p>TSE wants to build huge LED screens outside the arena for watch parties, along with room for concession stands, a bigger team store, local art, and even a standing-room-only section. Renovations would start in 2025 and wrap up in 2029.</p>



<p>“It’s really a community asset and it’s so important for the community,” Coleman <a href="https://www.wsoctv.com/news/local/charlotte-leaders-consider-650m-toward-bank-america-stadium-renovations/3YV645GZXVHHLBRDLDHD5N7KBM/">told</a> <em>WSOC-TV </em>reporter Joe Bruno. “We’re excited to be a part of that.”</p>



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<h2>What does it mean for Charlotte FC?</h2>



<p>A big question for <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/charlotte-fc-tv-schedule/">Charlotte FC</a> was whether the Bank of America Stadium would switch from turf to natural grass. When Lionel Messi and Inter Miami visited Charlotte for a road game, many were unsure about his availability because of his aversion to turf. Turf causes 20% more injuries to players than grass, particularly ankle, knee, and head injuries.</p>



<p>However, Charlotte made no assurances of a potential switch to grass. Charlotte is one of five <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/where-to-watch-mls-on-us-tv-and-internet/">Major League Soccer</a> teams that play on turf. Three will make the switch to grass for 2026. Although expensive — natural grass costs $3-4 million to maintain each year — it’s a necessary change for Charlotte FC.</p>



<p>Charlotte <a href="https://www.charlottefootballclub.com/news/planning-for-the-future-of-bank-of-america-stadium">named</a> improved accessibility for disabled people, upgraded restrooms, stadium safety, and new environment-friendly building systems. Charlotte FC will not have to switch locations or postpone any games due to the construction. </p>



<p>The Charlotte City Council will vote on Tepper’s renovation plans on June 24.</p>



<p><em>PHOTOS: IMAGO</em></p>

Charlotte FC owner wants $650 million for renovation

Charlotte FC owner David Tepper recently asked the city of Charlotte to pay $650 million to help in their stadium renovation.

Charlotte FC owner wants $650 million for renovation - World Soccer Talk


<p>Luton Town will demolish and rebuild an entire stand of its stadium this summer should it beat Coventry in the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/championship-tv-schedule/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Championship Playoff Final</a>. Whichever team wins the massive match would earn automatic promotion to next season’s <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/premier-league-tv-schedule/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Premier League</a>. Construction workers would potentially only have less than three months to complete the massive job.</p>



<p>If promoted, Luton will tear down Bobbers Stand at its historic Kenilworth Road stadium. It would then add seats, a media center, data analysis studios, restrooms, and even a restaurant. Additional floodlights and camera positions will also be included as well.</p>



<h2>Luton confident $12 million stadium rebuild takes 12 weeks</h2>



<p>The renovations would be necessary to comply with Premier League stadium guidelines. Club officials <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/luton-face-12-million-bill-in-stadium-improvements-if-promoted-20230426-WST-430155.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">previously stated</a> that the demolition would cost around $12 million to complete. However, Luton’s chief executive Gary Sweet was optimistic about the undertaking on Tuesday.</p>



<p>“If anyone can, we can,” <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-12117111/Luton-set-demolish-rebuild-Bobbers-Stand-just-ONE-SUMMER-secure-promotion.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">proclaimed</a> Sweet. “We’ve got to practically rebuild a stand but we’ll have gone from non-League to the Premier League so we can manage that small matter.”</p>



<p>According to the <em><a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-12117111/Luton-set-demolish-rebuild-Bobbers-Stand-just-ONE-SUMMER-secure-promotion.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Daily Mail</a></em>, promotion to the Premier League is worth about $222 million. Although the renovation plans would be fairly expensive, earning promotion would more than cover the bill. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="ck-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">This is an entrance to Luton Town’s ground Kenilworth Road. Enter through the row homes. If they win promotion they may have to spend as much as $12.5 Million to get it in compliance with Premier League standards.🚪😲<a href="https://t.co/yIZTswvI1z">pic.twitter.com/yIZTswvI1z</a></p>— Men in Blazers (@MenInBlazers) <a href="https://twitter.com/MenInBlazers/status/1658584297400422402?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 16, 2023</a></blockquote></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div></figure>



<p>Kenilworth Road was built in 1905 and currently accommodates just over 10,000 fans at the moment. The club has plans to build an entirely new stadium in the near future. However, Luton hopes to re-use some of the materials in the possible renovations on the new arena.</p>



<h5>Luton exec embracing current outdated ground</h5>



<p>Sweet also embraced possibly having an old, unfashionable stadium in the Premier League. “Erling Haaland’s not going to walk through that entrance, he’s going to walk through the other s*** entrance we’ve got. Embrace it,” claimed Sweet.</p>



<p>“We’ve got thick skins and it just shows you don’t necessarily need lavish surroundings to succeed. You can do it with hard work and guile, with intelligence and sensible financial management and absolute determination and commitment.”</p>



<p>“You can do all that without having a beautiful stadium. It is beautiful though. The old girl is beautiful.”</p>



<p>Luton <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/will-it-be-luton-or-coventry-promoted-to-the-premier-league-20230520-WST-433976.html">faces Coventry City</a> in the Championship playoff final on Saturday, May 27th at Wembley Stadium. If the Hatters are promoted, stadium renovations are expected to start as soon as possible. The next Premier League campaign will begin in mid-August.</p>



<p><em>PHOTO: IMAGO / Action Plus</em></p>


Luton Town will rebuild an entire stand inside their historic Kenilworth Road stadium should they earn promotion to the Premier League.

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Charlotte FC owner wants $650 million for renovation

Leagues: Championship

Luton will rebuild part of ramshackle stadium, if promoted