The buzz for Charlotte's MLS expansion franchise is already palpable in the city, with the club's first match still 14 months away.
Speaking in an interview with WSOCTV in Charlotte, Tepper Sports and Entertainment president Tom Glick revealed some preliminary numbers on deposits fans have put down for season tickets, and the early returns are promising ahead of the franchise's 2021 MLS launch.
"In just three weeks we have deposits for 20,000, more now, than 20,000 season tickets," Glick said. "The lower bowl, from the suites down, is only 36,000, which is what we're focused on."
Charlotte MLS will be playing its home games at Bank of America Stadium, which it will share with the NFL's Carolina Panthers. While those 36,000 seats in the lower bowl will be the club's focus at the start, the full capacity of the venue is 75,523. That will make it the largest stadium in MLS ahead of Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, which holds 72,035.
"We have a list of things to make soccer even better at Bank of America Stadium, and it's already great, that's why the attendances are so good, because it's such a good place to watch," said Glick. "We'll be putting new television camera placements in to make it even better on television, new soccer locker rooms, a central tunnel, so we'll have a new way for players to process out [and] some special areas for supporters behind one of the goals on the east side."
