MLS commissioner shares his feelings about Charlotte FC playing in an NFL stadium

Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber expressed confidence in Charlotte FC’s ticket sales trajectory ahead of the expansion club’s inaugural season in 2022 and its future home at Bank of America Stadium.

He confirmed Tuesday during his State of the League address in advance of Saturday’s MLS Cup between Portland and NYCFC that the new Charlotte FC club surpassed 40,000 ticket sales for its home-opening match against the Los Angeles Galaxy on March 5.

The club is aiming to host a sellout crowd at the stadium in Uptown, which is also the home of the NFL’s Carolina Panthers. That goal of more than 74,000 soccer fans filling the venue would break a league record held by Atlanta United. Charlotte FC president Nick Kelly also previously said that he expected season ticket sales to reach 20,000 by the end of January.

“They’re doing extremely well,” Garber said. “ ... Their commercial revenue is very strong. The team has become relevant. They’ve had press coming out, so I think that (Tepper Sports president) Tom Glick is doing a good job and (Charlotte FC owner) David Tepper is very, very passionate about Major League Soccer and Charlotte FC.”

Tepper Sports & Entertainment is the holding company owned by billionaire Tepper, who also owns the Panthers. Tepper paid a record expansion fee of $325 million to secure the expansion franchise in Charlotte. The club was announced in December 2019 and its debut was delayed a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Garber also highlighted in his comments the desire for MLS teams to play in soccer-specific venues, which differs from Charlotte FC’s plans to host home matches in the multi-use venue. Bank of America Stadium is undergoing a $50 million renovation in preparation to host the MLS team after converting the field to an artificial turf field over the summer.

“In some markets, as we’ve seen, we’ve been able to see great success with teams that are playing in large stadiums as long as the MLS team owner is in control of that building and controls the schedule and controls the branding, controls the dynamic and the stadium environment,” Garber said, citing the expansion agreement with Tepper that included a commitment to soccer-specific stadium modifications.

Garber praised Austin FC, which began play this year, with its sellout crowds in Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas, that seats 20,500 fans. However, Garber more closely compared Charlotte with that of Seattle and Atlanta, in which the MLS teams share a market with the NFL.

“We basically accepted the fact that in that market the location of the team, the relevance of the Panthers, the new ownership group, that this could be another example of us capturing the moment,” Garber said. “And trying to get the kinds of crowds that we’re trying to attract in a large stadium will be one that is not built specifically for the sport.”

“We’re confident it will be successful,” Garber closed that portion of his comments.

He also indicated Tuesday that the next media rights deal for the league will take effect with the 2023 season and will not have local blackouts, saying that it would include an “unprecendented package of rights” that will include every MLS game. The deal is expected to be finalized during the first quarter of 2022 with further details to be announced. MLS is closing in on the end of its eight-year media deal with ESPN, FOX and Univision.

Charlotte FC on Tuesday announced that former New York Red Bulls and D.C. United player Lloyd Sam would join the club’s local broadcast team as a color analyst on Charlotte stations. Sam will join play-by-play announcer Eric Krakauer in the booth for English language matches on WSOC-TV (ABC Charlotte) and WAXN (TV64). Telemundo Charlotte will hold coverage for Spanish language match broadcasts.

Also of note on Tuesday, MLS announced an overhaul to its diversity hiring policy on Tuesday to enhance consideration for Black candidates in sporting positions, which Garber made a point of highlighting in his address. According to the Tennessean, only 7% of club executive personnel are Black while 24% of the players identify as such.

Separately, Garber said that MLS does not have any current plans for the league to expand beyond 30 teams, but did not rule it out in future years. Charlotte FC will join MLS as the 28th team in the league next season, followed by St. Louis in 2023 and the 30th club to be finalized. Garber said that Las Vegas is the front-runner to get the bid, while Phoenix and San Diego are also in consideration.