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Bank of America Stadium opened in 1996, originally known as Ericsson Stadium until naming rights were bought by Bank of America in 2004. It is currently home to the NFL's Carolina Panthers. The stadium and near by practice fields are located on about 30 acres of land in uptown Charlotte. The stadium site itself has access to around 30,000 parking spaces in the vicinity. It stands at a height of 211 feet and has approximately 75,500 seats available. The stadium has a hybrid Bermuda grass field with a complex channel and irrigation system that is mainly used for football purposes but was designed to house a regulation-size soccer field.

Stadium Design

Stadium Design

Sky view of Stadium

Sky view of Stadium

Construction of the new video boards in 2014

Construction of the new video boards in 2014

The stadium face features many unique aspects, such as massive arches and towers at the entries, and building materials that focus attention on the Panthers' Black, silver, and blue color scheme. The interior has been designed to provide a sizable ratio of concession and restroom facilities among wide and tall halls in addition to individual cup and program holders, wide seats, and state-of-the-art sound, video and scoreboard systems.

A revamp project during the 2014 offseason integrated state-of-the-art technology into the fan experience, all while maintaining the arena's classic design. Add-ons included four escalator bays that rush fans to the upper levels, high-definition video boards above each end zone, lively ribbon boards surrounding the entire bowl at the club and upper levels, and a highly efficient sound system throughout the arena. The second step of the five-year renovation plan for Bank of America Stadium during the 2015 offseason focused on completely recreating the facility's 153 suites, which now feature three rows of seating, fully retractable windows, radiant heat and more televisions. Upgrades were also made to improve cellular service throughout the stadium. The third phase of renovations, concentrating on security, Internet speed, and the upper level space, was completed during the 2016 offseason. Walk-through metal detectors were installed at all stadium entrances. Wi-Fi service was enhanced with more than 1,200 access points. On the upper level, new advertisement spaces were created, and improvements were made to the concession stands, which included digital menu boards and countless equipment upgrades.

The Carolina Panthers have experienced great success inside its home field at Bank of America Stadium. The team is currently owned by Jerry Richardson, owner of the Hardee's chain of restaurant. The team has only lost three playoff games at Bank of America Stadium and won their first playoff game in the stadium in 2015, the last being 12 years before. 

The Bank of America Stadium has been the host to the Belk Bowl and since 2010 the coveted ACC Championship. Since it started hosting the highly sought after trophy, Virginia Tech and Florida State have been the only two teams to win the game with Georgia Tech being the only other team to make an appearance inside Bank of America Stadium. The stadium also hosted the ACC Men's Soccer Championship in 1999 and 2000 and has hosted many FIFA soccer games over the years as well.

The original production and construction of the Bank of America Stadium costed around $250 million dollars. The five year renovation plan that was discussed earlier is set to cost around $75 million alone after all the upgrades are complete.

Carolina Panthers. Bank of America Stadium. April 15, 2015. http://www.panthers.com/stadium/


Spanberg, Erik. Carolina Panthers boost stadium investment to $71 million. bizjournals.com. July 20, 2015. Accessed March 14, 2017. http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/blog/queen_city_agenda/2015/07/carolina-panthers-boost-stadium-investment-to-71.html.