CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The surface at Bank of America Stadium could look a bit different for fans of Charlotte FC and the Carolina Panthers this weekend, and it's all due to the rainy forecast.
With a soccer match Saturday night, followed by a football game Sunday, combined with likely rain, crews put down lines for both MLS and NFL ahead of the weekend.
That means for Saturday afternoon's Charlotte FC match, the gridiron lines will already be on the field.
The MLS lines are painted yellow, while the NFL lines, hash marks and sidelines are painted white.
"This is not ideal but is unavoidable given the weather forecast," a Tepper Sports & Entertainment spokesperson said. "We never want our soccer field to have football lines, but we are thankful that we will be able to play both games this weekend."
After Saturday's soccer match, the MLS lines will be removed in time for Sunday's NFL game.
Then, according to a release, options will be considered "for painting the end zones and middle of the field for the Panthers game," with a final determination being made based on weather.
The organization added eight supplemental groundskeepers to complete the task, including the director of field operations for UNC-Chapel Hill, and former major and minor league head groundskeepers and golf.
They also consulted with organizations in New England and Seattle, which each have MLS/NFL franchises, for recommendations on best practices given the situation.
WCNC Charlotte Chief Meteorologist Brad Panovich is forecasting an 80% chance of rain on Saturday and 50% on Sunday.
Here is the timeline of the field transition, provided by Tepper Sports & Entertainment.
- Thursday: 8-9 a.m.: paint soccer field with yellow lines
- Friday: Noon-8 p.m.: paint white football lines, border, yard line, hash, numbers; yellow soccer lines will be visible on top
- Saturday: 1-3 p.m.: Charlotte FC hosts New York City FC
- Saturday 3:30-5:30 p.m.: remove yellow MLS lines
- Saturday-Sunday: 5:30 p.m.-11:30 a.m.: paint football field
- Sunday: 1 p.m.: Panthers vs. Browns.
Tepper Sports & Entertainment is hosting 39 events at Bank of America Stadium in 2022.
"In particular, we are grateful for our grounds crew who will literally be working around the clock to deliver both of these games to our fans," the spokesperson said. "These are the occasional challenges that come with hosting an increased number of events at Bank of America Stadium."