Panthers owner pulls training camp out of South Carolina after nearly 30 years

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The Carolina Panthers announced they will no longer hold their training camp in Spartanburg — like they have since 1995.

The team is moving its preseason practices to its own facilities in Charlotte, according to a Carolina Panthers news release. The Panthers are staying where they train year-round next offseason, extending a league-wide trend to streamline football operations by remaining at the team headquarters.

“We’re excited to hold training camp at our facility in Charlotte,” said Kristi Coleman, president of the Carolina Panthers. “We appreciate Wofford and the Spartanburg community for their hospitality over the years. We are dedicated to the fans in South Carolina, and we will continue to bring fan and community events to the state.”

Only six teams, including the Panthers, conducted training camp away from their facilities last season. The Panthers held training camp at Bank of America Stadium and the adjacent practice fields in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Otherwise, camp has been held at Wofford College in Spartanburg, the release said.

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“For nearly 30 years the Carolina Panthers have played an important role in our community’s evolution bringing visitors from all over the nation and millions in economic impact,” said OneSpartanburg Inc. President and CEO Allen Smith. “The late Jerry Richardson and Danny Morrison were fully committed to Spartanburg and the notion of a two-state team. Their commitment to Spartanburg played a role in our market’s development as tourism metrics are higher than ever and more than $800 million has been announced or is under construction in downtown Spartanburg.”

A major component of that investment is a 16-acre mixed-use redevelopment that will include class A office space, multi-family, an event space, a hotel, and a state-of-the-art minor league baseball stadium, said Allen.

“The stadium is designed to drive tourism traffic year-round to our community and beyond,” Allen added. “We are grateful to the Carolina Panthers for their investment in our community and look forward to learning about how they will maintain their commitment to both Carolinas.”

The team is still working through logistics and how best to accommodate fans during camp. Details will be shared as plans are finalized. The Panthers plan to kick off the season with Fan Fest in South Carolina and will hold Back Together Football in Charlotte, the release said.

Also, as part of a larger effort to upgrade the team’s practice and training facilities, the team will remove the Atrium Health Dome at the end of the regular season in January to begin work on the new practice fields.

At present, the Panthers have one full outdoor field and about three-fourths of another, which is used for walk-throughs or individual work.

The changes will offer the ability to have three full-length practice fields. The layout will provide more space to practice and the opportunity to rotate fields to minimize wear and tear. The fields will be ready in time for training camp.