How expansion of the Charlotte 49ers’ football stadium cleared a major fundraising hurdle

Steve Lyttle
·2 min read

The Charlotte 49ers are nearly two-thirds of the way to raising enough money to double the seating capacity of their football stadium.

Charlotte developer Smoky Bissell and his wife Margaret have donated $25 million to a fund for stadium expansion, according to multiple sources.

The N.C. General Assembly also has allotted $25 million for the project.

The Bissells’ donation was reported initially by the Charlotte Business Journal and later confirmed to Charlotte media sources by 49ers athletics director Mike Hill.

Bissell was a key part of the Ballantyne development in South Charlotte.

Seats at Jerry Richardson Stadium are empty on the campus of UNC-Charlotte on Monday, July 20, 2020.
Seats at Jerry Richardson Stadium are empty on the campus of UNC-Charlotte on Monday, July 20, 2020.

The Bissells’ gift is in addition to the $25 million allocated by the General Assembly in the state’s 2023-24 budget, approved by legislators last Friday. The allocation for the 49ers’ stadium is included in the State Capital and Infrastructure Fund.

School officials say the sticker price for doubling the stadium seating capacity is $81 million.

Jerry Richardson Stadium, where the 49ers play their home games, has a capacity of 15,314.

According to several lists, including Road to College FB, Charlotte’s stadium has the second-smallest seating capacity among the 131 FBS programs. The only smaller venue is Elliot T. Bowers Stadium, home of Sam Houston University in Huntsville, Texas. Sam Houston, which moved from FCS to FBS this season, has a home capacity of 14,000.

“This is a transformational challenge gift from Smoky and Margaret Bissell — the largest in our program’s history — and we are grateful for their incredible generosity,” Hill told the Business Journal.

Artist rendering for what the expanded Charlotte 49ers football stadium may look like.
Artist rendering for what the expanded Charlotte 49ers football stadium may look like.

He also thanked state legislators for their funding.

49ers’ officials hope they can find the remaining $31 million for the project from the Charlotte community.

Record attendance at Jerry Richardson Stadium is 19,151, for a Sept. 8, 2018, game between the 49ers and Appalachian State. Charlotte athletics officials brought in temporary grandstand seating for that game.

The question is whether 49ers’ officials will be able to complete fundraising and expand the stadium in time for Sept. 6, 2025, when the North Carolina Tar Heels are scheduled to play in Charlotte.

Other high-profile home games in upcoming years are Ole Miss (Sept. 12, 2026) and Appalachian State (Sept. 18, 2027).

Fans cheer for the Charlotte 49ers during the game against Duke at Jerry Richardson Stadium on Friday, September 3, 2021 in Charlotte, NC. Ahead of the season opener on Friday, UNC Charlotte officials announced game day protocols for fan safety. All spectators five years and older were encouraged to wear masks during the game against the Blue Devils. Officials say fans can pull down their masks when actively eating or drinking.

In May 2022, school athletics officials announced the Evergreen Athletics Facilities Master Vision Plan. The first phase of that plan called for expanding the seating capacity to 30,000 and building a new press tower.

Jerry Richardson Stadium was designed so that it could be expanded considerably without major renovations.

The 49ers played their first college football game of the modern era at the stadium on Aug. 31, 2013, with 16,630 fans watching Charlotte beat Campbell 52-7.

Lighting was added in 2015, and an upgraded video and sound system was completed earlier this year.