Bank of America Stadium to open at full capacity for all 2021 stadium events
Sundays at Bank of America Stadium will look more familiar this fall.
The Carolina Panthers will have full stadium capacity for the 2021 NFL season, Tepper Sport & Entertainment president Tom Glick said Monday; masks and vaccinations will not be required. The first home game and event at the stadium under the new policy will be a preseason matchup with the Baltimore Ravens scheduled for Saturday, August 21 at 7 p.m.
The Panthers are hosting two preseason games and eight regular-season games this year. The new standard of attendance also applies to any concerts, events or college football games being held at the stadium in the coming months. This includes the game between Clemson and Georgia scheduled for Sept. 4.
While masks are not required, they are optional and available to any fans who would like them. There will not be separate sections for vaccinated and unvaccinated fans, and the team will not in any way verify vaccination status or do temperature checks.
The team had previously informed personal seat license (PSL) owners and single-game ticket owners that it was preparing for full capacity. There will be flexibility involved if an issue related to COVID-19 arises. The stadium seats about 75,000 people.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in March the league expects full attendance at every stadium for the 2021 season.
Last year, only PSL owners were initially eligible to attend games due to limited attendance related to COVID-19; however, games were later opened up for single-game ticket purchases. Masks were required for every fan in attendance, in addition to a variety of safety protocols in place, including distanced seating in pods. For much of the season, attendance was restricted to 7% capacity or about 5,240 fans.
Hand sanitizer will continue to be available throughout the stadium and the enhanced cleaning methods introduced last year will carry over.
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper has continued to loosen restrictions related to COVID-19. The plan is to lift restrictions limiting capacity at indoor restaurants, bars and concert venues, as well as limits on indoor and outdoor gatherings beginning June 1. Charlotte Motor Speedway is expecting to have full capacity at the Coca-Cola 600 this weekend.
In March, the team informed PSL owners of ticket prices for the upcoming season, including some price increases. Single-game tickets were priced separately based on opponents and other factors.
More than 56% of the non-premium seats, not including club seats and suites, did not experience a change in pricing, including 78% on the upper level. In total, more than 33,000 seats will stay the same — including 4,000 on the lower level and over 29,000 on the upper level.
Mobile ticketing will remain in effect.
The stadium is under renovation this offseason to get ready for the introduction of an MLS club for the 2022 season. The field is also in the process of being replaced with turf.
Additionally, the Panthers on Monday announced they’d be returning to Spartanburg, S.C., to hold training camp this summer.
This story is breaking and will be updated.
