Here’s a sneak peek at Panthers’ practice fields before first training camp in Charlotte

Training camp always marks a new era of sorts for NFL teams — all of whom are riding high from being undefeated and healthy and newly stocked with hope that comes with the rookies they drafted and the free agents they signed.

For the Panthers, their 2024 training camp represents a new era in another way, too.

This month, the Carolina Panthers will host their training camp in Charlotte for the first time in team history after decades of hosting it on the campus of Wofford College in Spartanburg. The camp, which runs from July 24 to Aug. 15, required a reimagination and reconstruction of the fields the Panthers practice on during the regular season — as well as a bunch of additional build-outs to enhance the experiences of fans and players.

The Charlotte Observer got a sneak peek of the site on Monday with Bonnie Almond, senior director of operations and events, as our tour guide. Here are some of the highlights.

Where Carolina Panthers fans enter

The main entrance most fans will use for training camp is located at 705 W 4th St. in Uptown Charlotte, not far from the Johnson and Wales campus. Fans will then walk through a big truss that’ll line the entryway — the same kind of large structures that make events feel major — and then walk down the ramp onto the site.

The first thing fans will notice as they descend down the ramp is the large fields where the players will practice, fit with natural grass supplied by Carolina Green Inc. of Indian Trail, N.C. The second? Probably the water-refilling station. Fans can bring up to two water bottles into the training camp, Almond said, and can refill here. (The temperatures shouldn’t be insufferable this year, with highs topping out at 90 degrees this week. Though there’s a chance for scattered showers for the next seven days.)

There will also be a “coloring wall” — just like there was in Spartanburg — a wall where kids can take crayons and markers provided by the team and draw on.

Covered seating with a full view of the fields

Once fans get a look at the fields, they’ll file into one of two bleacher build-outs, both of which are covered by a white tent. If you think the tents resemble those used at Quail Hollow Golf Club for the Wells Fargo Championship, it’s because the same company that outfits Quail for the tournament — Arena Americas — is the same one the Panthers used here. Building this structure took about a week, Almond said.

Practice will go on in the case of rain, so fans will be shielded from that. If there is lightning within eight miles, the site will need to be evacuated.

The bleachers are wrapped with Process Blue material that features a graphic of the 2024 Carolina Panthers — quarterback Bryce Young is in the middle, flanked by Jadeveon Clowney, Derrick Brown, Diontae Johnson and Adam Thielen.

Vendors, KONA ICE, autographs

Just in front of the bleachers is a fence where fans can lean over for autographs before players exit the fields.

Just behind the fan bleachers includes a bunch of tents for sponsors and food and beverage vendors. Among the uses of those places: Panthers merchandise, concessions (mostly snacks), Morris-Jenkins misting tent (shooting mist all practice for fans to cool off in), Kona Ice and Dippin’ Dots.

Just to the right of the bleachers is an area for people with disabilities to watch practice. It’s right next to the ADA entrance off Cedar Street.

There is also a medic tent on site for fans, as well as other “sponsor activiation areas,” which is basically where sponsors of the Panthers can show off their products or otherwise engage with the patrons.

VIP bleacher structure

Opposite the main entrance is another large bleacher structure for VIP — Permanent Seat License owners, player families and partners. People sitting here can get autographs from players, too, after practices as players walk back into the locker room at Bank of America Stadium.

One big player enhancement

One cool enhancement for the players — which wasn’t available when the team was in Spartanburg — is a cooling chamber players can recover in if they overheat. Fans will also see a separate storage facility on the site, where the team and grounds crew store equipment.

Other important notes

▪ Progress on practice field house. Once training camp concludes Aug. 15 — the day of the joint practice with the New York Jets — the Panthers will begin breaking down the structures so the team can use the rest of the site as a third field. The third field will be used throughout the season, according to a Panthers spokesperson. That means construction on the indoor field house — plans that were made public in February — will begin after the 2024 campaign.

▪ Only two training camp days haven’t been sold out. Thirteen of the Panthers’ 15 practice dates have already sold out — meaning fans have secured free tickets. The only two dates that haven’t sold out yet are the “Back Together Saturday” event, which will be held at 9:30 a.m. in Bank of America Stadium; and Fan Fest in Clemson, which will be held at 6:30 p.m. at Clemson’s Memorial Stadium. You can secure your tickets on Ticketmaster.

▪ For a full schedule of the Panthers’ training camp days, visit the Panthers’ website. Practice begins at 9:30 a.m. on all but three days — Aug. 1 (Fan Fest in Clemson), Aug. 3 and Aug. 10.