CHARLOTTE — Kristi Coleman calls this the summer of soccer, and as CEO at Tepper Sports & Entertainment, she ranks among the people most responsible for bringing that description to life.
On May 31, Tepper Sports and the Charlotte Sports Foundation hosted the U.S. Men’s National Team for a match against Senegal in one of the final tuneups before the FIFA World Cup. The match attracted nearly 60,000 fans to Bank of America Stadium, where USMNT star Christian Pulisic scored a goal and picked up an assist in a 3-2 win. Afterwards, he told reporters, “The support was awesome,” referring to the energetic Charlotte crowd.
Later this month, after the World Cup crowns a new champion on July 19, Tepper Sports and the sports foundation will team up again, this time to help Major League Soccer stage its annual All-Star Game. And once again, BofA Stadium will be the venue.
Coleman has a few other plans this summer, like starting on an $800 million home improvement project at the stadium. Upgrades include all new seats throughout the 74,000-capacity venue; new audio and video systems; enhanced concessions; new exteriors and improved concourses; and a range of back-of-house updates including electrical, plumbing and HVAC equipment.
Then, too, there are numerous matters to attend to with the company’s NFL franchise, the Carolina Panthers, who will report for training camp July 22, and their MLS siblings, Charlotte FC, who resume regular season play the same day.
Coleman recently spoke to CBJ as part of the N.C. Business Minds podcast interview series and shared her perspective on landing the All-Star Game, building on that momentum to recruit other high-profile events and the business importance of the upcoming stadium makeover.
Listen to the podcast and find excerpts here.
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