Football

Panthers tickets going up for 2014 season

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Carolina Panthers fans will see an increase in ticket prices for the 2014-2015 season.

The team said tickets have remained the same for the past four years, but will increase by $2 to $21 depending on the section.

The release said nearly two-thirds of the stadium will see an increase of $2 to $5.

The largest price increase affects 2,400 lower level midfield seats.

The team said even with the increase, the Panthers' average ticket price still ranks among the lower half of all NFL teams.

Non-premium ticket prices now range from $41 to $130. Ticket prices for Silver Club seats start at $135.

For the first time, Panthers tickets will also include a new sales tax mandated by the North Carolina General Assembly, which changed the tax code to apply a 7.25 percent sales tax to tickets and handling fees.

This tax applies to all college and professional sporting events in North Carolina as well as other various entertainment activities.

"It is essential to have a plan that provides the resources to be competitive," said Carolina Panthers President Danny Morrison. "Looking ahead, we are working to improve every aspect of our performance on and off the field.

Renovations have already begun at Bank of America Stadium.

The stadium improvements include:

 State-of-the-art scoreboards on both ends of the stadium

 360-degree LED ribbon boards ringing the stadium on both the 300 and 500 levels

A distributed sound system throughout the stadium

Four escalator banks containing three sets of escalators for easy access to the 300 and 500 level seats

The team is in the first phase of renovations to Bank of America Stadium.

The cost of the initial phase is $65 million with the Panthers contributing approximately $37 million.