The Panthers won’t be practicing in a ballroom again next season. They won’t be getting rained out again, either. Throughout franchise history, they have not had a true indoor practice facility the way most teams around the NFL do. Owner David Tepper is going to change that, making it a goal to have a bubble over the practice field by the time the 2019 preseason starts.
Work is already underway for the project. According to a report by Jourdan Rodrigue at the Charlotte Observer, the team has confirmed as much.
“The Carolina Panthers have begun work on a temporary practice facility behind Bank of America Stadium that will include a climate-controlled bubble, a team spokesman confirmed on Wednesday.”
A reader sent the Observer photos of the turf being removed, which you can see here.
Fans shouldn’t get too attached to the bubble. This is only going to be a temporary facility. In the long run, Tepper intends to squeeze taxpayers to fund part of a new facility in South Carolina. He recently met with that state’s Governor to discuss the move.
