CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte Football Club is set to move into its new, permanent home this month.
The team confirmed it will move into its new training facility and team offices sometime in August. The new home will be housed at a revamped office building in McAlpine Park.
The 52,000 square foot facility features a new, striking black exterior, along with patio space, a grill and chairs on display. In recent days, staff were actively moving in furniture, taking pictures and preparing the space.
The move will be the end of a years-long saga after the team decided to leave the Eastland Mall revitalization project last year, citing the potential timeline.
The new facility, in another part of the city along the Monroe Road corridor, is generating excitement among nearby businesses, who are hoping to cash in on new employees and fan visitors.
“We look forward to them coming down, and being in our neighborhood,” said John Adams, the owner of Hawthorne’s Pizza about a mile from the new headquarters.
Adams owns 10 Hawthorne’s Pizza locations across the Charlotte region and is in his second decade of making pizza.
“We love working for people, we love providing a great product. Obviously we’re from New York and we think we do a really good job at it,” Adams said.
Despite the excitement about soccer, the longtime owner said his restaurants are still adjusting to the changes the COVID-19 pandemic put on restaurants.
“COVID, the pandemic, has totally changed consumer habits. We’ve lost a lot of our lunch crowd. But we are slowly developing that and bringing that back,” Adams explained.
So, future growth is always welcome.
“Any new development down this corridor would be great for our business,” Adams added.
Charlotte Football Club said the new facility will house more than 100 team employees, team operations, the major and minor league affiliates, practice fields and other needs. To put it in pizza terms, the team might just be the extra topping drawing people to other businesses on Monroe Road.
“More traffic, more business and I think once people get a chance to try Hawthorne’s,” Adams said. “Coming down here, they’ll notice the sign, they’ll come in. It’s all about getting people excited about what we do.”