NC earmarks $15M to put ACC headquarters in Charlotte
Posted June 28, 2022 5:13 p.m. EDT
Updated June 28, 2022 8:20 p.m. EDT
North Carolina would give the Atlantic Coast Conference $15 million if it keeps its headquarters in North Carolina, likely in a move to Charlotte, for at least the next 15 years and stages a number of postseason events in the state over the next decade under a Republican budget proposal released Tuesday night.
The legislation is a compromise between House and Senate lawmakers. It must still pass each chamber and be signed by Gov. Roy Cooper. The bill is agnostic as to where in the state the headquarters must be located to qualify. Rep. Jason Saine, a Lincoln County Republican and chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, confirmed Tuesday that the section of the bill applies to a new Charlotte headquarters.
The ACC was established in 1953 with North Carolina, North Carolina State, Duke and Wake Forest among its seven charter members. The league has been headquartered in Greensboro since its founding.
But the league has been considering a move since October with Charlotte and Orlando, Florida, emerging as the front-runners if the league opts to move from Greensboro, which has fought to keep the conference's headquarters. The league reached out to lawmakers, according to Senate leader Phil Berger's office, and the funding total was reached in agreement with the league.
"We just want to make sure that we keep it here," Saine told WRAL News. "You grow up in the state, one, it's sentimental, but two, from an economic development standpoint from what we attract as far as future tournaments and where they're going to be played, if they're headquartered in this state, we're far better off. Hate to get competing between two cities, but the reality is some cities have more of what they need right now."
An ACC spokesperson said the process for selecting an office location is going and no decision has been made by the league's 15-member Board of Directors.
The league said it would consider several factors in its decision, including population size with positive growth trends, growth and diversity of population, access to a large hub airport and anticipated benefits to the overall ACC brand and synergies to existing and prospective partners and financial considerations related to operational expenses.
Charlotte is an American Airlines hub, and the city has hosted the ACC football championship game in 11 of the last 12 seasons. It is scheduled to host the game again in 2022.
The proposed legislation, which does not name the ACC specifically, refers to a "qualifying collegiate sports employer" as an entity with four charter members that are institutions of higher education in the state.
The nonrecurring funds would be granted to an entity that is "procuring and upfitting a new headquarters located in the State," according to the proposed legislation.
To qualify for the $15 million from the state Department of Commerce, the league would have to remain in the state for 15 years, hold an additional four men's basketball tournaments in the state (including two in Greensboro), an additional four women's basketball tournaments in the state, an additional four baseball postseason tournaments and 20 other postseason tournaments by 2034. Those events are in addition to those already scheduled for North Carolina.
The ACC will host at least 17 postseason conference championship events in the state during the 2022-23 school year, including the men's basketball tournament in Greensboro.
