The Atlantic Coast Conference Board of Directors, representing all 15 member institutions, today announced that the conference office will relocate its headquarters to Charlotte, North Carolina, in 2023. The unanimous decision completes a comprehensive review and assessment, under the direction of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee, to ensure that the conference office is best positioned for the future and changing dynamics of intercollegiate athletics.
Global commercial real estate services firm Newmark, acting as independent consultant and broker, assisted in leading the objective, data-driven comparison and evaluation utilized by the Board to assist in making its decision. Criteria focused on, but was not limited to, location within the Eastern Time zone, population size with positive growth trends, growth and diversity of population, access to a large hub airport with effective accessibility to and from all ACC member schools, anticipated benefit to the overall ACC brand, potential synergies to existing and prospective partners and financial considerations.
“The Board of Directors is pleased that the conference headquarters will be joining the Charlotte community and is quite excited about the long-term opportunities that will afford,” said ACC Board of Directors Chair and Duke University President Vincent E. Price. “The Board also recognizes and expresses our thanks for what has been a truly wonderful relationship with Greensboro over the last 70 years, and we appreciate the support shown by the state of North Carolina to have the league office remain in the state. We are grateful to the city of Charlotte and look forward to a flourishing partnership.”
“Today is a transformational day for the ACC and for our 15 world class institutions. We truly appreciate the state of North Carolina for its dedication to keeping the conference headquarters in the state, and the Charlotte leadership for their commitment and ongoing partnership,” said ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips, Ph.D. “After a comprehensive, inclusive and deliberate process, the Board decided that Charlotte – an amazing and vibrant community – not only meets, but exceeds, the needs of the ACC. Our new home will provide both known and unknown benefits to our student-athletes, member schools and conference office staff. The decision to relocate from Greensboro was a difficult one, and the entire city and its first-class representatives will always hold an incredibly special place in the history and legacy of the ACC.”
The ACC’s new headquarters will be located in Uptown Charlotte as part of Legacy Union’s Bank of America Tower. The development includes the world headquarters of Honeywell and major corporate offices for Bank of America, Deloitte, JLL, Robinson Bradshaw and Parker Poe.
The league will use the 2022-23 academic year as a transition period to complete the relocation process.
The ACC and Charlotte have enjoyed a long partnership that includes the Queen City hosting a significant number of ACC events and championships. In April 2018, the ACC and the Charlotte Sports Foundation announced a 10-year agreement that keeps the ACC Football Championship Game in Charlotte through the 2030 season. During the previous 11 ACC Football Championships hosted at Bank of America Stadium, the game has sold out five times (2010, 2011, 2015, 2017, 2020) and averaged nearly 70,000 fans. The ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament has been played in Charlotte on 13 occasions, including 2019 at the Spectrum Center. The 2021 and 2022 ACC Baseball Championship were played at Truist Field, and the league has participated in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl since its inception in 2002.