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Coming Soon: Charlotte 49ers football

FBS Football is returning to UNC Charlotte.
Channel 9 spoke with the leaders at UNC Charlotte athletics to get an update on the progress of their new football team.
New Football Team
The UNC Charlotte 49ers will debut their new football program in 2013.
"There was a big push by students and alumni to bring football in and add it to their athletic roster," says Tom Whitestone, Associate Athletic Director for Media Relations at UNC Charlotte.
Whitestone said that there were three key things the University wanted to accomplish when bringing in a new football program.
"Increasing atmosphere on campus and providing a more complete collegiate experience for students on campus, using football to reach out to our alumni base, and to improve ties with the greater Charlotte community and give an identity to the campus,” says Whitestone.
The 49ers have already hired their entire coaching staff, headed by former Wake Forest assistant coach Brad Lambert.
Athletic Director Judy Rose feels they needed a special person to pioneer the new football squad.
“He stood out because of his work ethic and he’s been with several programs,” says Rose. “His rich background made him an ideal candidate for the job.”
All of the 49ers recruits signed back in February and will be redshirted this season in order to establish NCAA eligibility. The team is scheduled to practice throughout the fall.
Changing Conferences
Charlotte announced just last month they will be switching to Conference USA, an FBS conference.
As of next season all 49ers athletic teams will compete in Conference USA, except for football, which will compete as independents. Football will begin play in C-USA in the fall of 2015.
“Joining Conference USA will make us the only FBS school in Mecklenberg County,” says Rose. “We’re thrilled to be able to provide this type of entertainment to the community.”
Charlotte also showed interest in joining the Sun Belt conference, but ultimately chose to join Irving, TX-based Conference USA
“Creating local rivalries is very important to us,” says Whitestone. “Conference USA allows us to do that.”
Charlotte has been putting a schedule together for the next few years, which includes a match-up against Virginia Tech of the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2019.
Whitestone didn’t rule out the 49ers efforts to schedule games against in-state foes like the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill or North Carolina State.
New Stadium
UNC Charlotte is constructing a new football field from the ground up which is expected to be finished in September.
“The most exciting part of this is actually seeing the stadium coming along,” says Rose. “Things have always seemed real to us, and now they can seem real for the fans as well.”
McColl-Richardson Field is being built into an entire athletic complex, including: a game field, two practice fields, and a field house.
The 46,000 sq ft field house is expected to house the locker rooms, athletic offices, and academic support for the team.
Rose says the practice fields are expected to be finished in early August so the team can start practicing.
She says the entire complex should be finished sometime in August or September.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — To view a live snapshot of the 49ers Stadium, click here  

For more information on the Charlotte 49ers, click here

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