High schools adjust to home football game disruptions

CMS renovation projects and construction delays are causing field shortages

The following article appeared in the June 27, 2025, edition of The Charlotte Ledger, an e-newsletter with smart and original local news for Charlotte. We offer free and paid subscription plans. More info here.

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Four Charlotte high schools will lose home games this fall amid construction chaos; ‘It could’ve been better planned’

South Meck’s and Myers Park’s football teams (left) are two of four Charlotte-Mecklenburg high schools that are having to shift home games away from their campuses this fall because of construction. Some teams are using the switch as extra motivation, such as South Meck, which has printed T-shirts that say “Anybody Anytime Anywhere” on the back. (Football photo courtesy of Rick Rothacker; T-shirt photo courtesy of Carter Gillis)

By Michelle Crouch

Thanks to renovation projects and construction delays, football and soccer teams at four Charlotte-Mecklenburg high schools are being forced off their home fields for at least some of their games this fall.

The four schools — South Meck, Myers Park, Butler and Providence — are all in southern Mecklenburg County, where field space is already scarce. Coaches told The Ledger they are juggling schedules, making calls and scrambling to lock in nearby fields, trying to keep games close enough that fans will still show up and cheer.

In addition to the logistical headaches, coaches and the schools’ athletic booster clubs are bracing for a financial hit. Ticket and concession sales from the football season make up a large part of most high school athletic budgets.

“Financially, losing a home game is a big deal,” said Butler football coach Brian Hales, who expects to be without a field for the month of September or longer. “I don’t know the exact numbers. But let’s say tickets are $8 and 3,000 are sold, that’s $24,000 you’d lose right there as an athletics department. Factor in concessions, and it’s a financial burden when budgets are already tight.”

Parents say they’re frustrated — not just by the impact on the bottom line, but by what they see as poor planning by the school district that’s stripping families and students of key high school experiences and traditions.