CORRECTION: A previous version of this article incorrectly described the ACC’s move. The ACC is moving its headquarters to Charlotte. The tournament has and will continue to rotate throughout the region. We apologize for the error.
GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) — The ACC headquarters is officially moving.
After months of anticipation, the tournament’s board of directors announced Tuesday that the ACC will be moving its headquarters from Greensboro to Charlotte in 2023.
“Today is a transformational day for the ACC and for our 15 world-class institutions,” said ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips. “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.”
The new headquarters is planned for uptown Charlotte as part of Legacy Union’s Bank of America Tower.
The Greensboro Coliseum has hosted a record 28 ACC Men’s basketball tournaments and a record 22 Women’s Basketball tournaments. The site has been the ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament’s most frequent location.
The City of Greensboro pushed to keep the tournament, even going as far as to offer to rename the Greensboro Coliseum in the tournament’s honor.
But the City of Charlotte was heavily rumored as a contender. The conference already has made a footprint in Charlotte hosting several ACC Men’s Basketball Tournaments of their own. Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte is also now the permanent home of the ACC Championship game for football.
“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,” Phillips said.
Greensboro Mayor Nancy Vaughan responded, calling the decision “disappointing but not totally unexpected.”
I am extremely proud of Greensboro’s response to the ACC’s original request for proposal and subsequent amended proposal requests. Our united Guilford County/Greensboro team led the community’s aggressive response that made every possible effort to promote Greensboro as the best possible location for the conference headquarters.
I know that we made this decision difficult for the ACC as evidenced by the 14 month process and revisions to their original RFP.
The landscape of college athletics is rapidly changing but one thing will never change … we are #TournamentTown. We look forward to continuing our nearly 70-year relationship with the ACC and working closely with the Conference as the host of future ACC championship events. We are a fan favorite and we love sports!!
North Carolina state Rep. Jon Hardister (R-Whitsett) said, “As a lifelong resident of Guilford County, I regret that the ACC has chosen to relocate to Charlotte, but I am glad that they are staying in North Carolina. While this is not ideal for our community, there will still be many tournaments played in our area, and the ACC will continue to have a positive impact on Greensboro.”
The ACC belongs to a group of conferences colloquially known as the “Power Five” which includes the Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and Southeastern (SEC) Conferences.
The “Power Five” conferences are the largest revenue-earners in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and thus have large influences on NCAA policy as well as economic impacts on the regions they inhabit.
Just as an example of the economic influence that these conferences have, the former University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Head Men’s Basketball Coach Roy Williams was at a time the highest-paid public employee in the state of North Carolina.
UNC is one of the founding members of the conference based in North Carolina, alongside North Carolina State University, Duke University and Wake Forest University.
The four North Carolina schools alongside Clemson University, the University of South Carolina and the University of Maryland formed the ACC at the Sedgefield Inn in Greensboro on May 8, 1953, after withdrawing from the Southern Conference.
