ACC to hold events in North Carolina again
RALEIGH, North Carolina (WTVD) -- The Atlantic Coast Conference will start holding more events again in North Carolina after the state rolled back a law that limited protections for LGBT people.
The league previously announced contracted league championships would return to neutral sites in the state, beginning with the 13th annual Dr Pepper ACC Football Championship Game on December 2 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.
Championship events in women's basketball, baseball, men's and women's swimming & diving, men's and women's golf, and men's and women's tennis will also return to the state during the 2017-18 academic year, and the ACC Women's Soccer Championship will follow suit in November 2018.
In September, the ACC pulled 10 neutral-site championships for the 2016-17 season due to the law, including moving the football championship game from Charlotte to Orlando.
The Council's decision to return neutral site championships to North Carolina, beginning with the 2017-18 academic year, took place on March 31.
Details of ACC championship events scheduled to return to the state of North Carolina are as follows:
Football
The conference, in partnership with the Carolina Panthers, Charlotte Sports Foundation and Visit Charlotte, announced that the 2017 Dr Pepper ACC Championship Football Game will return to Bank of America Stadium and will be played on Saturday, December 2. The ACC's agreement to hold the game at the Charlotte venue, originally set to run through 2019, has been extended through 2020.
Women's Basketball
The ACC Women's Basketball Tournament will be held at the Greensboro Coliseum, for the 18th time in 19 years, on February 28-March 4, 2018. The Coliseum, with assistance from the Tournament Hosts of Greensboro, Greensboro Sports Commission and Convention and Visitors Bureau, is now set to play host to the tournament through 2023.
Baseball
The ACC Baseball Championship will extend its current agreement with Capitol Broadcasting and the Triangle Sports Commission, returning to the Durham Bulls Athletic Park in 2018 and 2019. The 2018 ACC Baseball Championship is scheduled for May 22-27. Three of the ACC Baseball Championship's 10 largest overall attendance figures have been posted at Durham Bulls Athletic Park.
Swimming & Diving
The 2018 ACC Women's Swimming & Diving and Men's Diving Championships will be held February 14-17 at the Greensboro Aquatic Center, while the ACC Men's Swimming Championship is set for February 21-24. The GAC is now set to host those events through 2023, with assistance from the Greensboro Sports Commission.
Men's Golf
The ACC Men's Golf Championship will return to New London's Old North State Club on April 20-22, 2018. McConnell Golf is contracted for the event through 2021. The course has welcomed the ACC Men's Golf Championship 20 times since 1995, including 15 consecutive years from 2002 through 2016.
Women's Golf
The ACC Women's Golf Championship will return to Greensboro's Sedgefield Country Club (Ross Course) on April 20-22, 2018. McConnell Golf is contracted for the event through 2021, with assistance from the Greensboro Sports Commission. Greensboro has welcomed the ACC Women's Golf Championship on 12 previous occasions, including eight consecutive years at Sedgefield from 2009 through 2016.
Men's and Women's Tennis
The ACC Tennis Championships will return to Cary Tennis Park on April 25-29, 2018. The venue has been the site of the league's tennis championships 11 times since 2005, including eight consecutive seasons from 2009 through 2016.
Women's Soccer
The semifinals and finals of the ACC Women's Soccer Championship will return to Sahlen's Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park in 2018. The Town of Cary, along with the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance and North Carolina FC Youth (formerly Capital Area Soccer League), is set to host tournament play November 2 and 4 of that year. Cary has played host to all or part of the ACC Women's Soccer Championship 11 times since 2003, including six consecutive seasons from 2008 through 2013.
