British football clubs to bring in town revenue with Kenan Stadium match

On July 23, England’s Manchester City and Scotland’s Celtic football clubs will play a match at Kenan Stadium on UNC’s campus. The game is a part of the 2024 FC Series, a collection of friendly matches, or those that serve to warm up and prepare players for the professional season.

Last year, Chapel Hill hosted a match between Chelsea Football Club and Wrexham Association Football Club. The sold-out game brought a crowd of over 50,500 and around $15 million in revenue for Chapel Hill and nearby communities.

This year’s match will be only the third time Manchester City and Celtic have played one another, and tickets range between $65 and $400. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to UNC Children’s Hospital.

Additionally, because the town had more preparation time for this year’s event, local businesses have had a larger window to prepare for the influx of visitors and customers, Stephanie Cobert, director of marketing and engagement for Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership, said. 

“We were able to plan a little bit better and have more activities, get our downtown businesses invested in having specials and events, and upping their staffing and staying open a little bit later for people,” she said.

The Town of Carrboro will sponsor a trolley service between downtown Carrboro and Chapel Hill to transport visitors between businesses, restaurants and bars. 

The summer months are slower for the town — due, in part, to the decreased student population — so hosting soccer matches is nothing but a benefit, Maria Jacavino, director of sales for Chapel Hill’s Graduate Hotel, said.

Last year’s match brought visitors from all 50 states and some from overseas, leaving local hotels sold out. 

“From an occupancy perspective, every time there’s major sport events, we definitely see some bigger demand,” Rene Clemente, task force general manager for Graduate Hotels, said. 

Maura Hausler, an employee at the AC Hotel on Rosemary Street, said that the hotel will be completely sold out for the soccer match. As of July 8, there were only six rooms available out of 123 total. 

“Last year was an absolute blast. People were in here, decorations everywhere, they had all kinds of big blow-up things,” she said. 

Restaurants and bars experienced increases in foot traffic as well. Last year, Top of the Hill Restaurant & Brewery made around $35,000 on the night of the match, over three times higher than their usual Wednesday night revenue. 

“We are hoping that it will have an impact like last year’s match to show that Chapel Hill — the Chapel Hill community, Orange County — is a hospitable place for these types of events, especially during the summer, which tends to be our slower months for downtown businesses,” Cobert said.

The game will take place at Kenan Stadium on July 23 at 7 p.m. Broadcast information will be released closer to the date of the match.

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