Carolina Panthers happy with conditions ahead of NFC Championship Game
Sunday 24 January 2016 18:25, UK
The Carolina Panthers expect no weather issues to affect their NFC Championship Game against Arizona on Sunday.
Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte was hit by heavy snow throughout Friday but director of stadium operations Scott Paul said Winter Storm Jonas had passed through early enough to allow clearance in plenty of time.
Temperatures remained below freezing on Saturday, but Paul paid tribute to fans and local businesses who had come out to ensure the stadium and surrounding areas would be safe for Sunday's game with the Cardinals, which will see the winner head to Super Bowl 50.
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Tarpaulins on the field will remain in place until Sunday lunchtime to avoid another overnight freeze.
"We live in a great community. We have a lot of people wanting to help us," Paul said. "We just want to thank them for everything they've done over the last few days to get this stadium ready for our fans.
"This is the biggest game in the history of this stadium, but we're not treating it any different. It's a championship game, and there will be more excitement, but from a security aspect and fan services aspect, they should expect the same as usual.
"The field has been covered since Thursday afternoon. We've had to remove snow from the tarp twice now. We had hoped to take the tarp off today, but we're getting down into the 20s [Fahrenheit] tonight, so we're going to leave the tarp on.
"We're going to have a freeze tonight again, so fans should expect some slush at their feet. Wear shoes with thick soles. We're going to do our best to get it melted, but there will be some slush inside the stadium."
Watch the NFC Championship Game live on Sky Sports 1 HD on Sunday night - coverage from Carolina v Arizona starts at 11.30pm.
