The FC Series matchup between Chelsea and Wrexham soccer clubs may not count on paper, but it’s going to create a lot of action around Chapel Hill on Wednesday.
The friendly, which starts at 7:30 p.m. in UNC’s Kenan Stadium, is a highly anticipated event as it brings an international soccer match to Carolina’s campus for the first time — and one of the first U.S. games for Wrexham since its rise in popularity from the team’s docuseries. Some tickets are still available, but the event is expected to draw thousands of fans to the college town and Triangle.
“We’re going to have over 50,000 people coming to town for this event, many of whom have never been to Chapel Hill,” says Chapel Hill Mayor Pam Hemminger.
The FC Series match between the English powerhouse and the historic Welsh football club is the start of a brief U.S. tour for each of the clubs. And while the clubs are heading to much bigger cities after visiting Chapel Hill, the game provides a premier opportunity to highlight the region.
“It’s interesting, I don’t know we’ve ever had an event this large that hasn’t been sponsored by either the town or the university,” says Hemminger. “That’s been a learning exercise, but we’re very excited about it. I’ve heard a lot of enthusiasm – a lot [of buzz] on social media too – of people coming to town, having tickets, and wanting to be a part of this.”
The local sporting ties to the event have been covered – but what are the latest travel and parking recommendations people should keep in mind before the game kicks off?
Here are details on some of the most important things to know ahead of Chelsea vs. Wrexham in Chapel Hill on Wednesday.
WHERE I CAN FIND TICKETS?
While the Carolina Athletics department had tickets on sale in April for the soccer friendly, they sold out in a matter of days. The game’s promoter, Florida Citrus Sports, still has tickets available after releasing 1,000 more tickets for the event last Wednesday. A portion of the ticket sales are also going to a local cause, with the organization group set to donate to the Pediatric Hematology Oncology Clinic at UNC Children’s Hospital.
Match tickets can be purchased through the FC Series website and ticket markets like Stubhub and Seatgeek. All seating sections of Kenan Stadium will be open for the match. Parking passes can also be purchased by going to the promoter’s website.
The FC Series organizers confirmed that Kenan Stadium will open to attending fans at 6 p.m. on Wednesday.
WHAT PARKING IS AVAILABLE?
As is the case with many events at UNC, parking is going to be at a premium around the stadium.
Public passes for all of the university’s decks are on sale for visitors and can be purchased through the Carolina Athletics website. But UNC’s parking spots will not be sold ahead of the match on Wednesday and purchased passes will not be valid on campus until two hours before the friendly begins. A list of UNC parking decks and lots can be found here.
Parking is going to be available in downtown Chapel Hill as well, with all the town’s biggest parking decks and lots having spaces at a special event rate. That higher price for parking per hour starts at 2 p.m. on Wednesday and paying must be done through the ParkMobile app the Town of Chapel Hill uses for its parking fees. The town’s available parking lots and decks can be found here.
“Local residents,” she advised, “if you’re not going to the game and you’re concerned, we highly recommend that you plan to not be in the downtown area or near the stadium, or access [those areas] around the start and stop times of the game. People are going to be coming in, they’re going to have a little confusion – we just want to make sure people are aware it is happening so they don’t get stuck in a traffic jam trying to get out of parking lots.
“And,” Hemminger added, “the park and rides are going to be pretty busy as well.”
Read below to learn what some of the parking options are like at park-and-ride lots.
WHAT ARE THE LOCAL TRANSIT OPTIONS?
Chapel Hill Transit will be running its Tar Heel Express service during the hours leading up to the FC Series friendly Wednesday evening. The bus service, which is a direct route from park-and-ride lots to UNC’s campus, is a way for fans to be taken to Kenan Stadium without having to navigate parking downtown or as much vehicle traffic leaving the game.
Starting at 5:30 p.m., shuttles will take passengers from the Southern Village Park and Ride lot off 15-501 and the Friday Center Park and Ride off N.C. 54 to Kenan Stadium every 10-15 minutes. Parking at the parking lots is free, but riding the Tar Heel Express is $5 for each rider. Passes can be purchased through the Carolina Athletics Department’s website for parking. For UNC games, passes for the Tar Heel Express can be paid for in cash at the park-and-ride lots as well — on Wednesday night, however, that will not be the case. Additionally, riders will be required to show their tickets for the game before using a bus.
The Tar Heel Express also runs from downtown Chapel Hill to Kenan Stadium. Similarly, it will cost riders $5 to get onto the bus — but parking downtown will not be free to visitors.
Return rides on the Tar Heel Express buses will run for 45 minutes after the Chelsea-Wrexham game is finished.
Additionally, some standard Chapel Hill Transit lines will be running on Wednesday that fans can use. But the local transit system warned its typical riders of likely increased traffic and capacity leading up to the game. It also shared that several routes, including the A, NU and RU, will be detoured on Wednesday afternoon and evening.
The buzz for international soccer (football?) is building. Don't get caught off guard on game day. Stay tuned to @chapelhillgov channels for updates and alerts. pic.twitter.com/z3RLN6vfzc
— Chapel Hill Transit (@chtransit) July 13, 2023
WHAT ARE SOME PRE-GAME EVENTS HAPPENING IN TOWN?
While the friendly Wednesday night is the highlight, there are plenty of activities set to happen around Chapel Hill leading up to the game.
The promoter, Florida Citrus Sports, is holding several of its own events — including an open practice for the teams on Tuesday, July 18 in Cary. Chelsea and Wrexham will prepare for the game at WakeMed Soccer Park and fans are able to attend with a separate ticket. The practice begins at 5 p.m.
On Wednesday, FC Series is also hosting two events on UNC’s campus near Kenan Stadium: tailgates at the Morehead-Patterson Bell Tower and in the Kenan Forest along Stadium Drive. Tickets for the events, however, stopped being sold on Friday
Another event on UNC’s campus offers another way to snag tickets to Wednesday’s friendly. The software company FICO is sponsoring Chelsea’s trip around the U.S. in July and is hosting an event called Score A Better Future at the Kenan-Flagler Business School. FICO says the first 50 attendees to the event, which will allow community members to learn more about their credit score and financial literacy, will receive one ticket to the game. The Score A Better Future event will run from 4 – 5 p.m. on Wednesday.
There is another tourism draw happening as Chelsea and Wrexham come to town: the Uproar Festival of Public Art. Orchestrated by the Orange County Arts Commission, dozens of art pieces are on display through downtown Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Hillsborough done by southeastern artists. Those who discover the art pieces can vote via QR code on their favorites, and the winning artist will earn $10,000 at the end of the festival. Click here to learn more and find a map of the pieces.
Additionally, many of Chapel Hill and Carrboro’s small businesses may have their own events or specials ahead of the FC Series match. To learn more of what the downtown areas have to offer, visit the Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitor’s Bureau website or the Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership’s website.
WHERE CAN I LEARN MORE ABOUT THE TEAMS?
Both Chelsea and Wrexham are historic clubs, having been around for more than a century and experienced great success.
Chelsea FC is based in west London in England and was founded in 1905 by an English businessman to help put on entertainment at a stadium he’d recently purchased. Since then, the club has experienced some of the highest achievements in European soccer. Part of the English Premier League, Chelsea has won the league title six times. The Blues have also won the UEFA Champions League twice — which essentially crowned them kings of Europe for a year — and the FIFA Club World Cup in 2021. More about the club’s history can be found here.
Wrexham Association Football Club, meanwhile, is the oldest soccer club in Wales and the third oldest professional soccer club in the world. Founded in 1864, the group has largely played in the lower-tier Football League in the United Kingdom and has claimed the Welsh Cup title 23 times. The team has recently gained a boom in popularity following its acquisition by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney in 2021, which helped the team climb back into the Football Championship league after spending several seasons in the National League. The pair helped produce a documentary series called “Welcome To Wrexham” on their decision to buy the club and run it as co-chairmen, which vastly increased Wrexham’s exposure and fanbase. More about the Red Dragons’ history can be found here.
WHERE DO THE TEAMS PLAY NEXT?
The FC Series is just the start of a U.S. tour for both Wrexham F.C. and Chelsea. The Red Dragons will go from Chapel Hill to play two games in California and one in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania before the end of July. Details on their schedule can be found on the club’s website.
Meanwhile, Chelsea will head to Philadelphia after their game in Kenan Stadium to face off against Brighton & Hove Albion. Their other preseason friendlies will take place in Atlanta, Maryland, and Chicago. More information can be found on the Blues’ website.
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