Of the $1.6 billion sought for the stadiums, city and state taxpayers would pick up half the tab for construction, $800 million, along with $390 million on extra transportation. In December 2001, shortly before leaving office, New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani announced 'tentative agreements' for both the Mets and the New York Yankees to build new stadiums.

The Mets also considered moving to Mitchel Field or Belmont Park in Nassau County, Long Island Sunnyside Yard in Queens, or the West Side Yard in Manhattan. The team unveiled a preliminary model of the ballpark in 1998 it featured a retractable roof and a movable grass field, which would have allowed it to host events including conventions and college basketball. While it had been retrofitted as a baseball-only stadium after the NFL's New York Jets left for Giants Stadium after the 1983 season, it was still not optimal for baseball, with seating located farther away from the playing field compared to other major league ballparks. It had originally been built as a multi-purpose stadium in 1964. Since the 1990s, the Mets were looking to replace Shea Stadium. The naming rights were purchased by Citigroup, a New York financial services company, for $20 million annually. Citi Field hosted the 2013 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, marking the second time the Mets have hosted the event (the first being in 1964, the inaugural season of Shea Stadium).

The first regular-season home game was played on April 13, 2009, against the San Diego Padres. The Mets played their first two games at the ballpark on April 3 against the Boston Red Sox as charity exhibition games. The first game at Citi Field was on March 29, 2009, with a college baseball game between St. The payments will offset property taxes for the lifetime of the park. The $850 million baseball park was funded with $615 million in public subsidies, including the sale of New York City municipal bonds that are to be repaid by the Mets with interest. The stadium was built as a replacement for the adjacent Shea Stadium, which had opened in 1964.Ĭiti Field was designed by the company Populous.

Opening in 2009, Citi Field is the home ballpark of Major League Baseball (MLB)'s New York Mets. New York City FC ( MLS) (2020–present, part-time) Ĭiti Field is a baseball stadium located in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, in the borough of Queens, New York City, United States. Hunt/ Bovis Lend Lease Alliance II (a joint venture) Port Washington Branch at Mets–Willets Point

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