Citi Field: Stadium Review

Tenant: New York Mets
Capacity: 42,000
Surface: Grass
Cost: $632 Million
Opening: April 13, 2009
Dimensions: 335-L, 370-LC, 408-C, 380-RC, 330-R
Architect: HOK Sport
Owner: New York Mets
Naming Rights: Citigroup, Inc. $20 million per year for 20 years
Public Financing: $89.7 million from the City, $74.7 million from the State of New York
Private Financing: $420 from the Mets
Home Dugout: First Base

Contents show

History Of Citi Field Stadium

The Mets began playing in 1964 at the Shea Stadium in New York City. Once they became the best team in the city and began rising in popularity, a new stadium was built just for them adjacent to the Shea Stadium in 2006.

Citi Field was opened in 2009, with the first official game being between St Johns and Georgetown – a college game played on 13 April 2019. However, the primary games played at Citi Field nowadays are only New York Mets games.

Who / What Is It Named After

Citi Field stadium was built as a replacement for the Shea Stadium that could be found just opposite the new stadium, which first opened in 1964. Citigroup is a New York financial services company that purchased the naming rights for the new stadium and therefore is who Citi Field is named after.

Citigroup Inc. now pays for the naming rights and will do so until 2029, paying $20 million every year for the privilege. Once their contract runs out in 2029 another company might purchase these rights and change the name to something else.

When Did It Open

Citi Field stadium first opened on April 13th, 2009. It was first designed in 2006 by HOK Sport after the Shea Stadium was declared too old and lacking in modern amenities to accommodate fans anymore.

What Team Plays There

Citi Field stadium is the home of the New York Mets – an expansion team first founded in 1962 to replace New York’s departed NL teams the New York Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers. These departed teams also played at Citi Field, although it is now owned and primarily used by the New York Mets.

Location

The Citi Field stadium can be found off the 7 train in Queens. It is located in the Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in New York City. Citi Field was built in the parking lot behind the outfield of Shea Stadium, which used to be the home of the New York Mets.

Capacity (Seated & Standing)

The overall capacity of Citi Field stadium is 42,000, which is 3,000 less than the Shea Stadium. Around 42% of the seated capacity in Citi Field is in the lower deck.

What Are The Stadium Dimensions

The dimensions of Citi Field stadium are as follows:

Left: 335 feet’
Left center: 370 feet

Center: 408 feet
Right center: 380 feet
Right: 330 feet

These dimensions were measured after the Mets altered them due to the lack of home runs being hit at Citi Field in 2012. The team lowered 12 to 8 feet and moved 4 feet in the left field. The deepest point in the right-center field was reduced by 10 feet to 380 feet.

Seating Chart

Seats For Sale

There are a number of ways that you can purchase seats for the New York Mets. You can buy season tickets ensuring that you have the same seat for every home game. Full season tickets can be purchased for $750 to $6,000. You can reserve the same block of seats for each game to always have a similar view, although you cannot reserve individual seats.

You can also do the same for half-season tickets, which are cheaper as you won’t be invited to as many games. Again, you cannot purchase the individual seat although you can choose the block of seats you stay in.

The Delta Share plan is another option for you to purchase a seat in the Delta seating area. These seats offer an amazing view behind the home plate, right on the ground to get a feel of what the players are seeing instead of the fans.

Alternatively, you can purchase sears for individual games. The price of these will vary depending on the view and who the Mets are playing. For example, a very sought-after game will be much more expensive than a friendly game with no real stakes.

Depending on your seats, the price will vary between $12 to $830. The lower-priced tickets will have a much worse view than the higher-priced ones, so keep this in mind when choosing your seats.

Best Seats

There are three tiers of seating in Citi Field, each of which runs all the way from the right-field foul pole to the home plate and around to the left-field foul pole towards centerfield, offering excellent seats to the majority of guests.

More seating is found in the right field, and there are more than 50 suites dotted around for the best seats in the house. These can be found behind the home plate and below the main concourse.

The seating arrangements in Citi Field have been modeled after the Tiger Stadium, which was the home of the Detroit Tigers for almost a century until 1999. This means that there is seating overhanging the playing field, offering excellent views of home runs.

The Clubhouse is the seating found in the right field, which gives you a great perspective of the players rather than as a spectator. This is a unique feature of Citi Field that isn’t often seen in other stadiums, making it a great feature and some might even consider the best seats in the house.

There are also exclusive club areas at Citi Field, including Ebbets Club and Delta Sky Club behind the home plate, as well as the Acela Club which is a restaurant near the left-field corner of the pitch.

Notable Features

Citi Field was built to offer more modern features than the Shea Stadium, and it does not disappoint. There are outfield picnic areas, an interactive Mets museum, and Hall of Fame displays.

Outside the stadium is the big apple that used to be kept at Shea Stadium, and you can take pictures with this before or after the game.

There are plenty of amazing seating options at Citi Field including seats on the floor to give you the perspective of the players, as well as different clubs for you to enjoy at an extra cost.

The fences are now painted orange and royal blue, a homage to the outfield fence that used to be at Shea Stadium.

Memorabilia

There is a Mets Team store found at Citi Field in which you can buy memorabilia such as jerseys, hats, posters, bobbleheads, and much more. You can even buy toys of the apple that sits outside the stadium to remember your visit to the stadium.

Posters and 3D replicas are also available at the shop which is great for sports fans who appreciate the stadium rather than just the team.

Mascot

The Citi Field stadium mascot is called Mr. Met. He is a man with an oversized baseball for a head and can be spotted at every home game at Citi Field stadium.

Notable Events

Citi Field saw the 2015 World Series and 2013 All-Star Game. The NHL Winter Classic was also seen here on January 1, 2018, between the New York Rangers and the Buffalo Sabers.

During the opening day at the stadium on April 13, 2009, former Mets players Mike Piazza and Tom Seaver threw the first pitch. Three days later, Gary Sheffield hit his 500th home run at Citi Field.

Marino Rivera, the Yankees closer, hit his 500th save on June 28, 2009. Johan Santana also threw the Met’s first no-hitter at Citi Field on June 1, 2012.

What Time Do The Gates Open

Citi Field’s gates open two hours before each game so that you can watch the batting practice and get all of your concessions ready before the game starts. This might differ for special games and concerts.

How Much Is Parking at Citi Field Stadium & Best Option

There are seven primary parking lots near Citi Field, all of which open three hours before the game. The cost is $25 for cars and $50 for oversized vehicles or buses. Each of these parking lots is within 0.2 miles of the stadium and therefore all considered good options.

Can You Get A Parking Pass

Yes, you can purchase parking passes upon arrival at Citi Field parking lots. You can also pre-pay for your parking spot and save up to 50% online.

Handicap Parking

There are over 350 handicap parking spots in lots A, B, and F. These are first-come, first-served and you need a valid accessible parking pass.

Is There Tailgating?

Tailgating is only allowed provided you follow a set of rules, including:

No open flames
Only one parking spot can be used
No alcohol
No inappropriate or dangerous behavior
A trash bag needs to be brought by yourself and all trash should be taken with you.