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The New York Mets’ Citi Field

Construction for the New York Mets' new ballpark, Citi Field, has begun in the outfield parking lot between Shea Stadium and 126th Street. The stadium is located on the north end of Flushing Meadows Corona Park at the edge of Flushing Bay. The Mets expect to complete construction by Opening Day 2009, which will usher in a new era of unprecedented sightlines, amenities, and comfort for Mets fans, sports fans, and visitors to the New York metropolitan area.

The Mets, in conjunction with their construction partners Hunt-Bovis and HOK, began construction of the 45,000-capacity Citi Field this summer in the outfield parking lot between Shea Stadium and 126th Street.  More than 2,200 of the 2,800 piles already have been driven.

Citigroup and the New York Mets have announced an exclusive 20-year, multi-faceted strategic marketing and business partnership that includes the naming rights for Citi Field.  As the first step of the strategic partnership, the Mets and Citi will commission a statue and name the entry rotunda of Citi Field - inspired by the classic design of Ebbets Field - to honor Jackie Robinson, the legendary pioneer and great American who broke baseball's color barrier with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947.  The partnership will include a significant commitment to recognize and perpetuate, in and around the rotunda and the community, Robinson's legacy and the "nine values" he embodied as articulated by his daughter, Sharon Robinson:  courage, integrity, determination, persistence, citizenship, justice, commitment, teamwork, and excellence. 

The Mets are privately financing the construction and operation of the new 45,000-capacity, open-air venue and will construct, operate, manage, and maintain Citi Field at their own expense.  Construction of Citi Field is expected to create more than 6,000 temporary full-time equivalent jobs, while ongoing operations in it are expected to result in approximately 1,000 permanent full-time equivalent jobs.

The City and State have been working with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) on both short term and long term options to make additional transit service available for Mets fans and to encourage more fans to take mass transit to games.  The MTA is also working on additional marketing and promotional efforts with the Mets that will encourage the use of public transportation.

A 3-D virtual video tour as well as renderings and a comprehensive overview of the new Mets Ballpark are available at www.Mets.com.

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