City of Palms Park facts for kids
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| Location | 2201 Edison Ave Fort Myers, Florida 33901 |
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| Owner | Lee County Sports Authority |
| Capacity | 8,000 (2008) |
| Field size | Left Field: 330 ft Center Field: 410 ft Right Field: 330 ft |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1992 |
| Opened | 1993 |
| Architect | Populous |
| Structural engineer | Bliss & Nyitray, Inc |
| Tenants | |
| Spring training Boston Red Sox (AL) (1993–2011) Minor League Baseball Florida SouthWestern State College (2014–present) |
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City of Palms Park is a baseball stadium located in Fort Myers, Florida. It was once the special home for the Boston Red Sox baseball team during their spring training. Spring training is when professional baseball teams practice and play exhibition games before the regular season starts.
The Red Sox used City of Palms Park from when it opened in 1993 until 2011. Since 2014, the stadium has been used for college baseball games by Florida SouthWestern State College. The stadium's name comes from Fort Myers' nickname, "City of Palms," because of all the palm trees there.
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A Look Back at City of Palms Park
City of Palms Park was built in 1992. It was designed specifically for the Boston Red Sox to use for their spring training. The stadium can hold up to 8,000 baseball fans.
It was also the home field for the Red Sox's "Rookie-level" team. This team was part of Minor League Baseball and was called the Gulf Coast League Red Sox. They played their games there every year from June to August.
The Player Development Complex
Near the main stadium was the Player Development Complex. This was a special area where the Red Sox players trained and practiced. They would get ready here before playing their exhibition games at City of Palms Park.
The complex had five baseball fields, pitching areas called bullpens, and eight batting tunnels. It also had a clubhouse with locker rooms, a kitchen, offices, and a special room for physical therapy. A large weight training room was added in 2004–2005. This complex was used by all the Red Sox's minor league teams and coaches.
The Red Sox Move On
The Boston Red Sox had an agreement to use City of Palms Park until 2019. However, the team decided to look for a new place earlier. In 2008, local officials in Lee County approved a plan to build a brand new training facility for the team.
This new facility became known as JetBlue Park. In February 2012, the Boston Red Sox officially moved their spring training operations to JetBlue Park. It is also located in Fort Myers, just a short distance away.
What Happened After the Red Sox Left?
Lee County has owned City of Palms Park since 2003. The City of Fort Myers gave ownership to the county because of the costs to keep the stadium in good shape.
Since 2014, the stadium has been used by the baseball team from Florida SouthWestern State College. It also hosts some amateur baseball games for local teams. Sometimes, the City of Fort Myers uses the stadium for concerts.
Fort Myers is a popular place for baseball. Besides City of Palms Park and JetBlue Park, two other spring training facilities are in the city. The Minnesota Twins team trains at Hammond Stadium. Terry Park Ballfield was once used by teams like the Philadelphia Athletics and Cleveland Indians. Terry Park has not been used for spring training since 1987.
Future of City of Palms Park
Maintaining City of Palms Park costs about $500,000 each year. However, the stadium only brings in about $32,000 in earnings annually. In late 2019, officials from Lee County received a request. The City of Fort Myers asked to have the stadium taken down. This would allow the land to be used for new building projects in the city.
