City of Palms Park facts for kids
 |
|
| Location | 2201 Edison Ave Fort Myers, Florida 33901 |
|---|---|
| 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) |
|
City of Palms Park is a baseball stadium located in Fort Myers, Florida. It was the spring training home for the Boston Red Sox baseball team from 1993 to 2011. Since 2014, it has hosted college baseball games for Florida SouthWestern State College. The stadium's name comes from Fort Myers' nickname, "City of Palms."
Contents
History of City of Palms Park
City of Palms Park was built in 1992. It opened in 1993 as the spring training home for the Boston Red Sox. The stadium can hold up to 8,000 people. It was also home to the Gulf Coast League Red Sox. This was a Rookie-level team that played from June to August each year.
Player Training Area
The Red Sox had a special area called the Player Development Complex. This is where players trained before spring training games began. All Minor League Baseball teams and coaches stayed here in March. Players were also sent here if they didn't make the main team.
After spring training, extra training continued from April until the Gulf Coast League season started. From September to October, an instructional league also took place here.
This complex has five baseball fields with pitching areas. It also has eight batting tunnels for hitting practice. The clubhouse includes many rooms for players and staff. There are locker rooms, a kitchen, and offices. A special room for therapy and a weight training room were added later.
Red Sox Move to a New Park
The Red Sox had a contract to use City of Palms Park until 2019. However, the team wanted to move to a new facility earlier. In 2008, Lee County officials agreed to build a new stadium.
This new stadium became known as JetBlue Park. In February 2012, the Boston Red Sox moved their spring training there. JetBlue Park is located in Fort Myers, on Daniels Parkway.
What Happened After the Red Sox Left?
Lee County has owned City of Palms Park since 2003. The City of Fort Myers gave up ownership because of the high costs to keep it running. Since 2014, the stadium has been used by the baseball team from Florida SouthWestern State College. It also hosts some amateur baseball games. Sometimes, the City of Fort Myers uses the stadium for concerts.
Fort Myers has other spring training places too. The Minnesota Twins train at Hammond Stadium. Terry Park Ballfield is another old stadium in East Fort Myers. It used to be the spring training home for teams like the Philadelphia Athletics. Terry Park has not been used for spring training since 1987.
Future of the Stadium
Maintaining City of Palms Park costs about $500,000 each year. But the stadium only brings in about $32,000 annually. In late 2019, officials in Lee County received a request. The City of Fort Myers asked to tear down the stadium. This would allow the land to be used for new building projects.
