Mets put best fans’ experience foot forward

Article posted by Coliseum, September 26^th, 2023

Image: Citi Field, Randy110912, CC BY-SA 4.0

Recently, the Major League Baseball (MLB) team New York Mets (US) announced plans for a complete renovation of the Clover Club, which is located behind the home plate, and some changes to season ticket memberships.

‘MLB’ stated that the new Clover Club will triple it in size and feature gourmet dining, a new VIP Boutique, individual lockers, a 50-foot bar, and a variety of seating options. The food will include crab, steak and dessert stations. Forty-three percent of non-premium season ticket memberships will stay flat for 2024 and full season ticket members will save 26 percent on an average vs. single game tickets.

The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League East division. They are one of two major league clubs based in New York City, the other being the American League’s New York Yankees.

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The 41,800-capacity Citi Field is a baseball stadium located in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in the borough of Queens, New York City, United States. Opening in 2009, the Citi Field is the home ballpark of Major League Baseball’s New York Mets.

Seats are located in the first eight rows of Sections 11-19 and are also referred to as the Clover Home Plate Club due to their location directly behind the home plate. For Mets games, tickets are all-inclusive with rotating chef-curated menus and non-alcoholic beverages.

A home plate is a 5-sided rubber slab at one corner of a baseball diamond at which a batter stands when batting and which must be touched by a base runner in order to score.

‘MLB’ further stated that thinking big is nothing new to the Mets. Before the 2023 season, the team built a 17,400 square foot scoreboard, the biggest in the Major Leagues.

Said Jeff Deline, Executive Vice-President and Chief Revenue Officer for the Mets, “We have one of the best ballparks in the world, but we just need to tweak some of the amenities around it. So right now, the Clover Club is now 2,900 square feet. It will be almost 10,000 [square feet], so it will triple in size. … I think it will rival any club in New York. It should be as good as or better than anything that is built today.”

Deline said he has never seen owners who care about the fan experience like the Cohens (billionaire hedge fund manager Steve Cohen purchased the Mets in the year 2020).

Added Deline,“I’ve been in sports for 27 years. Every decision that we make [at Citi Field] – whether it is the Clover Club or concessions – it’s always the fans first in mind. Look, the baseball game will always be there. People will watch and tune in. But, as we try to attract new fans to the game, they need more to do. They want to tour around the stadium in the two to three hours at the game. They want to go to different areas that we continue to build and reimagine. It’s more of an adventure and a day out. It’s not always about baseball. It’s got to be an outing.”

For the non-premium members, this differentiated membership platform will freeze prices for 43 percent of seats for the 2024 season. For memberships with increasing prices, the blended increase across current members is 5.4 percent – in line with inflation and ballpark upgrades.

Season ticket membership incentives – from quarter to full season packages – have never been greater, and members traditionally save 26 percent on an average vs. buying single game tickets.

Continued Deline, “This approach allows us to uphold the promises, commitments and investments Steve and Alex Cohen have made to the fans since taking ownership in 2020. It’s about winning both on and off the field and creating a ballpark experience unlike any other in the league. We’ll continue to evolve and grow our unique atmosphere at the Citi Field – from our No. 1 USA Today 10 Best award-winning food and beverage offerings to the largest scoreboard in baseball to celebrations of culture, DJ nights, special promotions and giveaways – there will always be something new and exciting for everyone to be a part of.”

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