Safeco Field is a retractable roof baseball stadium located in Seattle, Washington. However, unlike other retractable roof stadiums, Safeco Field has what is called a "retractable umbrella". This is because when the roof is closed the stadium is still open on the sides to the outside weather so the Mariners can play outdoor baseball even in the rain. There is no need for heating or air-conditioning because it is just like an outdoor stadium, it just has an umbrella. Owned and operated by the Washington State Major League Baseball Stadium Public Facilities District, it is the home stadium of the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB) and has a seating capacity of 47,943 for baseball. It is located in Seattle's SoDo neighborhood, near the western terminus of Interstate 90. The first game was played on July 15, 1999.
During the 1990s, the suitability of the Mariners' original stadium—the Kingdome—as a MLB facility came under doubt, and the team's ownership group threatened to relocate the team. In September 1995, King County voters defeated a ballot measure to secure public funding for a new baseball stadium. Shortly thereafter, the Mariners' first appearance in the MLB postseason and their victory in the 1995 American League Division Series (ALDS) renewed a public desire to keep the team in town. As a result, the Washington State Legislature approved an alternate means of funding for the stadium with public money. The site for the stadium, just south of the Kingdome, was selected in September 1996 and construction began in March 1997.
Aside from the Mariners, Safeco Field is also used for amateur baseball events including the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association high school state championships and one Washington Huskies game per season. Major non-baseball events that have been held at Safeco Field include the 2001 Seattle Bowl (the game attracted 30,144), as well as WrestleMania XIX in 2003 which attracted the stadium's record attendance of 54,097.
Naming rights to the stadium are owned by Seattle-based Safeco Insurance. Safeco reportedly paid $40 million to have its name on the stadium for 20 years. The bonds issued to finance Safeco Field were retired on October 1, 2011, five years earlier than anticipated.