NRG Stadium, Houston, TexasHouston Texans Football GameMusic Concert at NRG Stadium

History

NRG Stadium is a multi purpose sports stadium and venue located in Houston, Texas. NRG Stadium is also the home of the Houston, Texans. The stadium was created and construction of the project was finished in the year 2002. The total cost of the stadium build was $352 million and has a total seating capacity of 72,220. Upon it's completion in 2002, NRG became the first ever NFL stadium to have a retractable roof. Shortly after, many stadiums began copying this architectural design for NFL stadiums and the alike. The stadium was originally created as a multi-purpose venue for entertainment such as concerts, sports, and events. The stadium has even hosted multiple NFL Super Bowls, one of which was in 2003, only 1 year after it's opening. But it's main purpose for being built was to serve as home of the Houston, Texans, which were also founded in 2002, the same year the stadium was built. The Stadium and the Houston, Texans were both founded, created, and built by the local energy magnate, Bob McNair. Bob McNair sadly passed away in 2018 but the stadium and NFL team are still both owned and operated by his surviving family and children, more commonly known as The McNair Family to Houstonians. The original name of the stadium is Reliant Stadium, which many locals still call it. Reliant stadium was changed to NRG Stadium when the parent company, Reliant Energy, was changed to NRG Energy on March, 19, 2014.

With many NFL stadiums still being built years later, such as So Fi Stadium in Los Angeles, and AT&T in Dallas, a lot of them mimic was Bob McNair and Reliant Energy originally created in Houston with a retractable roof. This newly engineered stadium pioneered the way stadium builders think about what it means to host NFL games and events. AT&T Stadium in Dallas which is the home of the Dallas Cowboys, was completed in 2009 and also has a retractable roof, similar to NRG's.

The stadium gets used the entire year and hosts a variety of other large attractions, most notably, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, which is one of the largest rodeos in the world. The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, which is held every spring at NRG Stadium, hosts approximately 2.5 million people every year, as well has 30,000 volunteers.

Bull rider at Houston Livestock Show and RodeoFairgrounds at Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

The stadium opened on August 24, 2002, with a preseason game between the newly created Houston, Texans and the Miami Dolphins, which the Dolphins won 24-3. The stadium hosted its firsts regular season home game on September, 8, 2002 between the Houston, Texans and the Dallas, Cowboys. And the first rodeo ever held here was in the following spring in February of 2003. Another notable reason the stadium was designed was to replace to outdated and much smaller Houston, Astrodome, which is also located within several hundred feet to the East of NRG Stadium. The Astrodome was the home of the Houston, Astros, as well as the Houston Oilers, before moving to Nashville, Tennessee and changing their name to the Tennessee Titans. While the Astrodome has not been used since the birth of NRG Stadium, it has yet to be demolished, with some believing NRG can find use out of the abandoned arena, in hopes to casted a wider venue and site for more future NRG hosted events such as the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Adjacent to the Houston Astrodome and NRG Stadium is the NRG Park and Event Center. This is a connecting facility that hosts remaining events and carryover from the stadium itself. During rodeo season, you can find the Livestock show, venders selling country clothing and merchandise, as well as local high school agricultural groups auctioning their prized cattle.

NRG Stadium and Houston AstrodomeNRG Park

Design and Features

The stadium, being the first of it's kind with a retractable roof, was created with inspiration from a team of architects from the Houston Stadium Consultants, and designed the stadium in hopes to utilized the principles of kinetic architecture. The stadium features over 7,000 club seats, 186 luxury seats, and several bars, lounges, and places to gather. The largest configuration the stadium can adjust to is approximately 125,000 square feet, to hold space for special events, concerts, and exhibits. NRG is also the site for many local high school and college graduation ceremonies. Among it's many features, NRG was configured with turn of the century technology for a sports venue, with state of the art audio equipment, and TV screens everywhere. It is estimated that the stadium has roughly 15,000 square feet of television screens on display.

With the stadium being the first of its kind to have a retractable roof, this allowed for football games and events to take place in any kind of weather. Most Houston, Texans game occur with the roof being open if it's warm and sunny in Houston, however the roof has been known to close when temperatures reach over 85 degrees outside the stadium.

Club Level Suite at NRG StadiumNRG Stadium Jumbo Screen

Uses and costs

With the stadium being used around the entire year, it comes with many costs, upkeep and maintenance. Back in the year 2000, Reliant Energy paid $300 million for the naming rights of the stadium in a deal that was record breaking. However, with only several years left on the contract rights, it's believed that NRG might possibly give up the naming rights, considering the running costs of one of the largest stadiums in the country. While many speculate how much its costs per year to run the stadium, with some saying in the hundreds of millions, it is uncertain.

The stadium does however get a lot of entities that want to host their events here. To name a few, there have been musical acts such as Machine Gun Kelly, performing at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, as well Luke Bryan and Florida Georgia Line. For sports, there have been thousands to play here. Such as, the 2003 Super Bowl, hosting the Carolina Panthers and the New England Patriots, and the 2017 Super Bowl, hosting the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons. In college, the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship between the University of Michigan Wolverines and the University of Washington Huskies, was hosted at NRG. Soccer games are also held here, such as the 2010 MLS All-Star game, as well as international friendly matches such as Venezuela playing against Mexico.

For future events in soccer, NRG Stadium plans to be one of the hosting sites for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

2017 Super Bowl at NRG Stadium2024 CFP Championship at NRG Soccer Match at NRG2026 FIFA World Cup to be held at NRG