About NRG Stadium
NRG Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Houston, Texas. It was constructed at a cost of $352 million and was the first NFL facility to have a retractable roof. It is the home of the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL) and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.
The stadium has a seating capacity of 72,220. The retractable roof consists of two massive panels that split at the 50-yard line, allowing the stadium to be open-air or climate-controlled (A/C is essential in Houston heat). The translucent fabric roof lets in natural light even when closed.
NRG Stadium has hosted two Super Bowls (XXXVIII and LI). The venue is part of a massive complex including the Astrodome. Its design set the trend for the modern generation of retractable-roof stadiums in the NFL, prioritizing fan comfort without sacrificing the outdoor feel when weather permits.
The venue is owned by Harris County, Texas, through the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority, and leased to the Texans organisation controlled by the McNair family under a lease running through 2032. The 449-million-dollar construction cost was financed via a Harris County hotel-and-motel tax approved by voters in November 1996, and NRG Energy's naming-rights deal signed in May 2014 for 30 million dollars over ten years replaced the previous Reliant Stadium name with the Princeton-based energy company's brand. Bob McNair paid an expansion franchise fee of 700 million dollars in October 1999 to bring NFL football back to Houston after the original Houston Oilers had relocated to Nashville as the Tennessee Titans. McNair died in November 2018 and the franchise passed to his son Cal McNair, who has since managed the organisation from his family's River Oaks residence.