NRG Stadium was originally called Reliant Stadium when it first opened in 2002. In 2000, NRG Energy, the parent company of Reliant Energy, signed a 32-year, $300 million naming rights deal for the entire complex. The stadium was renamed NRG Stadium in 2014. It was the first NFL facility to have a retractable roof. The size of the retractable roof opening is 500′ x 385′ and it takes 7 minutes to open. The stadium is a total of 1.9 million square feet and the synthetic turf field itself is 97,205 square feet or 2.23 acres. The entire complex is named for NRG Energy under a 32-year, $300 million naming rights deal in 2000.
NRG Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located in Houston, Texas. It was completed in 2002 at a cost of $352 million and has a seating capacity of 72,220. The stadium is home to the Houston Texans of the NFL and hosts other events such as the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, the Texas Bowl and many of the United States men’s national soccer team’s matches.
How to Get to Houston
The nearest international airport to NRG Stadium is George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), which has international and domestic flights to/from Houston, Texas and is 29 miles from the stadium. Several airlines offer direct flights between the two and the flight time from London Heathrow Airport (LHR) to George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) is approximately 10 hours and 15 minutes.
If you are already in the US and looking to travel to/from Houston, then you have the choice of most US domestic airlines including Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, American Eagle, Frontier Airlines, Jet Blue, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines, United Airways and WestJet.
Public Transport
There are several public transportation options available around NRG Stadium. The Houston Metro and its METRORail operate various routes near and around NRG Park. The following transit lines have routes that pass near NRG Stadium: Bus lines 11 and 84, and Light Rail line 700. You could also make use of free apps such as Moovit to get real-time timetables, maps and directions to the arena using local public transportation systems.
Rideshare services are also available in the vicinity. For rideshare users, the yellow lot is designated for drop off. Your driver will enter the yellow lot through gate 168 off Main Street.
Staying in Houston
The South East side of Houston has a lot to offer tourists. You can catch plenty of local creativity at the University of Houston and local arts centres or opt for sports or performing arts at venues like NRG Stadium or Toyota Center. You can also visit the Armand Bayou Nature Center to see unspoiled wetlands, forests, and marsh habitats.
Beyond the Airbnb and Sonder options there are many hotels nearby to suit all budgets, which can be booked directly or via one of the hotel reservation booking sites. Some options close to the stadium include Holiday Inn, IHG Hotel, and Hotel Ylem.
Houston Texans Tickets
The Houston Texans sell their tickets via Ticketmaster.
Ticketmaster is the official ticket outlet for the NFL.
For most teams, Ticketmaster sells tickets on behalf of the team and resells tickets on behalf of ticket sellers. You can tell the difference on the site as the Blue dots are tickets from the team themselves, and the pink dots are from verified sellers.
Here are links to the main ticket resale sites. Click on the link, which will open up a new window, and you can compare the prices on the different ticket resell sites, bearing in mind that the prices shown may have further selling platform fees added, so take time to read my tips to Buying Tickets in North America.
- SeatGeek
- SportsEvents365 (Click on the Search Button)
- StubHub International
- StubHub US
- Ticketmaster US
- TicketNetwork
- Viagogo
- Vivid Seats
I recommend downloading the team’s Mobile App to your phone as it contains much Gameday information for the stadium.