Name of NRG Stadium: Why They Are Changing the

In Houston, Houston’s NRG Stadium, which is owned by the taxpayers of Harris County, is being renamed Reliant Stadium.

The stadium, located near the intersection of Loop 610 and Kirby Drive, was called Reliant Stadium when it opened in 2002. It was renamed NRG in 2014 following the NRG’s purchase of Reliant’s consumer business.

The Harris County Sports & Convention Corporation approved the name change Wednesday.

The Houston Texans NFL football team and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo are the primary tenants of the retractable-roof stadium.

The Texans and the Rodeo have been negotiating a new lease for the stadium with the Harris County Sports & Convention Corporation, a local government corporation created by the Harris County Commissioners Court to manage and operate, and develop the county-owned NRG facilities.

Likewise, the Astrodome was First Named Harris County Domed Stadium

As those lease negotiations have unfolded, the demolition of the historic Astrodome has been discussed. The Astrodome stands a few hundred feet from NRG Stadium.

The Astrodome, the world’s first domed stadium, was officially called the Harris County Domed Stadium when it opened in 1965. But the space-themed stadium where the groundskeepers wore spacesuits and NASA Astronauts threw out the first pitch at the first Astros baseball game, was called the Astrodome by the people of Houston.

In a major victory for Houston preservationists and a defeat for Dome-haters, the National Park Service said last week that the Astrodome qualifies as a National Historic Landmark.

The name change from NRG to Reliant Stadium is grounded in that popular usage in the local vocabulary, officials said.

“Houston is Reliant’s home, and a name Texans know and trust,” said Brad Bentley, head of NRG Consumer and Reliant. “Fans have told us what this place means to them. For many, it’s always been Reliant Stadium. We heard them loud and clear. Reliant Stadium is back.”

NRG Signage Already Coming Down

The current NRG signage on the stadium has already begun to come down as local officials comply with the branding rules imposed by the FIFA World Cup soccer organization. The return to the Reliant name will take effect in August, coinciding with the stadium’s and the football team’s 25th anniversary season.

The county-owned 350 acres around the stadium will be called Reliant Park. It includes the Astrodome, the NRG Arena, convention center and about 25,000 surface parking spaces.