[Wattleigh]

https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/...ales-2023.html

Houston Texans see big jump in season ticket sales after offseason moves

The Houston Texans are coming off of their third-straight season finishing near the bottom of the NFL standings, but it appears a series of offseason moves have instilled hope and excitement in the fanbase.

The Texans sold about 8,000 new season tickets for the 2023 campaign, about a 45% increase from last season, Houston Texans President Greg Grissom told the Houston Business Journal. The team also saw about a 91% season ticket renewal rate, a higher figure than the 2022 season’s renewal rate. Additionally, the organization has sold three times as many group tickets year to date than it had this time last year.

The increase in ticket sales follows a busy offseason for Houston. The team hired former Texans player DeMeco Ryans as its new head coach in January and made a splash during April’s draft when the team selected Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud and Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. with two of the top three picks in the first round.

“We’re at a focal point of excitement and energy that we haven’t seen in a few years,” Grissom said.

While the ticket sales are encouraging for the organization, Grissom said the challenge now is getting fans with tickets to the stadium. In 2022, the Texans saw an average of 67,911 fans at its home games, which was the 19th-highest average in the league, according to ESPN. However, average attendance was 94.3% of NRG Stadium’s capacity, which ranked the Texans No. 28 out of the 32 NFL teams.

After a 25-9 Week 1 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, the Texans return to NRG Stadium for their home opener against the Indianapolis Colts on Sept. 17. Grissom said the game is nearly sold out, another palpable sign that Houston’s fanbase is excited for the season despite the opening day loss. If not to see the team’s young stars and potentially catch Houston’s first win of the season, Grissom said there are many other reasons fans should be excited to come to the game.