HOUSTON – They have become some of pro football’s most valuable players: the Texans Battle Red Ladies. A die-hard group of loyal Texans fans, these female fans got to spend the day like a Houston Texans player, even getting the chance to run drills on the field.
"I'm a big Texans fan - we've had season tickets, we tailgate insanely," Battle Red Lady Ronda McCullough said. "We get here at 4:30 in the morning for opening gate at 8 a.m. to just make sure we get our spot."
"Always willing to learn more about the Texans - I absolutely love them," Battle Red Lady Maria Montgomery said. "I signed up and I wanted to represent well, so I made the shirt."
Maria Montgomery made her own "Battle Red Ladies" gear to show her Texans pride. She's part of a group of more than 12,000 women who support the Texans.
"This is Battle Red Texan Ladies! I'm excited because I get to walk where they walk, we get to go to the weight room and see what they do," McCullough said.
"Battle Red Ladies is a free organization for some really, really passionate women Texans fans," Sports Radio Host 610 AM and former Texan Seth Payne said. "They come in to chalk talk with the film, we break down a play, talk to the team dietitian, they'll come in and check out some drills in the bubble."
In this "Chalk Talk" event, the ladies get a behind-the-scenes look at how the Texans do business.
"This is a nice, comfortable environment where people can ask questions, get an inside view, inside slant to how things on an NFL team actually work," Payne said.
"That was amazing to sit in the huge chairs and think, 'OK, our team sits here, Corey sits here, JJ Watt sits here,'" Montgomery said.
From the taste of a "Texans favorite" smoothie to kicking practice with the pros, these ladies are really getting the feel for what it's like to be on the team.
"I'm a huge Texans fan, obviously," Ida Nuncio said. "I think it's great that they include the women, because nowadays, there are a lot of lady football fans, more than there used to be. It just helps educate us more with what is going on with the Texans and how to get involved."
"A lot of these women have been out here multiple times, they are asking next-level questions - they are asking questions I didn't even learn to ask until I was in the NFL. It's pretty cool," Payne added. "Over the past couple of decades, the percentage of fans who are women have grown a lot. Women have a thirst for knowledge about how the game is run just like men have a thirst for knowledge about how the game is run."
The Battle Red Ladies get together all throughout the year for social hours and volunteer opportunities. You can sign up anytime.
We asked what was in that Texans favorite smoothie all the ladies got to sample. The recipe: 1 includes percent milk, peanut butter and Gatorade chocolate protein powder.