The Detroit Lions had an old stadium in Pontiac, Michagin called the Pontiac Silverdome. With a seating capacity of 82,000, it was the largest stadium in the National Football League until FedEx Feild in suburban Washington D.C. opened in 1997. It was primarly the home of the Detroit Lions of the NFL from 1975 to 2001. After the opening of the new Detroit Lions stadium called Ford Field in 2002, the Pontiac Silverdome stadium was left without a permenant tenant. After the Lions departure, the city of Pontiac began to experience several years of serious financial problems. Due to continued high maintenance costs of the structure, it made some unsuccessful attempts to sell the stadium.