Statewide high school football championships will not be held at Gillette Stadium this year due to potential scheduling conflicts with the New England Revolution and New England Patriots.
The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association made the announcement Monday, just days before postseason tournaments are set to start.
“The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association was informed late last week that the utilization of Gillette Stadium for the MIAA Football Championships is no longer an option,” the statement from the MIAA read. “We thank the Patriots organization for hosting this event for nearly two decades.”
The statement continued by saying that the MIAA will work to find host sites to provide the “best possible experience” for athletes and school communities.
A Gillette Stadium spokesperson said in a statement that they wish all schools, athletes and families the best of luck and that they look forward to hosting again in the future.
“For nearly two decades, Gillette Stadium and the Kraft family have been proud to donate the use of Gillette Stadium and host the MIAA football state championship games during the first week of December,” the statement read. “Due to scheduling constraints and the associated logistics from the Revolution’s playoff schedule and the Patriots home game on December 6, Gillette Stadium will unfortunately be unable to host the state championship games this year.”
The Revolution could potentially host Major League Soccer playoff matches on December 2 and 5. Both teams playing in those playoff games would also need to practice in the stadium on the day before. The Patriots are also set to host the Buffalo Bills at Gillette on December 6.
The MIAA can’t have their football championships take place after the first week of December because of the winter sports schedule. The first games for MIAA winter sports can begin on December 10.
Jephte Soulouque is head of athletics and performance at Catholic Memorial in West Roxbury. The Knights are the number one team in Division 2 and will host Cambridge Rindge and Latin this upcoming Friday as they start their quest for their fifth state title in six years.
Soulouque said getting to play at Gillette is something players look forward to. And he hopes that the MIAA Super Bowls can return to the home of the Patriots in the future.
“It brings a sense of accomplishment when you get there and as a program that’s our standard, right?” he said. “It’s to get to that high caliber game, it’s to compete in one of the arenas where you’re constantly watching your favorite team play on Sunday. But it brings everyone together.”
Soulouque stressed that they’re not getting ahead of themselves as Catholic Memorial gets ready for the playoffs. And he hasn’t heard any chatter on new locations yet — but he did point to college venues, including Boston College and Harvard, as potential landing spots.
“You’ve got these colleges that are out there that have the space, the venue, it’d be nice if they do that gesture,” he said. “‘Cause that’s the next step for a lot of these kids, is to play for a collegiate program and step on that field. No better way of displaying that now [than] by doing it in one of the biggest games of the year.”
