In the 1950s, some people from Boston decided to create a professional sports team. Their name was “Boston Patriots” and they started playing in the American Football League (AFL). In 1971, they became part of the National Football League (NFL), but kept their old name. They played their first season as a member of the NFL in 1970.
History Of New England Patriots Club
In 1978, it was time to find a new home stadium for this club. The owners chose a site called Foxborough which is a town near Boston and about 22 miles southwest of downtown Boston. It was difficult because there had never been an outdoor sporting event held at this location before, so it wasn’t an ideal place to build an 80,000 seat football stadium. But it was the only land available for construction at the time because Foxborough residents didn’t want to change much around this location.
The new stadium, eventually named “Foxboro Stadium” was eventually finished in June 1971. At the first game played there (in September 1971), fans had trouble finding it – but now 37 years later people know exactly where it is.
Originally, this stadium was supposed to be called “Schaefer Stadium”, after one of New England’s big breweries that paid to have their name on it. Today this brewery doesn’t exist anymore and someone else has bought the naming rights – namely “Gillett Entertainment Group (GEG)”.
Gillette Stadium is home of today’s New England Patriots Club. They are 5 times Super Bowl Champions and have won 9 times the AFC East Division Championship. Today’s New England Patriots is one of the most successful NFL clubs in the last two decades with players like Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, Tedy Bruschi, Adam Vinatieri, Laurence Maroney, Richard Seymour, and Randy Moss.
It was called “Foxboro Stadium” from 1971 – 2002 before being named “Gillette Stadium” in 2002. The old name got changed because this stadium was bought by Gillette company that same year.
The old Foxboro Stadium had an interesting past: It had some great moments in its history but had some problems too. For example, it hosted several concerts (like the Beatles), soccer matches (like about 20 games of the 1994 FIFA World Cup), and many other events. But there were a few problems too: The stadium was very cold in winter, the scoreboard wasn’t updated for decades, the grass was always in bad shape and it didn’t have enough parking spaces around it.
This is why the New England Patriots Club decided to build a new stadium after their old one had been there for 37 years. In 2000 they started building a new football stadium next door called “Gillette Stadium”. Construction ended in 2002 and this is where today’s team plays home games now.
In 2009, Gillette Stadium hosted its first Super Bowl game. And in 2012 it hosted another NFL Championship Game, namely the AFC Title Game which meant a trip to Super Bowl XLVI for the New England Patriots.
The total area of Gillette Stadium is about 1,200 acres and it has a capacity of 68,756 seats: 61,500 seats for football fans + 7,000 box suites, lounge seats, and club seats.
It was named “Best NFL stadium” by Sports Illustrated in 2009. And it has many nice features including great sightlines from any seat, state-of-the-art HD video boards with replays & clips, club lounges with food courts & private entrances as well as party decks available to guests who want to enjoy an outdoor party without having to leave their seats. You can also find restaurants inside Gillette Stadium where you can sit down & have dinner during the game while watching the “Big Game” on TV screens.
Gillette Stadium is a great place to watch a game but it’s also fun for kids: There are many places inside the stadium where you can do things with your family like visiting a museum, taking a tour through the football locker rooms, or watching video clips in an interactive theater.
It was renamed from “Foxboro Stadium” to “Gillette Stadium” after being bought by Gillette company in 2002. To this day, this stadium has been home to New England Patriots Club since 2002. It hosts several events besides football games including concerts and soccer matches as well as other public events. In 2012, Gillette Stadium hosted the AFC Championship that meant New England Patriots would play in Super Bowl XLVI.
The New England Patriots Club was founded in 1959 and originally named the Boston Patriots. They play their home games at Gillette Stadium and have won 16 division titles, the most of any team since 1970. Tom Brady has been the quarterback for 18 seasons and holds many records including 50 touchdown passes in a season (2007) and 34 career game-winning drives (since 2001). Bill Belichick is the head coach and his coaching record is 177 wins, 159 losses, 8 ties – he also has the highest winning percentage (.610) among coaches.
Today’s New England Patriots Club is one of the most successful NFL clubs in recent decades with players like Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, Tedy Bruschi, Adam Vinatieri, Laurence Maroney, Matt Cassel, Wes Welker, and Randy Moss.