Patriots, Healey and Jen Welter push for flag football growth

Jen Welter and Massachusetts governor Maura Healey joined the New England Patriots on Saturday, Aug. 1, as the franchise used its platform to push girls flag football deeper into Massachusetts schools and community programs. The pairing put political reach and NFL brand power behind a sport that already has a visible foothold through Patriots-run championship events, youth jamborees and school sponsorships.

The clearest evidence of that buildup is on the field. The Patriots hosted the inaugural girls high school flag football championship at Gillette Stadium on Friday, June 16, 2023, with eight schools in a tournament-style bracket. They brought the championship back to Gillette on Tuesday, June 18, 2024, with St. Mary’s, Leominster I, Leominster II and Winthrop among the schools featured. The Patriots also say girls high school flag football is on the rise, and their schedule has backed that up with actual games, not just branding.

The pipeline has also moved below the championship level. The Patriots Foundation and NFL FLAG ran a Girls High School Flag Jamboree for more than 70 athletes ages 13 to 18, giving younger players a place to get reps before varsity-style competition. In Springfield, Veritas Prep Charter School’s girls flag football team became the first in Western Massachusetts to be sponsored by the New England Patriots Foundation, a sign that the sport is spreading beyond a single showcase market.

Healey’s role matters because growth in flag football depends on more than highlights and goodwill. It takes school buy-in, coaching resources, field time, uniforms and enough administrative backing to keep schedules intact from one season to the next. The Patriots have supplied the brand, the venue and the event structure. A governor’s presence gives the effort another lever, especially when schools and local athletic groups decide whether the sport gets a permanent place in their programs.

The timing also fits the sport’s bigger picture. LA28 says flag football will make its Olympic debut in 2028 as a non-contact format of American football, and the NFL said on Aug. 5, 2024, that men’s and women’s flag football had been officially included on the LA28 sports program. The league then added more momentum on May 20, 2025, when clubs voted to permit NFL players to participate in flag football at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. In Massachusetts, the Patriots, Healey and Welter are trying to turn that national momentum into a statewide structure that can outlast a single event at Gillette Stadium.