Sports
Boston College Steps In as MIAA Moves Four High School Football Championships to Alumni Stadium
After Gillette Stadium cited scheduling conflicts with Patriots and Revolution games, the MIAA has tapped Boston College's Alumni Stadium to host four of eight state championship football games on Dec. 5-6, with a venue for the remaining four still undecided.
The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association has found a new home for half of its high school football state championship slate, announcing Friday that Boston College's Alumni Stadium will host four title games during the weekend of Dec. 5 and 6.
The move comes after Gillette Stadium, which has hosted the MIAA's championship games for roughly two decades, told the association earlier this week that it could not accommodate the event this year because of scheduling conflicts. The MIAA has not yet set the game times or determined which divisions will play at Boston College, and it said a venue for the remaining four championship games has not been finalized.
A Gillette Stadium spokesperson said the timing of other events at the Foxborough facility made hosting impossible. The New England Patriots are scheduled to host their AFC East rival Buffalo Bills on Dec. 6, and the New England Revolution could host a Major League Soccer playoff game on either Dec. 2 or Dec. 5. The MIAA cannot hold its championship games beyond the first week of December.
"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 spokesperson said in a statement. "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 spokesperson added that the stadium wishes "all the schools, student-athletes and their families the best of luck with this year's games" and looks forward to hosting the event again.
The shift to Boston College's Chestnut Hill campus keeps the championships in the Boston area and on artificial turf, but it marks a significant change for a tradition that has long been synonymous with the Patriots' home field. For players and families, the move means adjusting travel plans and, for some schools, a shorter trip than the one to Foxborough. It also leaves the MIAA scrambling to lock down a second site with less than a month before the games, a logistical challenge that could affect which divisions play where and when.
The association is expected to release the full schedule and divisional assignments once both venues are confirmed.