FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (Sept. 2 2020) – The Patriots Premiere, the largest annual fundraising event for the New England Patriots Foundation, is taking on a new format amidst the unique circumstances of 2020 and for first time ever, it will be accessible for all Patriots fans to enjoy live.
This annual gala historically celebrates the start of a new football season in a private ceremony on the Gillette Stadium field with some of the organization's biggest supporters and the Patriots team and coaching staff.
Due to COVID-19 protocols, the 2020 Patriots Premiere presented by Optum will instead take place virtually on Thursday, Sept. 3 at 7:00pm, allowing all Patriots fans to take part in this special evening. The Premiere will be broadcast live on WBZ-TV channel 4 and simulcast on Patriots.com and will feature interviews with Robert Kraft, Bill Belichick and Patriots players. The entire 2020 Patriots team will also be watching the event live from Gillette Stadium, where the 2020 Ron Burton Community Service Award winner will be revealed. The program will celebrate the efforts of the Patriots Foundation throughout the past year and look ahead to the foundation's many important initiatives in the remainder of 2020 and 2021.
"Throughout the history of the Patriots Foundation, we have remained committed to supporting the New England community and the multitude of needs that exist, but never has there been a year like 2020," said Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft. "We know that our work is far from over, and we need your help. Now more than ever, we need to remain 'Together While Apart,' as we support the community through the continued pandemic and also do our part to end racism, advocate for change and work towards social justice. Although the challenges facing our country and community are many, we hope our fans will tune in to help us celebrate the work of so many unsung heroes over the past few months, look ahead to the work still to be done and welcome back the start of football, which to me, is the greatest unifying force we have."
Fans are able to support the Patriots Foundation by making a Patriotic pledge donation. They can also participate in a raffle to win the Ultimate Patriots Experience presented by Zudy. Tickets start at just $10 and the package includes VIP tickets to exclusive events in 2021 including the NFL Draft, Patriots Fantasy Camp, Patriots Training Camp, the Patriots Premiere and a Patriots home game. Fans can text the word PATS to 243725 to enter.
The Kraft family and the Patriots Foundation are also hosting a silent auction, sponsored by Gillette. Fans can bid on autographed memorabilia, concert tickets and VIP experiences including a film session with Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. All proceeds from the raffle and the auction will support the Patriots Foundation.
To learn more about this event and the different ways to participate, visit patriots.com/premiere.
