Current and former New England Patriots football players be at Newtown High School to instruct youth residents ages 6-14 in free football clinic, “Football For You,” on Saturday, May 18. The clinic will run from 11 am to 3 pm.

The event will feature a Patriots-themed activity zone open to the public. There will be a ceremony honoring the community of Newtown and Sandy Hook Elementary School.

During the clinic, current and former Patriots players will gather on the high school football field to share their football expertise with hundreds of Newtown youth in skill stations including blocking, receiving, and punting. The day will also include an ongoing Patriots-themed activity zone that will feature food, games and prizes for the Newtown community to enjoy.

Clinic participation is free of charge and same-day registrations are welcome. Each child will receive a T-shirt and Patriots gift bag. Registration is open at www.patriots.com/community.

All Football For You youth will participate as part of the NFL’s Play 60 initiative, which promotes healthy living among young fans.

The clinic kicks off the first of seven clinics that will take place throughout New England this summer and marks the first time the clinic will visit Connecticut.

“Our hearts broke for the Newtown community and their families as we learned of the tragedy this past December,” said Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft. “We admire the Newtown community for their strength and look forward to continuing our support.” 

The Kraft family donated $25,000 to help those affected by the tragedy and privately spread some holiday cheer to a few Newtown families in need. In addition, the Patriots underlined their support in several ways during the December 16 Patriots vs 49ers home game. In-game remembrances included each player wearing a decal on their helmet, each cheerleader and the Pat Patriot mascot wearing black armbands, and a special 26-second moment of silence with 26 flares launched one at a time. The Kraft family and New England Patriots Charitable Foundation also hosted 14 Sandy Hook first responders, who were honored on the field in personalized Patriots jerseys prior to participating in team introductions.

The players wore the decals on their helmets in remembrance of the victims for the remainder of the season year.

For nearly 20 years, the Kraft family has had a unique connection to the Newtown community through owning and operating Rand-Whitney Newtown, a manufacturer of corrugated boxes, located on Edmond Road. Several longstanding employees are Newtown residents.