Nantucket’s Patriots Ladies keep their football tradition alive.

Written by Khuyen Dinh

Photo by Kit Noble

For over 30 years, the first people you would find in line for the Steamship on a crisp fall Sunday morning were three sisters dressed from head to toe in New England Patriots gear, bundled against the wind. The sisters—Joan Fisher, Jeanne Dooley and Jane Hardy—shared a ritual for decades: Drive to the dock, drive off at Hyannis and start the rest of their trek to Foxborough. After Joan’s death last year, Jeanne and Jane, who are now in their 90s, continue to keep the tradition alive and have no plans to give up their season tickets.

“We’ve never stopped going to games,” Jane said. Through every iteration, the sisters have been there—for the early years when the franchise couldn’t muster a win, for every playoff win and loss, for Tom Brady’s first and last touchdowns at Gillette Stadium, and now for the era of quarterback Drake Maye and head coach Mike Vrabel. The sisters never left a game early, not even under the most extreme conditions.

For most islanders, the lengthy trip eight times per year (plus playoff games) would not be worth the effort. While age has not kept them away from the games, it has made travel more complicated. Joan, who had been the driver, as well as the host of watch parties when the Patriots were playing on the road, had to move to the passenger seat four years ago when she could no longer drive. Jane and Jeanne would push Joan through the stadium in a wheelchair, up to their usual seats in the 200 section on the visitors side.

Last June, their ritual changed for the first time in a long time, when Joan passed away. She had been their leader, and the sisters lovingly described her as the president, with Jeanne as the treasurer and Jane describing herself as the “gofer” of the group. Without Joan during the 2025–2026 season, there was no question the tradition would survive. “I hosted this year’s party in honor of Joan,” Jane said. Both sisters agreed that keeping the game-day ritual alive is what tJoan would have wanted. 

It’s impressive how many details Jeanne and Jane are able to recount for a specific game. They remember everything—the snow-choked drives, the biting cold in the stands, the choppy early-morning ferry rides. Ask them about favorite memories and the answers come quickly: the “Snow Bowl” in 2001, when Adam Vinatieri’s kick cut through a blizzard and Tom Brady’s legend began. The day in 2005 the sisters were invited to walk on the field to receive a Patriots Fans of the Year plaque. And of course, the six Super Bowl victories, including the unforgettable comeback victory in the 2017 Super Bowl against the Atlanta Falcons.

Over the years, they have invited their children, relatives and friends to join their weekend ritual. Many came, but none were as excited as the sisters. But perhaps most impressively, despite children and grandchildren moving away from Nantucket, they have yet to lose a single family member to another team’s fandom.

Despite the Patriots’ Super Bowl loss to the Seattle Seahawks in February, Jeanne and Jane are hopeful this will be the Patriots’ year. They purchased their ferry tickets for the Pats’ home games just days after the NFL released the 2026–2027 schedule.

“I think [the team has] all come together. And there’s nobody trying to be a big star,” Jeanne said of the current roster. “They’re all working together and playing, helping each other. And they all seem to love their quarterback. And he loves them. I think they all have a great togetherness. And the coach is great, of course.”

While some traditions evolve, others endure. For Jeanne and Jane, devotion was never measured in wins or losses. It was measured in decades of ferry rides before sunrise, generations of memories and a steadfast belief that some rituals are worth preserving. When the Patriots kick off another season this September, the sisters will once again make their journey to Foxborough.