The Alzheimer’s Football League in Lubbock raises money for Alzheimer's research and family support through a community draft, scrimmage and women’s powderpuff game each year.
This year’s draft is now in the rearview, but the league’s June 13 game at Jones AT&T Stadium — along with a May 19 scrimmage at Lubbock High School — is still ahead.
Co-chair Jessica Stafford said the cause is personal — her grandmother battled the disease for more than a decade — and the league’s mission goes beyond fundraising. That’s why organizers partner with Garrison Institute on Aging to support research and connect caregivers with help.
“They work, not only with patients, to do research, and they have the brain bank, where they're really focusing on research there so that we can find a cure. Because it is crazy that we're in 2026 and there's still so little known about Alzheimer's,” Stafford said.
Now in its fifth season, the league is hoping to build on last year’s fundraising goal of $40,000. This season, they’re aiming for $100,000.
If the new goal isn’t indicative enough of the growth the league has seen in recent years, its committee more than doubled in size this year from nine members to twenty.
An early step toward meeting that new goal was a draft day with high visibility.
“Honestly, it was really incredible to see so many members of the community there,” Stafford said. “We had so many people that came together for one cause, and especially in the world that we're in right now, where it feels like there's so much division. It's really incredible to see everybody come together to raise awareness, to raise support, to raise money for something that impacts all of us in some way.”
The league sells multiple kinds of sponsorships, from merchandise to on-field naming opportunities honoring loved ones.
So far, Turner & Witt Plumbing is sponsoring the footballs, and Lone Star Oyster Bar is sponsoring koozies. Other opportunities remain, including spots on uniforms, the jumbotron and event programs.
Stafford encouraged potential sponsors and players to reach out through the league’s social media pages, and for those who’d just like to attend, she said there will be more there than just a game to watch.
“Anytime we're doing an event, come find us. We always have representatives from our local organizations with us as well, so they can help get people in contact with whoever they need, and make sure they get in contact with those resources,” Stafford said.
Stafford added that the work is about helping families navigate one of life’s hardest diagnoses, an experience she knows can be stressful and heartbreaking.
“It's very humbling and a huge honor to get to kind of bridge that gap for people, because, like you said, so few even know about Alzheimer's or what it is and how that affects the family,” Stafford said. “And so people are just scrambling whenever they get a diagnosis, and it's hard to figure out what those resources are and how they can just keep their head above water.”