The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League as a member club of the league's American Football Conference East division. The team plays its home games at Gillette Stadium in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts, which is located 21 miles southwest of downtown Boston, Massachusetts, and 20 miles northeast of downtown Providence, Rhode Island. The Patriots are also headquartered at Gillette Stadium. Founded in 1959 as the Boston Patriots, an original member of the American Football League, the team joined the NFL in the leagues' 1970 merger, then changed its name when it moved to Foxborough in 1971. The New England Patriots played their home games at Foxboro Stadium through 2001, then moved to Gillette Stadium at the start of the 2002 season. The Patriots' rivalry with the New York Jets is considered one of the most bitter rivalries in the NFL.