Nearly 40 mothers of Kansas City Chiefs players have banded together to form what they hope will become the NFL's first officially sanctioned mothers' group. The Kansas City Chiefs Moms Squad, started by Dianne Macchia, mother of offensive lineman C.J. Hanson, brings together women whose sons play for the franchise to mentor incoming rookie families and support charitable causes across the Kansas City metro.
The group recently gathered for a cocktail and shopping event at KC Style Haus, an artisan collective marketplace on the Country Club Plaza that hosts products from more than 50 local small businesses and independent artists, according to FOX4KC. Macchia helped prepare Thanksgiving during Hanson's college years at Holy Cross and organized holiday charity drives for the Department for Persons with Disabilities, according to the Diocese of Paterson. She started the squad after Hanson was drafted by Kansas City in 2024, and told FOX4KC that the Chiefs' player engagement director said a Chiefs moms group of this kind was an anomaly around the league.
The effort would address a need for organized support for players' mothers in the NFL. While the league officially chartered and recognized the Off the Field Players' Wives Association in 2006, there has never been an officially sanctioned club-level or league-wide organization dedicated specifically to players' mothers, per the association's own commemorative program history. The Chiefs Moms Squad now has about 40 new members, the station's report notes, spanning veteran families and rookies alike. WXYZ-TV Detroit reported two years ago on an NFL moms organization aimed at helping new players and their parents, offering a separate example of mothers organizing around players' transitions.
Rookie Mothers Get a Support System
Part of the group's mission centers on helping newly arrived rookie mothers get situated in a new city during one of the most stressful stretches of the NFL calendar. The Chiefs finalized their mandatory roster cuts down to 53 players at the end of August, a moment that underscores the steep transition period incoming players and their families face as they move to Kansas City each late summer, as reported by Sports Illustrated.
Veteran families are helping ease that adjustment. Pam Winchester, whose son James Winchester re-signed with Kansas City in March for his 12th season, described the Chiefs Moms Squad as wonderful. Winchester stands alongside Travis Kelce as the team's longest-tenured active player, having played in a franchise-record 25 postseason games, according to the Chiefs' own announcement of his contract. Pam Winchester said her son's NFL career has been a dream come true for him.
Laura Hicks, mother of safety Jaden Hicks, said community service helps the mothers feel like a team. Jaden Hicks was drafted by the Chiefs in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft out of Washington State and logged three interceptions during his debut season, per NFL.com. The squad's roster of mothers also includes Katrina, mother of Jadon Canady, and Devan, mother of Peter Woods.
Donna Kelce Lends National Visibility
Among the group's most recognizable members is Donna Kelce, mother of Travis Kelce, who has watched two sons play in the NFL for more than a decade — a stretch she has described as 14 years plus five years plus four years plus two years going back to middle school football. Kelce has said the mothers rarely gather in person because they live scattered across the country, making organized meetups like the one at KC Style Haus a rare chance to connect. She has previously used her own public platform for Kansas City causes, partnering with Annie's Barn in 2024 to sell mugs featuring her cookie recipe to raise funds for elementary school lunch debt across local districts, according to Inc.com.
The squad has already put its charitable ambitions into action. The mothers walked alongside wide receiver Xavier Worthy and his mother's foundation for single mothers, and the group says it supports children's hospitals and the Ronald McDonald House. In the fall, the squad plans to visit Saint Luke's Hospital Crittenton Children's Center, a specialized behavioral health center that provides psychiatric inpatient care, residential treatment, and Trauma Smart programs for Kansas City area children, according to Saint Luke's Health System. According to NFL.com, the NFL Foundation supports the health, safety, and wellness of athletes, youth football, and communities nationwide, placing the Chiefs Moms Squad's charitable ambitions within the league's broader community-support framework.
Following a Franchise Tradition of Giving
Ronald McDonald House Charities of Kansas City operates three residential houses adjacent to Children's Mercy Hospital and serves more than 8,000 families annually by offering lodging, meals, and support while pediatric patients undergo treatment, per Hearts for RMHC. The charity has already been a beneficiary of Chiefs philanthropy at the franchise level — the team and the Hunt Family Foundation have raised more than $7 million for the organization over 11 years through their annual Red Friday flag sales tradition, according to the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Chiefs Moms Squad is not yet sanctioned by the NFL, but it hopes to gain official recognition. It's also unknown whether mothers' groups tied to other NFL franchises plan to follow the Chiefs' model. For now, the group says its mission is twofold: support Chiefs players and their families, and give back to the Kansas City metro communities that have welcomed them.
