GHSA approves girls flag football as official sport statewide starting in 2020

Starting next school year, there will be a new statewide sport at Georgia high schools.

The Georgia High School Association announced Wednesday girls flag football will be a sanctioned sport.

The initiative started in 2018 with the Atlanta Falcons and Arthur Blank Foundation funding 19 high schools in Gwinnett County. This season, 52 schools in six counties fielded teams.

In 2020, girls flag football will expand to all 159 counties in the state. Georgia is only the fourth state to sanction the sport statewide.

“We knew the need for more girls’ sports in Georgia was there, and that was enough for us to get started,” said Atlanta Falcons president and CEO Rich McKay. “The goal was always to get this program to become an officially sanctioned sport and give girls more opportunities to play sports in high schools and we are thrilled that the GHSA shared the same vision. It’s an exciting time for high school sports in Georgia.”

The announcement was made before the 2019 Girls Flag Football Championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium was held.

For more information, parents and students can contact a GHSA representative here.

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