AJC Varsity
AJC Varsity

27 Georgia high schools add flag football for 2026 season

The sport has continued to grow rapidly across the state since the GHSA sanctioned it in 2020.
Athletes run group drills during the fifth annual Girls Flag Football Showcase hosted by the Atlanta Falcons on Monday, Aug. 25, 2025, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The sport will spread to 27 new Georgia high schools this year. (Daniel Varnado for the AJC)

Credit: Daniel Varnado/For the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Credit: Daniel Varnado/For the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Athletes run group drills during the fifth annual Girls Flag Football Showcase hosted by the Atlanta Falcons on Monday, Aug. 25, 2025, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The sport will spread to 27 new Georgia high schools this year. (Daniel Varnado for the AJC)
By Jack Leo
March 19, 2026

Girls flag football will spread to 27 new Georgia high schools in 2026, according to a release from the Atlanta Falcons and the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, which has been a main financial contributor to the sport’s growth in the state.

The sport has continued to grow rapidly in Georgia since the GHSA sanctioned it in 2020. Girls flag football surpassed 300 schools last season, and for the first time next season, the state championships will have their own day at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

The sport’s growth could lead to more significant change soon. GHSA girls flag football consultant Ernie Yarbrough expects the sport — which currently places schools in divisions based on geographical area rather than total enrollment number — to move to a traditional regional model in the next two years.

ExploreGHSA modifies football championship schedule, condenses flag football games

All 27 Georgia schools introducing flag football in 2026

  • Barrow Arts and Sciences Academy
  • Bradwell Institute
  • Cairo
  • Chattahoochee County
  • Cherokee Bluff
  • Community Christian Academy*
  • Creekside Christian Academy*
  • Cristo Rey Atlanta Jesuit*
  • CrossPointe Christian Academy*
  • Dominion Christian Schools*
  • East Laurens
  • Flowery Branch
  • Franklin County
  • Griffin Christian School*
  • Liberty County
  • Lumpkin County
  • Mountain Area Christian Academy*
  • North Georgia Christian Academy*
  • North Hall
  • Notre Dame Academy*
  • Pelham
  • Pickens County
  • Statesboro STEAM Academy
  • Terrell County
  • Utopian Academy
  • Victory Baptist School*
  • Webster County

*denotes non-GHSA member schools

ExploreAs flag football booms at college level, Georgia seen as prospect hotbed

About the Author

Jack Leo is a sports writer and reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Jack worked for the AJC throughout his four years studying journalism and sports media at Georgia State University and the University of Georgia. He's now focused on telling stories in the grassroots: bringing comprehensive coverage of high school sports for AJC Varsity.

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