ATLANTA – March 18, 2026 – Entering the 2026 season, 323 Georgia high schools will receive grant funding from the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, in partnership with the Atlanta Falcons, to either establish a girls flag football program or support their existing program this year.
For the second consecutive year, every accredited high school in Georgia was eligible to apply for and receive grant funding from the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation to further the growth of girls flag football in the state. Through the grant funding, 28 high schools in Georgia will offer girls flag football to their student athletes for the first time in 2026. The full list of those schools can be found below.
The Falcons have been at the forefront of growing girls flag football in Georgia over the past eight years, beginning with a pilot program for 19 high schools in Gwinnett County in 2018. Georgia became the fourth state to sanction girls flag football as an official high school sport in 2020, and last year, approximately 8,500 girls participated in the sport at more than 300 high schools throughout Georgia.
"Over the past several years, introducing and growing girls flag football across Georgia has been a priority for the Atlanta Falcons and the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation," said Atlanta Falcons President and CEO Greg Beadles. "We are honored to continue our support for girls flag football through this grant opportunity at the high school level, our annual college showcase at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, year-round camps and clinics, and the inaugural Atlanta Falcons Girls Flag Football Week held recently at IBM Performance Field in Flowery Branch. We are thrilled to see the continued growth of the sport throughout our state and wish all schools the best of luck in the upcoming season."
In February, the Falcons hosted the inaugural Atlanta Falcons Girls Flag Football Week, bringing the state's top high school girls flag football athletes to IBM Performance Field in Flowery Branch for competition, training and recognition of the sport's growth in Georgia. The week culminated in the 2026 GACA Girls Flag Football All-Star Game at the Falcons indoor practice facility.
Georgia High Schools Launching Girls Flag Football Programs in 2026
| Barrow Arts and Sciences Academy | Liberty County High School | ||
| Bradwell Institute | Lumpkin County High School | ||
| Cairo High School | Mountain Area Christian Academy | ||
| Chattahoochee County High School | North Georgia Christian Academy | ||
| Cherokee Bluff High School | North Hall High School | ||
| Community Christian Academy | Notre Dame Academy | ||
| Creekside Christian Academy | Pelham High School | ||
| Cristo Rey Atlanta Jesuit High School | Pickens County High School | ||
| CrossPointe Christian Academy | Statesboro STEAM Academy | ||
| Dominion Christian Schools | Terrell County High School | ||
| East Laurens High School | Utopian Academy | ||
| Flowery Branch High School | Victory Baptist School | ||
| Franklin County High School | Webster County High School | ||
| Griffin Christian School |
To learn more about the Atlanta Falcons work to grow girls flag football in Georgia and across the country, please visit AtlantaFalcons.com/girls-flag-football.
About the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation
The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation is a philanthropy founded to help transform lives and communities by uniting people across differences to find common cause. Started in 1995 by Arthur M. Blank, co-founder of The Home Depot, the foundation has granted more than $1.5 billion to charitable causes. Our collective giving areas are Atlanta's Westside, Democracy, Environment, Mental Health and Well-Being, and Youth Development. Across these areas, we take on tough challenges by uniting the courage and compassion of our communities so we can all thrive together.
In addition to the priority areas of giving, the foundation oversees a large portfolio of grants including support of essential Atlanta nonprofit institutions, such as Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and Shepherd Center, and enduring founder-led initiatives, such as veterans and the military and stuttering, among others. For more, visit www.blankfoundation.org.
