**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.