ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Advocates are encouraging Georgia high schools to establish more girl’s flag football teams.

State Rep. Brent Cox, alongside members from the Atlanta Falcons, representatives from the Georgia High School Association and the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, held a news conference Thursday urging high schools to institute these teams.

The push comes after a resolution passed during the 2025 legislative session to promote gender equality in sports at the high school level.

The proposed program would be similar to Georgia’s existing college women’s flag football teams.

“We know how important athletics are to Georgia’s students and the sense of community and belonging they bring,” Rep. Cox said. “Flag football is one of the fastest-growing sports in America, and it is important that we ensure that high schools are equipped to support students who want to participate. I also want to thank the girls flag football players, GHSA and former Atlanta Falcons player Rep. Dewey McClain for their advocacy and work on behalf of female athletes across this state. I challenge other states to join us in expanding opportunities in girls’ sports, and I hope to see Georgians compete in flag football during the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles as a result of these efforts.”

In 2018, the Falcons launched a girls’ flag football pilot program in 19 high schools in Gwinnett County.

Today, only 15 states have formally sanctioned women’s flag football as a high school varsity sport.

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