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Girls flag football to become a high school sports all across Georgia

Heritage High’s Kristyn Goshay (4) is stopped in her attempt at a touchdown when a Salem High player pulls her flag, in  a flag game in Rockdale County in November. COURTESY OF ROCKDALE COUNTY SCHOOLS
Heritage High’s Kristyn Goshay (4) is stopped in her attempt at a touchdown when a Salem High player pulls her flag, in  a flag game in Rockdale County in November. COURTESY OF ROCKDALE COUNTY SCHOOLS
By Arlinda Smith Broady
Dec 18, 2019

Girls flag football, which began as a Georgia high school sport just last year, will grow to every school district in the state.

The Atlanta Falcons made that announcement Wednesday before kicking off the Girls Flag Football Championship games at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

The Falcons have been one of the corporate sponsors of girls flag football, along with the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation. The program, which aims to provide an opportunity for high school girls to participate in football and be part of an organized high school sports team, also has support from the NFL.

After a well-received inaugural season last year in Gwinnett County, five other school systems came on board this fall — Cherokee, Forsyth, Henry, Muscogee and Rockdale. That made 52 high schools in the program.

With more details to come, the sport has now been sanctioned by the Georgia High School Association, the agency that coordinates school sports.

About the Author

A Midwesterner by birth, but a Southerner by heritage, Arlinda Smith Broady has a combination of solid values, easy-going charm and unrelenting thirst for knowledge that makes her a not only a dedicated journalist, but a compassionate community member. She seeks truth and justice, but is just as eager to spread good news and share a witty story.

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