Georgia high school football state championships attendance down 10.6%
Paid attendance for last month’s football championship games over three days was 46,132 — down 10.6% from the record-setting 51,588 in 2024, though still considerably higher than the 2018-22 run outdoors at Georgia State’s Center Parc Stadium.
GHSA executive director Tim Scott announced the numbers Wednesday.
Total attendance for the eight football championship games and five flag football finals was 48,614, he said. That includes about 2,500 GHSA coaches who get free admission with passes.
Tickets are sold by the day and not per game. The 13 games were played over three days, Dec. 15-17.
The championships broke paid and total attendance records the previous two seasons, which returned to Mercedes-Benz Stadium after a weather-beaten run at Georgia State, where the average paid attendance was 28,895.
The 46,132 paid in 2025 brought in $1,005,336, Scott said. The GHSA has not completed its financial report detailing expenses. Participating schools can expect to divide up about 15% of that.
Scott said he was unsure why attendance dropped in 2025.
“Maybe it was the matchups, but I thought the matchups were pretty good,” he said.
One matchup decided a national title, as Buford and Carrollton entered the Class 6A with multiple No. 1 rankings. Buford won 28-21.
It’s possible that familiarity played a role. Eight of the 16 football finals were contested by teams that played in Mercedes-Benz Stadium finals the previous two years. Four others had been in finals within the past five seasons.
Scott said he did not have a breakdown of tickets sold per school.
The GHSA began playing football at one neutral site in 2008, taking the games out of high school venues.
In 2020, the GHSA began contesting flag football finals as part of the same event. Flag football accounted for 6% of ticket sales this past season, Scott said.
Paid attendance at neutral site GHSA football finals
Mercedes-Benz Stadium
- 2025 — 46,132 (8 games + 5 flag)
- 2024 — 51,588 (8 games + 4 flag)
- 2023 — 49,126 (8 games + 3 flag)
Center Parc Stadium
- 2022 — 40,462 (8 games + 3 flag)
- 2021 — 22,631 (8 games + 3 flag)
- 2020 — 24,476 (8 games + 2 flag)
- 2019 — 28,011 (8 games)
Mercedes-Benz Stadium
- 2018 — 40,463 (8 games)
- 2017 — 41,202 (8 games)**
Georgia Dome
- 2016 — 47,922 (8 games)
- 2015 — 46,312 (7 games)
- 2014 — 45,744 (7 games)
- 2013 — 43,989 (7 games)
- 2012 — 40,326 (7 games)
- 2011 — 40,401 (5 games)
- 2010 — 44,154 (5 games)
- 2009 — 36,685 (5 games)
- 2008 — 37,659 (5 games)
** Six games moved to high school fields because of a snowstorm.
About the Author
Todd Holcomb covers high school sports across the state. He rejoined The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2025 and has worked with the AJC in varying capacities since 1985. He is a co-founder and editor of Georgia High School Football Daily.
