South Gwinnett News

The Atlanta Falcons recently unveiled a new 30-foot dynamic wall display inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium dedicated to the trailblazers of high school girls' flag football in the state of Georgia.

In a May 12 release, Rich McKay, CEO and president of the Atlanta Falcons, said the franchise is saluting the rise of high school girls' football across the state, adding that the celebration of the evolution of the sport in the state was “very special.”

"To be able to see what started in one county cover six counties and then an entire state is remarkable,” McKay said in the release. “It's a testament to the coordinated efforts of many. The fact that we can expand the game and give girls the opportunity to play in high school is incredible because football is the ultimate team sport."

The wall was unveiled during a private event that included close to 200 girl flag players and coaches, as well as representatives from the National Football League, the City of Atlanta, the Georgia High School Association (GHSA), the Falcons and Mercedes-Benz Stadium; the release said.

The Falcons  franchise and the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation have worked in partnership with the GHSA and local high school athletic directors, coaches and players over the past six years to establish girls' flag football as a sanctioned sport in the state, the release said. In 2020, Georgia became the fourth state to offer girls’ flag football as an officially sanctioned sport.