THOMASVILLE, Ga. (WALB) - Starting in the fall, boys tackle football won’t be the only team playing at Veterans Memorial Stadium. The Thomasville Bulldogs will become one of the latest schools to offer a girls’ flag football team.

On Wednesday, the school announced track coach Chris Guyton as the head coach.

“I thought it would be a great opportunity,” said Guyton. “It’s the inaugural year, so it’s a new beginning. It’s a fresh beginning, and here, I have an opportunity to have a fingerprint on that program.”

Guyton has spent the last six years coaching the track team. He led them to a record-breaking season and a regional title this season. He’s also been a part of the football staff for the past seven years. The 2024 season was his last as he now trades tackle football for flag.

“Girls’ flag football is completely new to me. The game of football is not new to me. I played football as a youth and through college. I’ve coached football for the past few years here in Thomasville,” said Guyton.

The addition of the rising sports comes after the school received a grant from Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank.

304 total grants were given, 45 of them were towards schools that are launching a girls’ flag football program. Nine of those were South Georgia schools, Thomasville included.

As Guyton said, “now, for us, [the grant is] huge because it’s our entire foundation. It’s helping with getting coaches, getting materials. It’s a big deal for us.”

Here is a full list of new girls flag football programs in 2025:

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