The MPSSAA announced opening dates for the 2026 fall sports season. Golf athletes may begin practice on Aug. 12, while cross country, field hockey, football, soccer and volleyball can start counting wins and losses beginning Sept. 4. Girls’ flag football will debut as a sanctioned sport after more than 40% of MPSSAA member schools moved to sponsor the program, meeting the required minimum for sanctioning.
Girls’ flag football reaches sanctioned status
Girls’ flag football will join the MPSSAA lineup as a sanctioned sport following increased school system sponsorship, which pushed the number of sponsors beyond the required 40% threshold. The MPSSAA Board of Control requested approval to sanction girls’ flag football from the State Superintendent of Schools.
The 2026 Fall Sports Bulletin includes state tournament regulations, policies and sport-specific state association rule adoptions for the fall season.
Fall sports dates and resources
Golf athletes may begin practice on Aug. 12. Cross country, field hockey, football, soccer and volleyball are eligible to begin competition and count wins and losses starting Sept. 4.
Classification and region alignments appear on the last page of each fall sports bulletin. Schedules and results are available through the “Scores & Results” section on the MPSSAA homepage and individual sport homepages. Region standings can also be found on the respective sport pages.
Maryland Sports Blog Take
The 2026 fall season will mark the debut of girls’ flag football as a sanctioned MPSSAA sport. Aug. 12 marks the first practice date for golf, and Sept. 4 is the first allowable competition date for other fall sports. The 2026 Fall Sports Bulletin outlines regulations, policies and rule adoptions for the season.
Source: Original report
