The Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association identified Sept. 4, 2026, as the first allowable play date for cross country, field hockey, football, soccer and volleyball. Those sports must wait until then to begin counting wins and losses toward their regular-season records, while golf could begin competing on Aug. 12, the first practice date.
Girls’ Flag Football Debuts as a Sanctioned Sport
Girls’ flag football will debut as a sanctioned sport after more school systems moved to sponsor it. The number of school sponsorships exceeded the required minimum of 40% of Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association member schools.
That threshold allowed the MPSSAA Board of Control to request sanctioning approval from the State Superintendent of Schools. The source identifies girls’ flag football as a new sanctioned sport but does not provide additional competition dates.
Fall Bulletin Includes Regulations and Policies
The 2026 Fall Sports Bulletin details state tournament regulations and policies. Sport bulletins may also include state association rule adoptions that each sport’s state committee may have put in place, while classification and region alignments are located on the last page of each bulletin.
Schedules, results and region standings are available through the MPSSAA website’s “Scores & Results” section and individual sport homepages. The association also directs readers to the fall sports bulletin under the “Resources” tab.
MSB Analysis
The Sept. 4 first allowable play date establishes the opening point for five fall sports, while golf has the option to begin competing on Aug. 12. Girls’ flag football’s sanctioned debut follows school sponsorship exceeding the 40% minimum required for the MPSSAA sanctioning process.
Source: Original report
