GMSAA FOOTBALL 2020 UPDATE:  Saturday, May 23, 2020

The Georgia High School Association will begin allowing workouts and training with restrictions by its member schools starting on Monday, June 8th.  This gives the high school coaches and athletes some light at the end of the tunnel. It also shows the GHSA is working toward what they hope is a start to the fall season at their long-standing traditional dates.

The Georgia Middle School Athletic Association suspended all activities in spring with response to the GHSA and Member School Districts. The GMSAA will allow voluntary workouts to return on Monday, June 8th and run throughout the summer, except for the “Dead Week” (Sunday – Saturday) in which the Fourth of July falls.  Our current start of the fall football season for the GMSAA is set for Monday, July 20th, with the first week of practice in helmets only.  The first day of full contact is set up for Monday, July 27th.  These dates are subject to change. 

Here are the GMSAA guidelines for returning to conditioning on Monday, June 8, 2020:

-- All summer workouts are voluntary

-- Verify with your High School Football Head Coach since your School District may be more restrictive

-- Workouts are conditioning only, no balls or sport-specific equipment

-- Notify your athlete’s parent before the start of participation:   

      Do you or your athlete have a fever in the last week?

      Have you or someone in your family been diagnosed with COVID-19?

If you can answer YES to any of the above, your athlete should not attend the voluntary workouts until you receive a medical release. 

-- Group maximum of 20, including coaches, for workouts at any given time at campus facility or field.

-- Groups should be the same individuals, including coaches, for each session to limit risk of exposure. Athletes or coaches CANNOT change groups for the duration of this guidance.

-- No use of locker rooms.  Students should report to the facility or field dressed to condition and shower at home.

-- Weight equipment should be cleaned prior to each workout and sanitized between use by each athlete.

-- Parents should have hand sanitizer or disinfectant wipes available for their athlete.

-- Each athlete should have their own personal water bottle.  Do not share water bottles between athletes.  No use of water fountains or "water cows" is allowed.

-- Social distancing should be adhered to always.  Keep the proper spacing between and during drills.

-- There is no competition allowed between schools.

-- Remind the parents to help maintain the social distancing during the conditioning sessions.

Remember that your  Member School and School District can be MORE RESTRICTIVE.  You should follow the guidelines set forward by your high school football program and member school. 

SUMMER MEETING DATE: TBD  

The Georgia Middle School Athletic Association (GMSAA) is the largest residence based middle school football program in the country with more than 4,500 student-athletes. At the GMSAA a student-athlete must play for the program of the high school district they live in. This allows the high school coaches to start developing their kids at the 6thgrade level as opposed to their freshman year in high school. The high school coaches are encouraged by GMSAA to run the same offense and defense as the high school giving the middle school players great knowledge of plays and concepts prior to entering the 9th grade. 

At the GMSAA, we also enforce our by-laws in a very strict manor allowing for the highest level of safety and coach’s knowledge of concussion protocol and procedure. The GMSAA is committed to our athletes along with their growth and knowledge of the game. Our board of directors and region managers have more than 100 years of experience in coaching the fundamentals of the game, player safety, and leadership in the community. Being a GMSAA member is an honor for both the member programs and the league. We have had thousands of athletes move on to the high school, college, and professional ranks and we stand by our “Commitment to Excellence”. 

With regular season games running for 9 Saturdays from the end of August until the end of October and playoffs running until the week before Thanksgiving, 100 percent of the home game gate and concession money are kept by the program. This is a very big cash infusion for the member high schools.

If you are a high school without a competitive middle school football league, the GMSAA can offer you the highest level of competition in the country. We have proven that being a GMSAA member creates a stronger and more competitive high school program. Our teams are consistently ranked at the top of the state both middle school and high school. Please reach out to us to learn more about creating a stronger high school football program as we will welcome you with open arms.

Do you want full access to the GMSAA website along with GMSAA emails?  You must become a GMSAA website MEMBER through our Sports Engine web host:

If you are NOT A MEMBER of Sports Engine

• Upper right corner of the screen, you will see a rectangle “Sign In”
• click on “Sign In” and input login and password.
• Next screen will ask you to fill in your general information
• Upon completion, the “Sign In” will become your initials
• You now are a MEMBER of the GMSAA Website on Sports Engine. 

If your school has a website through Sports Engine.  Then you are most likely A MEMBER of Sports Engine, you must become a member of the GMSAA website:

• Select “Become a Member” below and complete.

Now you may use the many features of the GMSAA website.