By Lacey Cummings ('20), Visit Milledgeville

M illedgeville will welcome collegiate flag football teams from across the Southeast when Georgia College & State University hosts the 2026 NIRSA Flag Football Regional Championship, presented by NFL FLAG, Nov. 6–8, 2026. The three-day tournament will take place at the GCSU Intramural Fields, marking the first time Milledgeville has hosted a regional flag football championship organized through NIRSA, the association for collegiate recreation. 

Organized by GCSU Wellness & Recreation, the tournament is expected to bring approximately 30 teams and 450 student-athletes to Milledgeville, along with coaches, officials, campus recreation professionals and spectators. Teams representing universities throughout NIRSA Region II will compete in Men's, Women's, and Co-Rec divisions, with championship teams earning bids to the NIRSA National Flag Football Tournament. 

With approximately 28 visiting teams expected to stay overnight, the tournament will generate multi-day visitation throughout Milledgeville and Baldwin County. Athletes, coaches and tournament personnel are anticipated to spend two nights in the community, supporting local hotels, restaurants and businesses throughout the weekend.

"Hosting a regional championship of this size is a great opportunity to showcase Milledgeville as a destination for collegiate sporting events," said Rebekah Snider, executive director of Visit Milledgeville. "We're excited to welcome these student-athletes and their families to our community, while highlighting the facilities and partnerships that make events like this possible. Beyond the competition, these visitors have an opportunity to experience our downtown, restaurants and local attractions throughout their stay." 

The tournament will feature GCSU's men's flag football team, the defending national champions, who have claimed four national titles in the past six years. Their participation adds a hometown connection to the regional championship as collegiate teams compete for the opportunity to advance to the national tournament.

GCSU was selected to host the championship in part because of its recreational facilities and capacity to accommodate a tournament of this size. The university can host competition across eight flag football fields simultaneously, while the GCSU Wellness & Recreation Center provides additional space for tournament operations, meetings and officials' training. Campus recreation professionals from across the country will also assist with the event and help train student officials selected for the tournament. 

Competition begins Friday, Nov. 6, with evening games scheduled for 6:30, 7:45 and 9 p.m. Saturday's games begin at 9 a.m. and continue throughout the day. The tournament concludes Sunday, Nov. 8, with elimination rounds and championship games, including the Co-Rec Championship at 10:15 a.m., Women's Championship at noon, and Men's Championship at 1:30 p.m. Game times are tentative and subject to change. 

The tournament is free and open to the public, and local residents are encouraged to attend and support the competing collegiate teams. 

Hosting the NIRSA Regional Flag Football Championship further supports Visit Milledgeville's efforts to grow sports tourism through partnerships with local institutions, increased utilization of community facilities, and events that attract visitors from outside the region. The tournament also provides an opportunity to introduce collegiate athletes and their families to Milledgeville as a destination for future leisure travel. 

Additional information about the tournament can be found at here.

Header Image: The three players on the left are the 2026 NIRSA All-Americans from Georgia College: Andrew Oliver, Marcus Prestwood and Nash Darley. (Photo: Nolan Baugh, GCSU associate director of Wellness and Recreation)