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Clayton County athletics reports growth: nearly 10,000 student-athletes, $36.5M in scholarships, $250,000 grant

Clayton County Board of Education ยท January 13, 2026
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Summary

Executive Director Gary Townsend told the board the athletics department serves nearly 10,000 student-athletes, secured a $250,000 Arthur Blank Foundation grant for coach development, and reported $36.5 million in scholarship offers over three years.

The Clayton County athletics program presented a multi-year update on Jan. 12 highlighting program expansion, facility upgrades and revenue goals.

Gary Townsend, executive director of athletics, told the board the department now supports "nearly 10,000 student athletes throughout our district" and described investments in stadium Wi-Fi, huddle cameras, digital ticketing and coaching professional development. Townsend said the program received a $250,000 grant from the Arthur Blank Foundation to support coaching and student programming through a vendor called A Better Way.

Townsend highlighted competitive results and student outcomes: six team state championships, four state runner-ups, eight individual state championships and some 42 NCAA signees in recent years. He also reported $36,500,000 in scholarships for students over the past three years.

Board members asked about expanding participation rates and the academic performance of student-athletes. Townsend said many activities generate revenue and that athletics aims to increase its monetary production by about 10% while noting that not all costs are fully covered by athletics revenue; funds collected go to the district's general fund.

The board asked administration to consider a report linking athletic participation with academic outcomes and to explore ways to grow elementary athletics participation.