GA/PC Day

For 139 consecutive years, Germantown Academy and William Penn Charter School have met on the football field in the nation’s oldest continuous prep school football rivalry. What began in 1887 as a single game has evolved into GA/PC Day, a celebration of athletic competition, school spirit, and shared tradition.

The rivalry traces its roots to the founding of the Inter-Academic Athletic League in 1887. That year, GA and PC played their first football game, a contest that looked more like rugby than modern football. Germantown Academy won 20–6, beginning a tradition that has endured through generations.

As both schools grew, so did the significance of the annual matchup. Penn Charter’s move to School House Lane in the 1930s intensified the rivalry, while GA’s later relocation to Fort Washington and transition to a coeducational school helped reshape the event. School leaders emphasized sportsmanship, respect, and community, transforming the day into a celebration of student-athletes and school pride.

Over time, GA/PC Day expanded beyond football. Soccer, cross country, field hockey, tennis, water polo, and other sports were added, reflecting the schools’ commitment to broad participation and competition. In 1996, the Competition Cup was introduced to recognize the school that wins the most contests across the day’s events.

Today, GA/PC Day is much more than a football game. Held on alternating campuses, it brings together students, families, alumni, and friends for a day of spirited competition and community. What began as a rugged contest in 1887 has become one of the nation’s most enduring scholastic traditions, fierce in competition, but grounded in respect, sportsmanship, and shared history.

In 1996, the Competition Cup was established to recognize the school that wins the most events on GA/PC Day, transforming the rivalry from a single game into a comprehensive athletic showdown. During the 30-year history of the GA/PC Day Competition Cup, Germantown Academy has won it 13 times and tied for it six times. Sports included in the GA/PC Day Competition Cup include football, field hockey, boys soccer, girls soccer, girls water polo, boys water polo, girls cross country, boys cross country, girls tennis, and coed golf (played earlier in the week).

* In the event of a tie, the school that won the Cup the previous year retains it.
UPDATED November 11, 2025