Lighting up small-town spirit: High school football programs rally for a 5G upgrade

Jon Freier, President, T-Mobile Consumer Group

A few years ago, T-Mobile made a commitment to the people of rural America: they would not be left behind in the 5G era. Small communities would be covered by 5G to enhance their connectivity needs at home, on the farm, on the move, and at school. This was – and is – part of our long-term dedication to the prosperity of rural communities.

We’ve built nearly 500,000 square miles of new 5G coverage across rural America and doubled our retail presence with 600 stores that provide vital in-person service options. I am especially proud of our Hometown Grants program, a $25 million investment in 500 rural towns over five years to jumpstart projects like upgrading tech at a local library, building hiking trails and parks, revitalizing historic buildings, and more. And we’ve helped bridge the digital divide with Project 10Million, and by adding broadband internet access for millions of homes and small businesses.

We’re going big in small-town America. And that’s why we launched Friday Night 5G Lights.

This month we teamed up with four-time Super Bowl champion Rob “Gronk” Gronkowski to kick off an awesome program to showcase small communities (of up to 150,000 people) across America and set up one grand prize-winning school with a multi-million-dollar football field tech upgrade!

This one is personal for me, because growing up in Odessa, Texas, Friday nights in the fall meant one thing: football. Fun fact: My high school, Permian High School, was the basis of the book, movie and TV show "Friday Night Lights!"

Since we launched the program on August 1, the response has been incredible. Already, more than 1,000 high schools have entered! What would you change about Friday Night Lights in your town? So far, we’ve heard that schools are excited about new scoreboards, safer turf and new weight rooms (courtesy of our partner Gronk).

Anyone can visit FridayNight5GLights.com to download digital trading card templates and get into the action. And don’t forget: Friday Night 5G Lights isn’t just for one grand prize winner – sixteen finalists will get a $25,000 cash grant.

Plus, every high school that enters is automatically eligible for a chance to win $5,000 in T-Mobile's “$5K Fridays” weekly sweepstakes. Now until September 20, T-Mobile will randomly select 50 schools each week – totaling 300 – to win $5,000. The entire community can join the fun by posting their school spirit on Instagram to increase the odds of their high school winning some extra cash for new equipment, sports gear or transportation expenses. Don’t forget to tag your school’s official Instagram handle and @tmobile, and use the hashtags #Sweepstakes and #FN5GL to ensure each entry is counted.

This is my favorite part of the program – seeing high schools from across the country show their school spirit on social media. Just search #FN5GL on Instagram and you will see around 4,000 creative posts from schools across the U.S.

In a recent post, @greenwoodpublicschools said, "Friday night football at Greenwood High School is different than anywhere else. There are so many groups of people, such as cheer/dance, band, ROTC, the fans and our youth football players that make it so special to play here on a Friday night. You have to be here to experience it."

We are also spotlighting high schools each week on FridayNight5GLights.com to share their stories. South Caldwell High School in Hudson, North Carolina, shared, “On Friday nights, the entire community comes alive, united by a shared passion and pride. It’s more than just a game; it’s a heartfelt gathering where everyone rallies behind a team that embodies their spirit and dreams on the football field.”

The competition is heating up and I can’t wait to see more small towns show us why they deserve some tech to light up their Friday nights.

Check out the first batch of 50 “$5K Fridays” weekly sweepstakes winners.

Alabama: Buckhorn High School, Hartselle High School, Section High School and Springville High School

Arkansas: Greenwood High School and Lincoln High School

California: Hughson High School, La Quinta High School and Paradise High School

Florida: LaBelle High School

Georgia: Lanier High School and Troup County High School

Iowa: Ballard High School and Bettendorf High School

Illinois: Harlem High School and Larkin High School

Kentucky: Martha Layne Collins High School and Webster County High School

Louisiana: Beau Chene High School and Benton High School

Michigan: Buchanan High School, Cadillac High School, Montrose Hill McCloy High School and Sandusky Jr./Sr. High School

Minnesota: KMS Public Schools (Kerkhoven - Murdock - Sunburg)

Missouri: Gallatin High School

Mississippi: Jefferson County High School

North Carolina: Northside High School (Jacksonville)

New Jersey: Kittatinny Regional High School

Oregon: North Medford High School and Redmond High School

Pennsylvania: McGuffey High School, New Oxford High School, West York High School and York County School of Technology

South Carolina: Kingstree High School and Rock Hill High School

Tennessee: Marion County High School, Walker Valley High School and Wartburg Central High School

Texas: Bandera High School, Del Rio High School, Dumas High School, Lytle High School and Rogers High School

Washington: Lakeside High School

Wisconsin: Baldwin-Woodville HS, Columbus High School and Shiocton High School

West Virginia: Robert C. Byrd High School