For Germantown Friends School and Friends’ Central School, a regular-season matchup often carries a little something extra.
The Felsen Cup is a friendly, yearlong athletic competition between the two schools, awarded annually to the program that earns the most points across regular-season boys and girls varsity contests. Stretching from the first competitions of the fall through the final events of the spring, the Cup celebrates the longstanding rivalry between two Friends schools and the student-athletes who represent them.
The competition is named in honor of David M. Felsen, whose career left a lasting impact on both communities. Felsen taught, coached, and served as an administrator at GFS from 1966–1988 before becoming Head of Friends’ Central, a position he held from 1988–2011.
Over the years, the Cup has gone through plenty of runs. Friends’ Central claimed seven consecutive Cups from 2014–15 through 2020–21 before the Tigers shifted the momentum. Since then, GFS has captured five consecutive Felsen Cups, including a dramatic 10–8 victory in 2025–26.
Last year's competition showed just how quickly momentum can change.
GFS opened with a dominant fall, sweeping all six Felsen Cup competitions. Friends’ Central answered emphatically during the winter, winning four of five contests and setting up a spring in which nearly every remaining point mattered. The Cup eventually came down to the final competitions, where Boys and Girls Track & Field delivered the clinching victories, securing another year of bragging rights for the Tigers.
Now, the scoreboard resets to zero.
The first major stretch of the 2026–27 Felsen Cup arrives this week, with four points on the line over two days:
Thursday, October 1: Varsity Field Hockey vs. Friends’ Central — 4 p.m. at the Kroc Center (Pride Game!)
Friday, October 2: Varsity Girls Soccer vs. Friends’ Central — 4 p.m. at GFS
Friday, October 2: Varsity Boys Soccer vs. Friends’ Central — 4 p.m. at GFS
Friday, October 2: Varsity Girls Tennis at Friends’ Central — 4 p.m.
And while this week will provide the first big swing in the standings, it is only the beginning. Boys and Girls Cross Country will have their opportunities later this fall to add two more points before the Felsen Cup heads into its winter slate.
That means six fall points are once again there for the taking.
The Tigers enter this year as five-time defending champions, but if last season taught us anything, it is that nothing comes easily in this rivalry. Every goal, set, race, basket, pin, and point can ultimately make a difference.
For the GFS community, the assignment is clear: Show up, be loud, and wear your Blue & Orange. Support your classmates, teammates, and friends as another year of this storied rivalry gets underway.
The pursuit of six straight starts now.
Go Tigers!