High school football continues to reach some new financial territory.
The Buford Wolves, a high school team from Georgia, officially opened a new football stadium ahead of the upcoming 2025 season. But that isn't what's so notable — it's the $62 million price tag that came along with Phillip Beard Stadium.
With Buford set to begin its 2025 campaign against Milton in a primetime ESPN high school football slot, the school will also be displaying its brand-new field for the first time.
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Here's everything to know about the historic investment Buford made in its football stadium, as well as other details about the new Phillip Beard Stadium.
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Buford High School football stadium renovation
Buford High School, which is in Georgia, cut the ribbon on its brand-new football stadium ahead of the 2025 season. Visually, it's right on par with some Division I programs' stadiums, from a massive digital scoreboard to a two-story fieldhouse and plenty of rows of bleachers on both sides of the field.
The school officially showcased its new stadium in late July of 2025 after renovations and construction were complete.
As renovations were underway in October 2024, some inside looks were provided by Peach State Realty using drone footage of the construction, which included building a parking structure and a pedestrian bridge.
Buford High School football stadium cost
Dexter Wood Field at Phillip Beard Stadium cost a total of $62 million to build.
Per WSB-TV, the venue is named after the school's former education chairman, Phillip Beard, and former head coach Dexter Wood, who won three state titles.
Who paid for Buford High School football stadium?
Buford is a public school, and the new Wolves football stadium was fully funded and is owned by the city, per WSB-TV. The school leases the venue.
According to Buford Athletic Facilities Director Tony Wolfe, Buford being the only high school in the county helped aid the funding.
"They are very involved in all the decisions that are made operationally in this," Wolfe said in a GPB video on the new stadium. "We have some advantages with one city high school, versus most schools are county schools, and there's multiple high schools in the county, so they can't pour all their money into one school kind of like we can here in Buford."
Also, according to Wolfe, because the stadium is owned by the city, there are also plans for the venue being used for concerts or other events.
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What's the most expensive high school football stadium?
According to a 2024 report from Front Office Sports, there are a few high school football stadiums that came in with a higher price tag than Buford's $62 million. The most expensive high school stadium was Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio, which was built in 2017 for a total of $175.8 million when adjusted for inflation.
Six other stadiums on Front Office Sports' list came in at higher prices than Buford's new stadium, which would slot in as the eighth-most-expensive stadium but the most expensive in Georgia state history.
Here are the top seven most expensive stadiums on the 2024 list, with all figures according to Front Office Sports:
| Rank | Stadium | High School | Location | Year Construction Completed | Total Construction Cost, inflation adjusted |
| 1 | Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium | McKinley Senior High School | Canton, Ohio | 2017 | $175.8 million |
| 2 | Cy-Fair FCU Stadium | Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District Schools | Cypress, Texas | 2006 | $124.8 million |
| 3 | Katy Stadium | Katy Independent School District Schools | Katy, Texas | 2017 | $89.8 million |
| 4 | McKinney ISD Stadium | McKinney Independent School District Schools | McKinney, Texas | 2018 | $87.8 million |
| 5 | Eagle Stadium | Allen High School | Allen, Texas | 2012 | $82.2 million |
| 6 | Woodforest Bank Stadium | Conroe Independent School District Schools | Shenandoah, Texas | 2008 | $71.6 million |
| 7 | Doggett Family Stadium | Beaumont Independent School District Schools | Beaumont, Texas | 2010 | $68.2 million |
Buford High School football stadium capacity
Phillip Beard Stadium seats a total of 10,000 fans. Per Buford Athletic Facilities Director Tony Wolfe. That includes 1,100 "premium stadium seats" and 15 suites, and the new scoreboard is one of, “if not the largest,” for any high school in the country.
Additionally, the scoreboard is double-sided, and there is a pedestrian bridge connected to the school. Catering services are offered in the suites.
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Where is Buford High School?
Buford High School is located in Buford, Ga. That's about 25 miles north of Atlanta, and the school is largely known for its high school football presence.
Buford has become one of the top high school football teams in the country over the years, owning one state championship prior to 2000, then winning 13 in the years since then. From 2019-21, Buford won three straight state championships.
According to Prep Network, Buford's current football roster includes multiple top-100-ranked players in Georgia, including Class of 2026 DL Bryce Perry-Wright and quarterback Dayton Raiola, the younger brother of Nebraska star quarterback Dylan Raiola.