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Buford (Ga.) officially opens $62-million football stadium

IMG_8358by: Andy Villamarzo07/29/25Andy_Villamarzo
BufordStadium2
Phillip Beard Stadium; Courtesy of Buford Football

They say Texas is the king of high school football stadiums, but the unveiling of Buford City Schools’ state-of-the-art football venue might be putting Georgia on the map next to the Lone Star State.

Buford’s Phillip Beard Stadium held a ribbon cutting event on Sunday afternoon to commemorate the opening of their $62-million facility. The Wolves are set to open up the 2025 high school football season on Aug. 14 against Milton via a nationally-televised game on ESPN. Kickoff time for the highly anticipated contest against the Eagles is a special primetime Thursday night game at 7 p.m.

“I just hope it’s just part of what our whole community is about,” Buford City Commission Chairman Phillip Beard, the stadium’s namesake, said via a Gwinnett Daily Post report. “We provide the best. We’ve got a great arena, great little league facilities and this finishes it up.”

The Wolves kicked off the season against the Eagles last year, with Milton winning the contest, 13-10. Milton ended the 2024 season eventually winning the GHSA’s Class 5A state championship, defeating Langston Hughes, 56-35. Buford reached the Class 6A state semifinals, losing to Carrollton, 30-17.

According to the report, the stadium will be able to host 10,000 spectators and will be equipped with features like weapons detection systems and digital ribbon boards, which will run advertisements every single day of the year.

The construction of the Wolves’ swanky new venue took around eight months to complete. Buford’s new digs include amenities like a jumbotron video board, full press box, multiple luxury suites, separate field for junior varsity, six extra practice fields and a concourse that displays all the trophies won by the Wolves.

“This is just another example of excellence in Buford and an example of our City Commission and our Board of Education putting this community and our students first,” Buford City Schools Superintendent Amy Chafin said via the GDP report.