BUFORD, Ga. — With just under two months left until the opening of the 2025 football season, Buford’s brand-new, $62 million Phillip Beard Stadium looks to be on track to open on schedule.
Director of Athletics and Operations, Tony Wolfe, said the latest estimate to put the finishing touches on the project to be completed is in less than a month.
“We’re about 85 to 90 percent done. The fieldhouse, the stands, concession, gates and points of entry are all complete,” Wolfe said on Tuesday. “There are a few things still left to be done in the press box, furniture in some of the box suites, things like that, and getting all the parking lots in the area repaved. The last date we talked about was July 10 and I feel pretty confident we’ll be done by then.”
The new stadium sits right on Buford Highway and school officials claim it will have the capacity for 10,000-plus fans, making it one of the largest on-campus stadiums not just in Georgia, but in the Southeast. A ribbon cutting is tentatively scheduled for July 27 with the first action scheduled for Thursday Aug. 7 with a scrimmage game between the Wolves and Hughes.
The regular season is set to begin for Buford on Thursday, Aug. 14 with a nationally-televised game (ESPN2) against defending Class 5A state champion Milton.
“We’re very excited about getting this complete and then opening it up for everyone to see,” Wolfe said. “I may be biased but it's really pretty spectacular, to be honest. It's so large that's kind of the biggest part, just trying to get used to the size of it.”
It will be the first game for Buford at a new stadium since opening the iconic Tom Riden Stadium in 1990. The Wolves won 13 state championships with Tom Riden as their home.
During an interview with Buford coach Bryant Appling last week for the Wolves season preview, he said it will take some getting used to.
“I’ve been here 21 years and the only place I’ve ever come out of is The Wolves Den. It’s going to be a little strange at first but we also can’t wait to get into it and get going,” Appling said.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2025/6/1292226/football-phillip-beard-stadium-on-schedule-to-open-on-time