High School football program gets a $62 million stadium: Is education being left behind?

A shiny façade, near-vertical stands, a number of VIP suites and a huge video board, Phillip Beard Stadium surely could fool an average Joe into thinking that it is a state-of-the-art NFL ground.

However, this $62 million, 10,000-seat coliseum in Buford, Georgia is, in fact, for high schoolers.

The Buford Wolves — an elite high school football squad currently ranked 10th nationwide — own the stadium. With 13 Georgia state championships between 2001 and 2021, and a conveyor belt of talent progressing to college, they are one of the most well-known sides in the college football world.

Buford itself is a modest city—home to roughly 19,000 people and a high school educating around 1,900 students, rebuilt just a few years ago for $85 million.

Just over a decade ago, neighbouring Kennesaw State University managed to construct a similar-capacity stadium for only $16.5 million: keeping up with the Joneses is alive and well in college football. And it’s not even the most expensive college football venue in the States: a $72 million ground sits in Katy, Texas, which takes the cake.

Inside, Phillip Beard Stadium mixes the familiar uncovered benches of Friday Night Lights with more opulent accoutrements: over 1,500 premium seats, 15 luxury suites, a 3,600 sq ft double-sided video board, and a 10,500 sq ft events area complete with a trophy wall.

Colleges and pro teams are also investing big in sport: Northwestern is building a privately funded stadium so upscale it costs $862 million for just 35,000 seats. Meanwhile, as mentioned, Texas leads the way in expensive high school stadiums as it ranks low on educational metrics and teachers report spending hundreds out of pocket in classrooms. In 2016, Georgia’s high school graduation rate was 80.6%, ranking it 41st in the nation, well below the national average; the state also as a widening achievement gap linked to socio-economic and racial disparities.

But hey ho, $62 million on a children’s playground must be money well spent.

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Their first regular-season opponent, the Milton Eagles, will take the field in what will also be the stadium’s debut broadcast on ESPN.

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