The Dunwoody High School Football team has never had a home game on its own field. The Wildcat community has decided it’s time for that to end.
Bring it Home, comprised of a group of parents, DHS faculty, and community members, is in the midst of raising $1.5 million to expand its home field seating to 3,000 to enable varsity sports to be played onsite. So far, fundraising has topped $180,000.
“This project isn’t just about adding seats — it’s about creating opportunities, traditions, and memories that will inspire generations,” the website said.
“Bringing Friday night lights back to Dunwoody has been a long time coming. I am so impressed with the energy and enthusiasm of not only the Bring it Home committee, but also the entire community,” said DHS Principal Tom Bass. “Parents, teachers, neighbors, and future Wildcat families are all coming together to support this mission.”
DHS Finance Academy teacher and committee member Steve Fortenberry said the additions to the stadium will allow the Wildcats to host GHSA varsity football, flag football, lacrosse, soccer, track, as well as graduations, pep rallies, and school-wide assemblies on the campus.
Right now, Dunwoody shares a home field with Chamblee High School, which often involves a shuffling act that often sees both football teams playing on the same night – one at 5:30 and the other later.
“We wanted to have a true home, and DeKalb County, under the current leadership, was open to the idea,” Fortenberry said. “It’s cool that these pieces have come together in the last 18-24 months when it just wasn’t an option before.”
The project involves adding about 2,000 seats, a ticket booth, restrooms, a concession stand, press box, green space, and fencing. The project will be 100 percent funded by donors, and upon completion, gifted back to the DeKalb County School District.
An anonymous alumni donor has already pledged $1 million, according to a video produced by the Bring It Home Committee. The goal is to raise $1.5 million in private donations for the remaining cost.
Organizers say the stadium seating can be completed in five- to six-weeks, and the entire project will take roughly six months. No in-school activities or after-school programs will be affected by the construction, Fortenberry said.
Several corporate sponsors, including Highpoint Development, Overtone Agency, Bohler, and MSD Landscape Architecture, have already stepped up to provide donations or in-kind services.
Donations of cash, stocks, or in-kind services are tax-deductible as the project is being funneled through the school’s 501c-3 Wildcat Fund.
Fortenberry said the group hopes to reach its goal next February and celebrate in Dunwoody Village at a Mar. 7, 2026 party.
“This is not ‘will it happen’ but ‘when it happens,’” he said. “We have a lot of donations coming from alumni, the community, and even future Wildcats at the elementary and middle school level.”
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