When the Oakland Raiders left for Las Vegas, it disappointed many local fans. But Oakland Roots are taking advantage of the infrastructure the Raiders left to have a training facility of their own finally.
On Tuesday morning, the team announced it had reached an agreement with the City of Oakland and the County of Alamada, joint owners of the facility, to license it to the Roots for the 2022 USL season.
The facility has an 18,000 square foot indoor training building, including a weight and locker room and a 120,000 square foot outdoor grass sports field.
It will be a huge step up for the Roots, who had to train during their 2021 USL season at Las Positas College in Livermore.
“This is an incredible next step in the growth of this club,” said Roots Technical Director Jordan Ferrell. “One of the next steps to our process is a facility for training that allows us to level up the performance environment our staff and teamwork in on a daily basis. We now have that facility right in our backyard.”
Deal is currently only for 2022 USL Season
Earlier this year, the City of Oakland and County of Alameda considered putting the property, which has sat empty since the Raiders left for Las Vegas in 2020, up for sale.
“The club is a valued member of the Oakland community, and we are happy the Roots can make productive use of the asset in the interim, while the City and County are readying the property for disposition,” noted Betsy Lake, Assistant City Administrator from the City of Oakland.
“Having a first-class training ground helps attract and retain top players and helps galvanize the entire organization,” added USL President Jake Edwards. “We’re thrilled for Oakland and this opportunity to make this facility their home.”
