With a 6-0 vote, the Oakland Coliseum Joint Powers Authority approved an agreement to have the Oakland Roots and Soul men’s and women’s soccer teams play their 2025 seasons at the Oakland Coliseum on Friday.
According to Henry Gardner, Executive Director of the Coliseum Authority, which handles operations for the Coliseum Complex, the Roots approached the Authority about possibly using the Coliseum complex ground to host games in 2025 after it became clear the Roots would not be able to play at the Malibu Lot next door, where the plan to build a 10,000-seat modular stadium, until 2026 at the earliest.
At first, the Roots and Authority considered using Parking Lot C as a temporary spot, but it was decided that was not feasible. Next, they looked at whether the Roots could play in the Coliseum while not impacting the stadium’s use for other events during the calendar year.
According to the agreement, the Roots can only play for one calendar year between March 1, 2025, and February 27, 2026. The Roots and Soul will play no more than 34 events at the Coliseum, with no more than six games held on consecutive days.
The Authority granted the Roots the right to play at the Coliseum through a provision for special events held at the facility. JPA board member Rebecca Kaplan noted that having the Roots play under the special events provision will not impact the Coliseum’s ability to host other events, possibly including an extension of the Oakland A’s playing at the stadium through their expected move to Las Vegas in 2028. ABC7’s Casey Pratt has reported the Athletics are OK with sharing the stadium with the Roots/Soul in 2025.
The Roots/Soul will cover all expenses for the events at the Coliseum. According to Gardner, there is also the potential for profit sharing between the JPA and the Roots if certain financial conditions are met, which could lead to around $1.5 to 2 million dollars in profit.
The biggest concern for the Joint Power Authority is the field at the stadium is set up for baseball and not for soccer.
“We do not have a soccer field,” said Gardner. “Who is going to pay for this soccer field, and who is going to install it?”
Gardner noted that the Coliseum Authority would not pay for installing a soccer field and the Roots would be financially responsible for any field conversions and bringing the field up to professional soccer standards.
According to Gardner, the Authority and Roots/Soul were working on the final language of the agreement but have settled all the core issues for the soccer club to play at the Coliseum.
Kaplan explained that the JPA and Roots are working on how the field will be converted, either using grass sod or possibly laying out an artificial turn over the ground. She noted that only a part of the stadium, most likely only the lower bowl, will be open during Roots game days, but the details are still being worked out.
“We are thrilled at the prospect of expanding the legacy of Oakland’s Coliseum for professional men’s and women’s soccer,” said Oakland Roots and Soul President Lindsey Barenz in comments to the board. She noted that they had been negotiating with the Coliseum Authority since last fall to make professional soccer viable at the stadium. “Working together, we have achieved this outcome and very excited about this opportunity,” she added.
Ray Bobbitt, President of the African American Sports Entertainment Group, also called in during public comments, noting that AASEG and the Roots/Soul signed a cooperation agreement in May 2023 to work together on the future of Oakland and the Coliseum site and support the Roots modular stadium proposal at the Malibu lot. “We believe that this opportunity that the Roots and Soul have to play at the Coliseum for the 2025 season will help facilitate that possibility,” he said.
The Oakland Roots/Soul hope that the Coliseum will be a stop-gap solution for one season as they work on building a modular stadium on the Malibu Lot. Currently, the Roots have to play at Cal State East Bay in Hayward after they were forced to move due to field conditions at their first home, Laney Stadium, near Lake Merritt in 2023.
