As professional teams jettison Oakland the Roots are making their way back into the City.
Monday, the Club announced a $3 million dollar lease to play in the Oakland Coliseum in 2025 after spending the past two seasons calling Cal State East Bay in Hayward home. which the Roots abruptly declared their home in 2023 due to an issue with the field turf at Oakland’s Laney College.
“We are honored to be able to play our 2025 season in such an iconic venue,” Oakland Roots SC President Lindsay Barenz said in a statement. “We’re proud to ensure pro sports stay at the Coliseum next year.”
Unfortunately, the deal with the Coliseum is only for the men’s side as the women’s team, the Oakland Soul, will stay play at Merritt College until the new temporary 10,000-seat stadium is built in the Malibu Lot adjacent to the Coliseum which is scheduled to be ready in 2026. Meanwhile, the Club will continue to explore a more permanent home elsewhere in Oakland.
“Roots and Soul (the women’s soccer team) radiate Oakland pride in the community and every time they step on the pitch. They are a model franchise and the Town’s global ambassadors to the soccer world,” Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao said in a statement. “I’m excited they have chosen to invest in Oakland and make our city their home. Oakland fans deserve a sports team that is dedicated, energetic and community oriented and I am pleased to support the club with the full force of my administration. The future is Roots and Soul.”
Currently, the Roots average around 4,000 fans and supporters per match in Hayward, which is around 30 minutes away from the Coliseum. The hope, according to Roots officials, is that returning to Oakland proper will help generate even more interest in the club and fill more of the 60,000 seats inside the Coliseum.
After forming in 2019, the Roots started playing in the National Independent Soccer League before joining USL Championship, the second tier of professional soccer in the closed U.S. pyramid below MLS. The Coliseum will also mark the Club’s third home after having to abruptly leave Oakland’s Laney College two years ago due to pitch issues.
