Oakland Roots Sports Club confirmed their interest in Howard Terminal for its permanent stadium site on Thursday, per Scott Osler of the San Francisco Chronicle.
Back in October, Roots and Soul president Lindsay Barenz first indicated the organization’s interest in Howard Terminal when discussing the Coliseum and Malibu stadium project, calling both “bridges” toward its permanent site.
“But all of these are bridges. What we want is a purpose-built stadium in Oakland for soccer that can seat 20,000 to 25,000,” Barenz said in October. “We’re keeping all options open. We’re not foreclosing any permanent stadium site and continue to examine the Howard Terminal site, as well as others in Oakland.”
On Wednesday, Roots submit a bid to the Port of Oakland on Wednesday. The proposal would also include a 15,000 seat temporary modular stadium in the process of the permanent stadium is being built, similar to its plans at the Coliseum’s Malibu Lot.
“We would occupy the (temporary) stadium as our home until our fan base and financial model can support the larger stadium,” Roots and Soul Chief Real Estate Officer Lydia Tan said. “We are planning on Phase 2 (permanent stadium) being launched in 15 years, but hope our growth will warrant an earlier start.”
In that October meeting with stakeholders, Barenz also indicate their willingness to extend their lease at the Coliseum, saying they are “very interested” in possibly continuing at the Coliseum in 2026 and beyond. However, multiple sources have indicated there is still some question to the future of the site under the African American Sports and Entertainment Group. AASEG president Ray Bobbit confirmed the future of the Coliseum “is uncertain” on Thursday.
“The future of the (existing) stadium is uncertain, our focus has been on the arena,” Bobbit told the Chronicle. “We are mutually supportive, and we know the Roots would like to get into our site plan as a potential option, but they also need other options.”
Roots and Soul are not alone in their bid to use Howard Terminal, although Osler reports the organization is believed to be the only sports entity vying for the spot. But it remains to be seen if their candidacy can reach a concrete level.
When speaking to the Chronicle, President of Pacific Merchant Shipping Association Mike Jacob expressed they will “encourage” the Port of Oakland to pick a proposal that maintains “industrial use of the site.”
“We’re probably going to encourage the Port to pick one of the other proposals that is in keeping with the industrial use of the site,” Jacob said.
Roots and Soul have maintained public support from the City of Oakland under former mayor Sheng Thao and a large number of government officials. Interim mayor Nikki Fortunato Bas continued to express support of the organization, saying they will continue assisting the club at the Coliseum, Malibu Lot, and Howard Terminal.
“We fully support the Oakland Roots and their plans for a permanent home,” Fortunato Bas said. “We will do everything we can to assist in their plans at the Oakland Coliseum, the Malibu Lot or at Howard Terminal. The Roots and Soul are perfect examples of how sports teams can be good community partners, and we want to make sure they stay rooted here for decades to come.”
We’ll provide more information on Roots and Soul’s permanent stadium search when the news becomes available.