Oakland Roots announced on Thursday that they will not play at the Coliseum past 2026, marking an end to their two-year stay at the venue.
With that, the club announce they are exploring temporary sites within the Coliseum parking lot and at their training facility on Harbor Bay Parkway.
“The Oakland Coliseum is a landmark of Oakland and the East Bay, and it has been an honor to be part of its legacy,” Roots and Soul SC President Lindsay Barenz said in a statement. “We have long stated that controlling our own venue is paramount to the long-term success of the Club and soccer here in Oakland. While we have loved our time at the Coliseum over these two seasons, it is not a viable ongoing option for us as the relationship is currently structured.”
“The importance of a stable, permanent home—both in the near term and for decades to come—that the Club controls cannot be overstated,” the organization continued in its press release.
As Barenz stated, Roots and Soul controlling its revenue has been an ongoing issue since the organization’s birth. The club has yet to play at a location they actually own, having owed rent and shared revenue at Laney College, Cal State University East Bay, and the Oakland Coliseum.
The blog broke last month that Roots and Soul proposed a matchday venue at its headquarters on Harbor Bay Parkway. This includes modular stands with a capacity of up to 8,000 attendees and temporary facilities to host approximately 24 matches and “other smaller sporting events.”
In today’s press release, they reiterated that the location is an option they control.
“In partnership with Redco, the Club gained control of the facility last year, giving Oakland Roots and Soul a permanent home for day-to-day operations, training, and culture building,” wrote Roots and Soul. “Since entering into a long term lease at the facility, the Club oversees all venue operations and logistics, creating the potential for an interim gameday venue fully controlled by the Club.”
As for a possible venue within the Coliseum parking lot, its unclear what the terms of payment will be. Roots were paying at least $3 million per year to play at the Coliseum, but made clear that they will have “more control over operations” with a temporary site in the parking lot.
“The Club is also exploring a pop up venue in the Coliseum parking lot with the intention of the Club having more control over operations, providing a more intimate experience, plus greater ability to dictate pricing and services for our fans,” Roots and Soul wrote in its press release.
With eight months remaining before the start of the 2027 USL Championship season, Roots are pushing up against the clock for its next location. They determined that recreating its Harbor Bay Parkway facility into a game day spot will require six months of building.
They did not clarify the timeline of field in the Coliseum parking lot, but it would undoubtedly require a turf field compared to the grass pitch at Harbor Bay Parkway in order to curve construction time.
We’ll provide more information on Roots and Soul’s temporary stadium plans as the news becomes available.