Steve Tavares of East Bay Insiders, citing Joint Powers Authority officials, reports that the Oakland Roots defaulted on its lease agreement for the Coliseum and must pay an outstanding balance of $1.4 million by Friday, July 24.
Oakland Roots and Soul president Lindsay Barenz confirmed to Tavares that they are collaborating with the JPA and City of Oakland to ensure they meet their obligations.
“We are actively collaborating with JPA staff and the City on a clear path forward to ensure all current obligations are met and any outstanding balances are fully resolved by the end of the season,” Barenz said.
According to Tavares, JPA executive director Henry Gardner confirmed that a Notice of Default was sent out the previous week on July 17. He added that a majority of the debt consists of unpaid game-day expenses, including staffing, security guards, parking attendants, stagehands, and a $20,000 per-game deposit for food and beverage sales.
If Roots do not pay the debt by Friday, Gardner says they will “play in the dark.”
“If neither of those options occurs, they will be playing in the dark,” Gardner told Tavares.
Gardner indicated that Roots’ payment record during the 2025 season was always on time, and sometimes made in advance. However, payments ceased in 2026.
This comes after the club announced they are capping July 25’s rivalry match against Sacramento Republic at 7,000 attendees, noting that the figure causes a “massive” increase in rent at the Coliseum. The proclamation came 11 days after they declared 2026 as their final season at the site, and require playing at a stadium they actually own to finally control their own revenue.
“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,” Barenz said on July 9.
Back in January 2025, Roots and Soul announced that staying in the Coliseum on a short-term basis would allow them to put their focus on securing their permanent venue. But just a year-and-a-half later, that declaration is now up in smoke.
“By staying at the Coliseum in the short term, we are ensuring stability for our players, fans, and community and keeping the Coliseum as a productive asset for the community,” Barenz said at the time.
The blog broke last month that Roots and Soul proposed a matchday venue at its headquarters on Harbor Bay Parkway, while the club announced it is also exploring a pop-up stadium within the Coliseum’s parking lot.
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 construction.
They did not clarify the timeline for the field in the Coliseum parking lot, but it would undoubtedly require a turf field, rather than the grass pitch at Harbor Bay Parkway, to cut construction time.
We’ll provide more information on Roots and Soul’s temporary stadium plans as the news becomes available.