It has been a tenuous situation between the Oakland Roots and Legends Global, which is a private venue operator contracted by the Joint Powers Authority. Over the past week, JPA executive director Henry Gardner has leaked information to East Bay Insider and the East Bay Times regarding the club defaulting on its $1.4 million lease agreement.
After Gardner indicated that Roots defaulted on its lease last week, the executive director fed information to the East Bay Times that Legends Global declined the club’s payment plan and has the “option to cancel their next game” if an agreement isn’t reached.
On top of the $1.4 million debt, Gardner told the East Bay Times and East Bay Insider that the authority is demanding an additional $200,000 for each remaining home game while the debt is unpaid. This would nearly double the price of the remaining games to $2.6 million if it goes unpaid through all six matches.
However, it appears that Gardner’s squeeze has been going on without consulting his JPA counterparts.
On Tuesday, Kate Talerico of the San Francisco Chronicle cited Coliseum Authority commissioner David Haubert, who made clear that any decision made about Oakland Roots must have “support of the board.”
“Allowing someone to continue to play with the debt, it should be with the support of the board. And if the decision is made to shut them out, it should be with the support of the board,” said Haubert.
While Gardner seems indifferent to the consequences to Roots and Soul SC, Haubert scaled things back.
“I don’t think any of us want to see a fourth sports team not make it in Oakland,” Haubert said.
Haubert also mentioned that the current agreement between the Coliseum Authority is a “special event” lease instead of a license agreement. This means that the organization cannot collect sponsorship fees similar to what the JPA deployed with the Athletics and Raiders.
It’s a sign of how hamstrung Roots have been under the current agreement. On top of not being able to rake in sponsorship fees, the club announced that they are capping attendance to 7,000 patrons before its July 25 match against rivals Sacramento Republic because of a “massive” increase in rent at the Coliseum.
Per the Chronicle, Roots pay about $205,000 per match for staffing and other expenses, plus a per-match deposit of $20,000 for food and beverage sales.
The Oakland-Alameda Coliseum Authority has called for a Special Meeting on Friday, July 31 to discuss the matter. On the board package, they mention a flat fee of $138,000, the $20,000 Food and Beverage Deposit, $15,000 in Facility Fees and Parking, along with an additional $200,000 for the remaining six games to be applied toward the $1,381,000 past due.
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, the relationship between the two parties has completely disintegrated.
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.
We’ll provide more information on Roots and the Coliseum as the news becomes available.