Oakland has new mini soccer fields thanks to a native's dream

Name: Oakland has new mini soccer fields thanks to a natives dream
Uploaded: 2026-03-04T22:45:48-08:00
Description: With soccer fever expected to sweep the Bay Area this summer as the region hosts the World Cup, an Oakland native is hoping to inspire perhaps the next generation of players right in his own neighborhood.

Oakland has new mini soccer fields thanks to a natives dream

With soccer fever expected to sweep the Bay Area this summer as the region hosts the World Cup, an Oakland native is hoping to inspire perhaps the next generation of players right in his own neighborhood.

OAKLAND, Calif. - As soccer excitement builds across the Bay Area ahead of this summer’s World Cup matches, an Oakland native hopes a new neighborhood soccer pitch will inspire the next generation of players.

Field of dreams

On Wednesday, Paulo Esperon watched a longtime dream become reality as Longfellow Fields officially opened in North Oakland.

"This is how soccer players are developed everywhere else," said Esperon said, standing on the newly opened pitch.

Esperon, who grew up in Argentina, said the idea came after he and his wife moved to the neighborhood near Apgar Street and noticed an empty lot nearby.

"I grew up in a place where you have soccer fields all over to play, and this was an empty lot," said Esperon. "My first thought went to those soccer fields that I was familiar with. That was the inspiration."

Community investment

What began as an ambitious idea eventually became a community project backed by the Oakland Roots and Oakland Soul soccer clubs, along with other sponsors.

The groups celebrated the grand opening of the pitch Wednesday at Martin Luther King Jr. Way and 39th Street.

"It’s really about creating inspiration," said Edreece Arghandiwal, co-founder of Oakland Roots FC.

Arghandiwal said the project aims to help expand access to youth soccer in Oakland, where dedicated public fields are limited.

"To just be able to bring soccer and branch it out to our community, and have the impact that I have as someone born in Oakland and raised in the Bay Area my whole life, I didn’t necessarily have access to these types of things," said Arghandiwal. "I’m grateful that we’re now creating those opportunities for our youth."

The project was also made possible by Neil Cotter, who owns the lot that once sat in rough condition before being transformed into the new pitch.

"It’s going to mean everything because it’s going to improve the game here," said Cotter. "Kids have to learn at a very young age. The way I learned was like street soccer."

Soccer clinics are coming

The Roots and Soul organizations also plan to host soccer clinics and after-school programs at the site, creating a more structured environment for young players.

"It’s the first of its kind that the club has developed, but this is what’s possible," said Arghandiwal. "We hope to do more of these in different neighborhoods."

The space will also host community club soccer run by Street Soccer USA, with games scheduled for Mondays from 4 to 7 p.m.

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