Oakland Roots and Soul propose 'modular stadium' at Alameda training facility

ALAMEDA, Calif. - The Oakland Roots and Soul Sports Club on Friday submitted a proposal to convert its Alameda training facility into a modular stadium that could seat up to 8,000 fans.

The proposal was submitted to the city of Alameda for consideration, and will be considered at the June 22 Planning Board meeting.

"The Club is proposing adding stands and other facilities on an interim basis that would allow the Club to use its main field to sponsor outdoor assembly activity, comprised of hosting soccer matches and other events," the proposal states. "This interim use would be in place to provide a stable, reliable home for Roots & Soul matches until its permanent stadium is constructed at another location."

Other uses

What we know:

In addition to hosting club matches, the proposed facility would also host youth, high school and college sports, as well as summer camps, corporate events and adult league games. The proposal states that concerts and music festivals would not be allowed.

The interim usage is estimated to last up to five years, and would include:

• Oakland Roots soccer matches with a fan capacity of up to 8,000, 20 to 24 times per year, March through November.
• Oakland Soul Soccer matches with a fan capacity of up to 1,500, five to seven times per year from May through July.
• Soccer and other sports events with a fan capacity between 500 and 2500, three to five times per year.

"We’re always exploring all of our options at the club. It’s important for us to create a club that’s sustainable, (that will be) here for 100-plus years for Oakland and the surrounding community," Edreece Arghandiwal, Oakland Roots co-founder said. "We’re currently at the Oakland Coliseum, we’ve created an amazing game day environment… The options are there for us to continue to explore. Our training facility is one of them. There are other options as well, and our longer-term options are still in the mix as well."

Logistics

Dig deeper:

Fans of the club got a taste of the game day experience during the Australian National Team’s open training session on June 3, which featured food trucks and merchandise tents, similar to what is being proposed for the Alameda facility.

Parking, the proposal states, would be handled through reservations, and the organization is working with neighboring businesses to find an arrangement that would open nearby parking spots up to fans attending games.

"No new parking facilities are proposed to serve the interim venue. The Roots propose to rely on shared parking agreements with adjacent and nearby business park properties whose parking lots are primarily empty on evenings and weekends," the proposal states. "There are approximately 4,000 parking spaces that are within reasonable walking distance to the business park. On-street parking is currently prohibited in the business park. The Roots are in conversation with the owners and tenants of many of those lots.

"Parking spaces would be reserved when tickets are purchased, so specific information can be provided for each vehicle driver."

The document also proposes using shuttles to get fans from remote parking lots and the Coliseum BART station to games.

Long-term plans

What's next:

The club’s leadership is aiming to build a permanent home at Howard Terminal, and on June 11 met with the Port of Oakland for a third time to pursue that goal.

The document submitted to the Alameda City Council states the modular stadium would be built over a six-month period, and in three phases. If all goes according to plan, the team would be well-positioned to host United Soccer League Championship games in 2027.

While the Roots do have a home at the Oakland Coliseum, use of that facility has been called "highly problematic" by its governing body, the Joint Powers Authority.

Executive Director Henry Gardner, in a June 12 meeting, stated that over the years, the cost of operating the Coliseum, both with and without sports teams, has outweighed the surplus.

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