With A’s Leaving Coliseum, Oakland Mulls Soccer Team’s Plan

With the Oakland A’s all but out the door of Oakland Coliseum, the city is reportedly considering a proposal from its local soccer team to make use of the surrounding area.

Oakland city officials are reviewing the terms of an agreement that would allow Oakland Roots SC — which plays in the USL Championship, the second division of American men’s professional soccer — to build a temporary 10,000-seat stadium in the Malibu parking lot near the Coliseum.

The 9-acre lot sits vacant right now, and the Roots are proposing to use it as a temporary venue starting in 2025 while it finds a more permanent solution. The club currently plays its matches at CSU East Bay, located outside the city, and will do so through the 2024 season.

If the Malibu solution isn’t ready by 2025, the team could pay to play games inside the Coliseum itself. In either scenario, the club’s women’s team, the Oakland Soul, would also be expected to play games there.

The use of the area in and around the Coliseum could come down to its owners: Earlier in the week, the A’s rejected a purchase offer from African-American Sports and Entertainment Group for its share of the stadium.

Rooted in Oakland

Meanwhile, the Roots are doing all they can to endear themselves to Oakland fans as one of the last remaining professional sports teams in the city.

The club is running a “community investment round” that will allow any person to purchase an ownership stake in the team for as little as $100.