The city of Alameda on Monday evening approved relocating Oakland Roots and Oakland Soul 2027 home matches to the club's existing training facility on Bay Farm Island, the East Bay Times reported. The teams have played the past two seasons at the Coliseum. The club hopes the Bay Farm Island arrangement is temporary.
It would be the second temporary leave after the teams played in Hayward in 2023-24. If the Alameda venue is not ready in four months, the clubs would lack a home field, the newspaper reported. The Roots' season is set to kick off in March. Plans for making the site viable include building stands that can hold up to 8,000 attendees, installing stadium lighting and adding spectator amenities.
The proposal guarantees only 1,500 dedicated parking spaces, far below that planned capacity, raising questions about match-day congestion. The club said it will provide shuttle transportation for BART riders from Coliseum Station. A corrected version of the East Bay Times story said the Soul are also planning to play at Bay Farm Island and share the Alameda facility with the Roots, not at Merritt College.