THE WORLD’S NEWEST CULT CLUB
Why you should care about Oakland Roots starting in the USA’S fourth tier
Oakland, California isn’t associated with ‘soccer’. The NFL, NBA and MLB have long dominated sports fans’ attention in the area. But times are changing.
In the summer of 2016, a group of passionate locals gathered to discuss the idea of a semi-professional football team to engage the community. Fast-forward three years and that ambitious dream from co-creators Edreece Arghandiwal and Benno Nagel, a former coach with Dinamo Zagreb and Twente, has become reality.
Their idea has produced Oakland Roots Sports Club, a professional team on the brink of their debut season in the fourth tier of America’s football pyramid.
Their timing couldn’t be more perfect. Two of the three major franchises are on their way out of Oakland: the NFL’S Raiders are off to Las Vegas in 2020, and the NBA’S Golden State Warriors are heading across the bridge to sunny San Francisco. A sporting void exists and ‘The Roots’ want to fill it.
‘This is about Oakland first, always’ is the club slogan, and with good reason. In the past five years, two clubs have tried and failed to create a professional team in the area. Running a club isn’t cheap, and if you don’t get the fans onside early, your stadium will sit empty regardless of results. Oakland Roots understand the importance of community ties, and they’ve marketed the team in a way that’s attractive to investors and fans.
Take the club’s crest, designed by Matthew Wolff, who also created Nigeria’s internet-breaking 2018 World Cup kit. The mosaic colours depict the city’s diversity. Sturdy roots connect each colour together steadfast under Oakland’s famous oak tree. Nothing is arbitrary. The kits are also woven with nods to Oakland throughout.
In February this year, the Roots made their first signing: 26-year-old Oakland native Devante Dubose (above). It was a marquee moment. In 2018, Dubose was winning promotion alongside Didier Drogba at Phoenix Rising, yet here he was now, back in his hometown, looking to make a difference.
“I get to be a part of the future of Oakland professional soccer for years to come, and I get to impact my community and be an example,” the defender said. “I get to be a bridge to the young kids who have dreams of becoming pro soccer players in Oakland.” The marauding full-back not only understands the club’s aims and ambitions; he embodies everything that The Roots are striving to achieve, not just on the pitch, but off it as well.
Oakland Roots Sports Club will play their first ever professional game this month, in the National Premier Soccer League Founders Cup, with the league to follow early next year.
Creating a club isn’t easy. We’ll be keeping a watchful eye on how the Roots fare after planting their seed. Hunter Godson