Oakland Roots SC adds big name to its ownership group — Lynch
Marshawn Lynch has joined the ownership group of Oakland Roots SC, the team announced Friday, adding some bigname clout to the club ahead of its debut in the USL Championship next month.
Lynch — who graduated from Oakland Tech, played at Cal and spent two seasons with the Raiders — said he felt compelled to invest in the soccer club after seeing the Raiders and Warriors recently leave Oakland.
“Growing up in The Town, we always could count on the pro teams in this area but with most of those ones that I grew up with gone, I knew the minute I heard about the opportunity to join Oakland Roots, it wasn’t just something I wanted to do, it was something I had to do,” Lynch said in a statement.
The Roots announced in September their move to the USL Championship, which is the sport’s second professional tier in the U.S. behind Major League Soccer, and will debut at Phoenix Rising on May 8.
The Roots face Sacramento Republic FC for their home opener at Laney College on June 19. The Roots sold out Laney for their first five home games in 2019, averaging 5,000 fans per game while competing in the National Independent Soccer Association.
“From the start, we have tried to build an ownership group that was excited about more than just pro sports, but also about Oakland and our Purpose,” Roots cofounder and chief marketing officer Edreece Arghandiwal said in a statement. “We couldn’t be more proud to welcome someone who has long been an inspiration to Oaklanders and all of us at Roots. Who Marshawn is and what he represents means so much to the community and the greater Bay Area. He has always been about the action and he is exactly the type of person who can help us realize our vision for giving back to the city we all love.”