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Alameda County board approves contingent consent to Oakland Roots license at Coliseum; will sign only after City of Oakland consents
Summary
The Alameda County Board unanimously approved consent to a license allowing the Oakland Roots to play at the Coliseum and delegated the county administrator to sign only after written consents from Coliseum Way Partners, Oakland Acquisition Company and the City of Oakland are received. The Roots reported a new FIFA agreement and attendance gains.
The Alameda County Board of Supervisors on Oct. 7 voted unanimously to approve consent to a license agreement between the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority and the Oakland Roots professional soccer team, but the county will not execute the contract until Coliseum Way Partners, the Oakland Acquisition Company and the City of Oakland provide written consent.
Lydia Tan, identifying herself as chief real estate officer for the Oakland Roots, told the board the team signed an agreement with FIFA that makes its former Raiders training facility eligible to serve as a base for a visiting team during the 2026 World Cup. "We signed an agreement with FIFA, and we are now eligible to be a home base for a visiting team come the World Cup in 2026," Tan said, and reported the Roots have played 15 games this season with average attendance in the 6,000–7,000 range and a season-opener crowd of about 26,000.
The board's approval was limited to granting consent in principle and delegating authority to the county administrator to execute the county's consent only after the required third-party written consents are received and "after consent and approval by the City of Oakland," language explicitly added in a motion by Supervisor Miley and seconded by Supervisor Fornida Bass. President Halpert said the county would approve now but delay signing until Oakland does "because of the timeliness of this item."
County staff and the Roots discussed next steps for meeting league, stadium and scheduling requirements. Tan said the club covers variable costs for matches and contributes to overhead such as concessions and parking, which helps defray Coliseum operating costs; she also said post-close arrangements after a planned sale of the Coliseum (anticipated next year) remain unresolved and will require "a lot of work" between the team and local governments.
Supervisor Miley and others praised Coliseum leadership and expressed support for working with the team. County counsel noted the draft contract contains contingencies that must be met before execution.
The clerk called the roll; Supervisors Marquez, Tan, Miley, Fornida Bass and President Halpert each voted "Aye," and the motion passed unanimously. The board recorded that the approved contract will remain unsigned until the City of Oakland and the named private parties provide their written consents.
The Roots said they hope to announce their schedule as soon as consents are in place; Tan said she hoped to have an agreement in place by mid-October but acknowledged the post-close sale plans complicate timing.
