By Mauricio Segura May 6, 2025
Photo: GBT Graphics
Oakland is no stranger to reinvention. From its gritty streets to its vibrant art scene, this city always bounces back stronger, and now, its local soccer clubs, Oakland Roots and Oakland Soul SC, are aiming to do more than just score goals on the field. They’ve teamed up with Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) in a series of inventive, community-first programs that blend sports, science, fashion, and civic engagement. The result is a dynamic playground of opportunity where classroom meets pitch.
At the heart of this alliance is the “Wearable Tech Competition,” a cross-disciplinary showdown where middle and high school students design “smart jerseys” complete with lights, sensors, and sound effects. CircleCI and Penumbra supplied the tech kits, and OUSD STEM teachers guided 45 student teams in exploring circuits and computation. Twenty finalist teams will unveil their glowing creations on June 7 at the Coliseum during the Roots and Soul doubleheader, with their work also featured at Chabot Space and Science Center’s STEM fair this summer. Judging panels include professionals from Pixar and Chabot, proving creative tech isn’t just for Silicon Valley labs.
If engineering’s more your jam, how about fashion? Three Oakland design schools, Oakland Tech Fashion Academy, Oakland School of the Arts, and California College of the Arts, joined forces for the “Upcycled Fashion Project.” Students reinvent Roots and Soul jerseys alongside thrifted materials, guided by designers-in-residence. Their runway debut will happen at an upcoming Roots match, with designs later heading to Oakland Style Week in October. It’s sustainability with swagger.
Sports can inspire attendance, too. Enter “ShowUP!” a clever program championed by Oaklandish graphics and supported by local eateries and businesses. The simple idea is to show up to school and earn your ticket to a Roots match. Over 2,000 tickets have already been handed out to students to acknowledge the critical first two weeks of class, a vital window that impacts funding and sets the tone for the year.
The Acorn Project takes it further, ensuring every public school student in Oakland and across the Bay Area had a free ticket to the Roots’ March 22 opener at the Coliseum, where more than 26,000 fans packed the stands. That game set a club record and delivered an unforgettable experience to a whole new generation of fans.
These initiatives are more than symbolic gestures. Through YouthBeat, students gain real-world media training, covering sports photography at major matches, including international friendlies with Central American squads. A green screen activation even lets fans take branded photos as a keepsake, blending play, professionalism, and marketing.
For the budding architects at Castlemont High’s Sustainable Urban Design Academy, the Coliseum isn’t just a stadium. It’s a canvas. Students toured the site, interviewed club officials, and drafted proposals envisioning the future of the surrounding lot. Plans will be showcased May 24 at a Roots game, bringing urban design to life through local engagement.
But it doesn’t stop there. The Roots and Soul partnership also supports OUSD soccer through coaching development. Plans include soccer clinics and youth team support via the Oakland Athletic League, with Middle School commissioner Lamont Robinson Jr. now on the club’s advisory board. School bands and dance troupes, including Castlemont cheerleaders, Roosevelt jazz ensemble, and Edna Brewer performers, are earning paid appearances at Roots matches. Their art, both visual and performing, will be featured in a court-side gallery at Section 105 of the Coliseum.
To hit the schools themselves, the clubs have made over 50 school visits in the past year, hosting career days, classes, soccer clinics, and even a “Random Act of Kindness” breakfast featuring bagels from Boichik at Markham Elementary that landed with a cheering crowd.
The “Community Champions” program gives back, too. Twenty percent of ticket sales go directly to OUSD non-profit partners and PTAs, roughly six dollars from every thirty-three dollar ticket, to support school programs.
This sprawling initiative reflects a purposeful vision. Oakland Roots and Oakland Soul see their home not just as a venue but as a launchpad. Nelda Kerr, former OUSD teacher and current Roots engagement director, underscores how the club’s mission always puts Oakland first, celebrating the city’s diversity while investing in its young minds.
For students, these programs offer more than pride in hometown teams. They inspire pathways in engineering, design, media, sports management, and civic planning. They bring the classroom out into the community and the community back into the classroom.
Edana Anderson of Claremont Middle School notes, “Rooting academic achievement, STEAM projects, game day performances, attendance campaigns, they show their commitment to uplifting our youth and strengthening our community.” Priya Chatwani at Elmhurst United adds how students were “valued participants,” designing jerseys and earning match tickets, a moment when classroom creativity met Coliseum spectacle.
In a town that’s reinventing itself after losing major teams like the Raiders, Warriors, and Athletics, Oakland Roots and Soul are filling a void and doing it with flair. Their multifaceted push in education isn’t just feel-good PR. It’s building tomorrow’s engineers, designers, artists, leaders, and fans. When the whistle blows, this city will be there, game ready, classroom sharpened, and rooted in community.
