Last week, the Oakland Roots and Soul SC closed out their Community Investment Round in grand style, adding 5,434 new owners who invested a combined $3,167,523, which is a record for investment rounds of its type. Those investors include some big names like Jason Kidd and Billie Joe Armstrong, but the vast majority were regular people interested in supporting their club through investment. According to the clubs’ press release, “more than 1,400 Oakland residents invested in the Club with more than 4,000 California residents becoming owners.”

The round began on September 13th and in the first day, over a million dollars had been invested. The two million mark was hit in less than a week. Over the next month and a half, another million would be added to that total. It’s even exceeded the level of success that Tommy Hodul, VP of PR and Communications, expected for the round. “Our goal was 2 million, and we believed it was possible to reach. We are humbled by the support and how quickly we reached our goal. To get to 3.1M is really incredible, and is a testament to the community's love for sports and purpose.”

Fan support in Oakland has been huge since day one. *Image courtesy of Oakland Roots social media.*

The money, which will be used for the general operations budget of the clubs, is an amazing vote of confidence from the community. Both Oakland Roots and Soul SC have been focused on connecting to the city in Oakland through creative ways. Local artists and musicians have been recruited to perform at match days, turning them into community events that resonate beyond the league table. Hodul sees the relationship between the clubs and the community as reciprocal. “When you show up for the community, they show up for you. This means what we already knew, the Oakland Sports fans and community are incredibly special, deeply passionate, and completely unique. Our hope is to continue to live up to that expectation.”

With so many new investors buying into the clubs, Hodul says the team has concrete plans for making sure they are connected to what’s going on in the front office. “Our investors all have a direct line of communication to the round’s Lead Investor (Akilah Cadet), and will receive reports and information periodically; a level of transparency with financials that is pretty unprecedented in sports. We are excited to involve owners in future happenings surrounding the club.”

- Dan Vaughn