Meet Oakland Roots SC, soccer’s next hopeful grassroots story
Image credit: Oakland Roots SC
At a local Afghan-American community soccer tournament in the Bay Area of California, Benno Nagel and Edreece Agrhandiwal met for the first time in what would eventually become a partnership establishing what they hope to be Oakland’s next big soccer club: Oakland Roots Sports Club.
Benno Nagel, a former professional coach in Europe and most recently with Rayo OKC in the NASL, serves as the club president and director of soccer. Edreece Arghandiwal, a business savvy entrepreneur with tons of different marketing experience, will spearhead the club’s brand development and marketing.
The club hopes to begin play in 2019 and is in the unique position of currently still not belonging to a league, although this is something the club is working on while playing the waiting game in a sense, as rumored leagues such as NPSL Pro and NISA are still being established and officially sanctioned by the U.S. Soccer Federation.
“We’re just trying to wait and see how things shake out right now,” said Arghandiwal, referring to the current developments of lower-division American soccer. But Arghandiwal made it clear that going the professional route is not the only option for the Oakland Roots as he mentioned the club is exploring the PDL, UPSL and regular NPSL league options as well.
“We don’t really care which league or level we play in, as long as we field a team that is about Oakland first and always,” he added. “We want to put a team out there for a community that deserves it and that wants a really cool brand to get behind and to build a lifestyle around this thing that transcends soccer.”
The club transcending to more than just soccer is arguably the most important part about this project. When entering the official team website, OaklandRootsSC.com, some of the first words you’ll read are: “More than just a club, more than just soccer.” This statement is crucial to the brand identity that Arghandiwal envisions for the club.
“Oakland Roots is a sports club, so the adaptability of going into a skate park and empowering youth there or going into a fencing club and empowering people there — whatever it is — that’s the ultimate long-term vision,” he explained “We want this to be an all-empowering, all-encompassing brand that does things positively for the community.”
When asked if there were any current American teams that the club drew inspiration from, Arghandiwal was quick to acknowledge NPSL clubs Chattanooga FC and Detroit City FC.
“They have done a freaking fantastic job,” comments Arghandiwal, “(Detroit) is just so committed to the principle and value of being Detroit for Detroit. Chattanooga does the same. It’s something admirable and the Oakland Roots front office looks at them as role models and have referred to them many of times throughout this process.”
The clear goal and large ambition of the founding members and front office of this club make this story an interesting one. An impactful vision is in place, the question is whether Nagel and Arghandiwal’s master plan will come to fruition.
Follow Jack on Twitter: @JackRenwick22.
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