Sports stats



USL Oakland Roots

Oakland Roots Sports Club Celebrates Milestone in Initiative to Tackle Racism in Youth Soccer

May 25, 2023 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Oakland Roots News Release


Oakland, CA - On Saturday May 27th, a group of soccer coaches from the Bay Area will become the first-ever graduates of a groundbreaking program led by Oakland Roots & Soul Sports Club to tackle racism in youth soccer.

The initiative, called 'Switch the Pitch', was created by Oakland Roots, non-profit Soccer Without Borders and the global Common Goal movement which is led by some of the biggest names in world soccer. Oakland Roots is the only club in the United States to be a member of Common Goal, alongside stars like Naomi Girma, Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan.

"Throughout my career I have experienced many moments when a coach discriminated against me" said Oakland Roots Director of Player Personnel and Common Goal member Nana Attakora. "In many cases this came down to the coach simply not understanding my experience. If we can give coaches the tools to understand this issue better, we can keep more kids in the game and make it inclusive for everyone".

'Switch the Pitch' was created to help eradicate systemic discrimination and bias throughout the US youth soccer system which is excluding minority players and future coaches from the game. Having kicked off in March, this unique program uses practical soccer lessons and drills to allow coaches to work alongside youth to understand both interpersonal and individual forms of racism and explores themes like identity and perspectives, activism and leadership, power and policies and allyship and collective action.

The training included workshops led by current and former professional players from the USL, NWSL and MLS who described their experiences with discrimination.

"I've never experienced a program like this, as a player or a coach" said Brandon Miller, a former pro soccer player, member of United Black Players of the USL and one of the course educators."Switch The Pitch is such an important program because it goes beyond a lot of the surface level education that you see around the topics of race and sports. The program is designed to help coaches confidently engage in these topics and actively create inclusive space. Best of all, it cultivates a community of support so people don't feel like they have to have all the answers or do the work on their own".

The graduates from the first Switch the Pitch Hub will all attend a special 'graduation ceremony' at the Oakland Roots' Home Game against San Diego Loyal on Saturday May 27th, 2023 at California State University, East Bay in Hayward. The goal is for this hub to be the first of many taking place not only in the Bay Area but all across the United States.

Check out the Oakland Roots Statistics



United Soccer League Championship Stories from May 25, 2023


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central