Bay Area soccer clubs hope World Cup spotlight sparks local growth
Football fans are a minority among sports fans in the United States. Despite its strength as a youth sport, football still lags behind other major sports, especially American football, in terms of viewership. Interest is also low compared to world averages. About 36% of Americans plan to watch the World Cup, according to the latest Ipsos poll.
Also Read: FIFA bans reusable water bottles in 2026 World Cup stadiums over safety concerns
However, fans believe that the tournament will increase the importance of football and its importance to society. In the California Bay Area, Santa Clara will host six games.
“Now that we’ve got the World Cup here in the Bay Area, we’re definitely seeing tourists and soccer fans around the world looking to see what other teams are in the same area,” said Bejarano, who leads the official Los Roots fan group. “I hope people realize how diverse Oakland is, how special it is, how fun it is, and how welcoming it is.”
Also Read: FIFA World Cup crossover test: Can trains and buses win over North America’s car-loving fans?
Roots was founded less than a decade ago and quickly filled a void for local sports fans as Oakland’s major American football, baseball and basketball teams relocated to other areas. Attendance skyrocketed when the Roots took over the empty Coliseum stadium for home games. Bejarano, formerly a longtime season ticket holder of the NFL’s Oakland Raiders, did his best for the Roots. “To have a team here that dedicates their passion and their love for the city, I can only respect something like that,” he said.
WORLD CUP INCREASED LOCAL INTEREST
For Roots head coach Ryan Martin, World Cup games at Santa Clara’s Levi’s Stadium are a big indicator of interest in soccer in the Bay Area. He hopes the interest during the World Cup will lead to more people watching Roots games.
Beyond hosting community viewing parties for World Cup matches, Roots will host the Australian national football team at its training facilities. They also partner with local restaurants to bring Australian-inspired items to menus.
The Bay Area is home to several soccer leagues and teams: The Roots play in the lower-level USL Championship league, while San Jose to the south is home to Major League Soccer’s Earthquakes and the National Women’s Soccer League’s Bay FC. The latter broke the single-game record for NWSL attendance, with more than 40,000 people watching at San Francisco’s Oracle Park. Semi-professional and amateur teams also abound.
“There’s a lot of grassroots football going on here,” said Aaron Mansfield, a volunteer who oversees the membership organization for the San Francisco City soccer club. The semi-professional team has a member ownership model where members have the right to vote in the direction of the club and be elected to the board of directors.
Mansfield hope the World Cup will be an opportunity to show how they do things domestically.
“The general interest in football culture is good because we can explain what we do differently and why this is important in both a local, national and global football context,” he said.
Shelley and Josh Estelle have been fans and members of SF City for three years. They recently attended a game with their daughter on an unusually sunny day at historic Kezar Stadium, where San Francisco’s landmark Sutro Tower was visible.
“I really like the community-supported club here,” Josh Estelle said. “It’s not a corporate thing and it feels like it’s just people in my neighborhood watching football together.”
The duo, who planned to watch the broadcasts of the World Cup matches as a family, could not get tickets for the match at Levi’s Stadium. “It’s too expensive,” said Shelley Estelle. “Here in Kezar, we can watch football at a much more affordable price.”
