A Guide to Live Soccer in the Bay
If you haven’t seen it already, Soccer Shots is giving away 4 tickets to any of our Bay Area soccer teams’ home games. Stop reading now and go to our instagram to enter!
Ok, now that you’re in it to win it, let’s learn a bit more about our local teams:
Bay FC
This is the Bay Area’s first National Women’s Soccer League, currently playing their inaugural season. The team was co-founded almost exactly one year ago by former US National Team members Brandi Chastain, Aly Wagner, Danielle Slaton, and Leslie Osborne, which shows through in their mission to be “player-led and fan focused” as well as a safe space for all soccer fans.
Bay FC is based in San Jose, CA at PayPal Park alongside the Earthquakes.
Their first home game was on March 17th and their last will be on October 19th.
The Earthquakes
Undoubtedly what comes to mind when you hear “Bay Area soccer,” the modern Earthquakes were founded in 1994 as one of the first members of Major League Soccer. However, it wasn’t until around 2000 when they were dubbed “Earthquakes,” continuing on from their North American Soccer League predecessors. They have had ups and downs throughout their run, but they are certainly a point of pride, history, and community in the Bay Area as they celebrate 50 years in 2024.
The Earthquakes are based in San Jose, CA at PayPal Park alongside Bay FC.
Their first home game was on March 2nd and their last will be on July 17th.
San Francisco City FC
This team was created in 2001, but it wasn’t until 2012 that the club began to realize its goal of becoming a primarily supporter-owned club. Their inclusive Members Organization is the team’s governing body and has ensured that SFCFC remains a stronghold in the San Francisco community. They are now competing in USL League Two, the fourth tier in US soccer, as of 2016.
SFC FC is based in San Francisco, CA at Kezar Stadium.
Their first home game is May 11th and their last will be on July 14th.
Oakland Soul
Oakland Soul had its inaugural USL W season in 2023 and has since made its mark on the city. They are the women’s pre-professional counterpart to the Oakland Roots and were created to “harness the magic of Oakland and the power of sport as a force for social good.” They are dedicated to being a safe, healthy, and empowering learning environment to bring up future pro soccer players.
Oakland Soul is based in Oakland, CA at Merritt College.
Their first home game is May 12th and their last will be on June 30th.
Oakland Roots
This is the men’s professional counterpart to Oakland Soul, founded in 2018. They share their mission with Oakland Soul to “harness the magic of Oakland and the power of sport as a force for social good” as well as being “climate positive,” meaning they are one of the first professional teams in the world to pledge beyond net-zero emissions to radically reduce emissions as a part of their day-to-day process.
Oakland Roots is based in Hayward, CA at CSU East Bay’s Pioneer Stadium.
Their first home game was March 23rd and their last will be on October 26th.
(In case you were wondering, the Soccer Shots Team agrees that Oakland Soul and Oakland Roots have the best merch)
We hope this run-down of each of the teams in our giveaway inspires you to not only enter the contest, but also support each of these teams whenever you can by taking your kids to experience the amazement of live soccer! As Bay FC says, “We are the Bay. We came to play.”