Oakland Roots and Soul Sports Club launches crowdfunding campaign for pro soccer club

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Oakland Roots and Soul Sports Club is doing something very different in sports team history. The soccer club is launching a community investment campaign using crowdfunding.

Enabled by the tech-focused federal J.O.B.S. Act of 2012, crowdfunding rules now enable ordinary investors and consumers to contribute money to certain kinds of campaigns. Some cities have used this in the past to raise funding and consumer support for sports teams.

So the club is gearing up to launch a community investment campaign for its men’s soccer team in the USL Championship League, a pro soccer league.

The campaign is set to launch September 13 at 9 a.m. Pacific time. It will provide an opportunity for local Bay Area residents and fans worldwide to become co-owners of the professional soccer club in a way that is akin to Kickstarter campaigns. Except in this case, the public can have an ownership stake in the club, said Mike Geddes, chief purpose officer of The Oakland Roots and Oakland Soul Sports Clubs, in an interview with GamesBeat.

“We’re trying to show that you can set a purpose in what you’re trying to do,” Geddes said. “That is not just the right thing to do. It’s the smart thing to do. You will be a better business if you do that. And I strongly believe that the commitment to our purpose that we’ve made has been the reason why we’ve survived throughout all the challenges we’ve had and got to the point where we