In North America, the sports industry is a machine fueled by profit, with four of the top five revenue-generating leagues and over 190 professional teams chasing the bottom line. Nowhere is this profit-driven reality more stark than in Oakland, California—a city which had been abandoned by its professional teams, all lured away by promises of greater financial gain. But in this city, despite the heartbreak endured, a defiant spark ignited. In Oakland, a new kind of team was born—not for profit, but for purpose. The Oakland Roots and Oakland Soul emerged with a mission to serve, inspire, and uplift their communities. In 2023, they shattered expectations and made history, raising $3 million USD from 5,000 supporters in the most successful community investment round in U.S. sports history.
Mike Geddes, co-founder and former Chief Purpose Officer of Oakland Roots and Oakland Soul, stands at the forefront of this revolution in purpose-driven sports. Now serving as Vice President of 17 Sport, Mike recently sat down with Bonito to reflect on the transformative journey of Oakland Roots & Soul—and to share his vision for a future where impact, not profit, becomes the true measure of success in the sports world.
Bonito: Mike, thanks so much for joining us! Tell us about how your passion for football began and how you were captivated to explore the ways the game could bring about positive changes for society?
Mike Geddes: In 2005 I was in Northern Mozambique making a documentary for the BBC about how football was being used to heal the country after the civil war. We had got up to shoot the sunrise, and we noticed that dozens of kids had come out to sit in the dark with us. We thought they were there to look at the sunburned English people, but they were just waiting for the sun to come up. As soon as it did, they started playing football. And they didn’t stop again until it went down. Their community had few schools, no running water and a lack of most civic structures, but football was the thing that brought everyone together. That was the moment I decided that this was way bigger than just sport, and I had to quit my job as a reporter, and get involved in the game myself.
Bonito: That’s incredible Mike, Why do you think football particularly evokes such powerful sentiments with such a broad range of people all over the world?
Mike Geddes: Football connects us to our shared humanity. We have built a society which is designed to isolate us, extract from us and polarize us. Sport – and especially football – breaks down those barriers. It’s revolutionary. The most profound, cross-cultural connections I have had happened on a football pitch. It speaks to us on the most fundamental level, like music. But unlike music, football is the same wherever you go. If you were going to design a tool to connect as many people as possible across every boundary and barrier you can think of, you’d design something like football.
Bonito: You have had a wonderful career working previously for such organizations like Street Football World America, 17 Sport and the Third half. Football as a sport has obviously grown in America-would you say that the use of football as a tool for social impact has also had a correlated rise during the last 10-15 years?
Mike Geddes: Yes, and what’s interesting is seeing the growth of ‘purpose-driven’ pro teams. Pro sports in the USA are not like in other parts of the world. Teams come into existence because an owner wants to buy into a league so they can make money. Where that team plays doesn’t really matter, and if they can make more money by moving the team to another city, that will (and does) happen. Football – or soccer – has the chance to offer a different type of model, and it’s interesting (and inspiring) to see the growth of community-driven clubs like Vermont Green, Minnesota Aurora and Ballard FC in the US and Pacific FC in Canada. These clubs see purpose as a central part of their strategy to be both profitable and sustainable.
Bonito: How did the Oakland Roots project come about and what makes it so unique and successful as a project that bridges the gap between professional football and social impact?
Mike Geddes: Oakland Roots came about because myself and my co-founders thought there was room for a different model of pro sports – one which put the community first, and not the owner or the league. My co-founders are all from Oakland and they believed there would be demand for a pro soccer team in one of the most diverse cities in the United States. But they wanted to build it around a purpose – and they asked if I would be interested to help. Of course I was, because several years previously I had worked with a non-profit called Kick4Life FC in Lesotho. Kick4Life began as a soccer project using the game to teach adolescent health to underserved youth, but over time it turned into a professional club that used its profits to support the social mission. The fact that they had a ‘higher purpose’ than just winning games or making money made them a more successful club, and this was something of an inspiration to me and why I thought this could work in Oakland. Also, Oakland has lost all of its professional teams over the last 10 years – the Raiders (NFL), Warriors (NBA) and Athletics (MLB) have all been moved to other cities by their ownership groups. We thought that if we could give Oakland a team that cared about it, then they would care about the team. And it worked. The reason we have been successful is because we ‘walked the talk’ and stayed true to our promises, and we were able to do that because we found investors who believed in the idea that a club should have a purpose, and a Chief Purpose Officer, and that this would make us a more successful business.
Bonito: Incredible story- what a place to start it also in a city that has suffered so many heartbreaks due to the profit driven sports industry that is so prevalent everywhere but especially in North America. To move on to the broader football for good field- where do you see the football for social good field heading in the next years? Which thematic areas will be most important to deal with and what role do you think professional football clubs will have?
Mike Geddes: I think football is changing rapidly, driven by the hyper-commercialization of the top end of the game brought about by the shift to teams being private equity and sovereign wealth and multi-club ownership. The game is going to become something different, but i think that will create more space for community-focused models that are not just seeking maximal growth at all costs. I hope this means we’ll see a growth in more modest, more sustainable versions of the game. And I believe the most important thematic shift will, and has to be, towards sustainability. Football needs to take a more mature approach to understanding it’s climate impact and that it should embrace its power as a force for good, not continue to bury its head in the sand.
Bonito: Can you tell us about a moment in your football for social good journey that has an extra special place in your heart?
Mike Geddes: There have been a lot. In 2021 I brought forward the idea that the club should open an equity crowdfunding campaign, which would mean that regular people (not just wealthy ones) could invest even small amounts to become part-owners of the club. It took two years, but we finally launched it in late 2023 with the goal of raising $2M, and just three weeks later we had raised over $3M from over 5,000 new investors, making it the most successful community investment round in US sports history. What touched me deeply about the campaign was the reason people gave for investing – which was the fact that we had put the community first. It was such a great feeling seeing the impact we had had on so many people.
Bonito: It really gives a whole new meaning to the badge of a team when its aim is to serve the community in which its home to. Is there one colleague at your organization or who you have collaborated with who maybe doesn’t always get the spotlight that you would like to shine today and why?
Mike Geddes: My co-founder and our Chief Marketing Officer Edreece Arghandiwal. He’s always positive, always creating and always kind and he embodies our motto – #OaklandFirstAlways
Bonito: Thanks so much for this Mike- this story is one that is close to all of us who believe in the true meaning of football. Also looking forward to hear about your future endeavors now that you have returned to 17 sport!
Mike Geddes: Thanks and looking forward to follow the Bonito path as well- good luck!
About Mike
Organization (s): Formerly the Co-founder and Chief Purpose Officer at Oakland Roots & Soul Sports Club and currently Vice President at 17 Sport
Favorite Football for good organization apart from your own: Kick4Life FC
Favorite Football Club: Leeds United / Oakland Roots & Soul SC
Dream sport for good organization that you would love to collaborate with on a project: Football for Future