Laney College will be debuting a new scoreboard at the Laney College Football Stadium, as early as Friday, March 12. 

Through a partnership with the Oakland Roots Soccer Club it is set to become the first all-video scoreboard in the Bay Valley conference. The Oakland Roots have been playing at the Laney College Football Stadium since their first official matches in the fall of 2019. 

Oakland Roots Chief Marketing Officer and Co-Founder Edreece Arghandiwal hopes the scoreboard will contribute to the community of Oakland as a whole. “We take pride in the gameday experience and hope that the scoreboard takes things up a notch for all Laney Athletics, not just Roots games,” Arghandiwal said. The new screen could also be utilized for graduations and community events.

Arghandiwal spoke to The Citizen about the partnership with Laney College. “The plans for the new scoreboard have been in the works for over two years now and have included many working groups to help accomplish [this],” Arghandiwal said. “Our relationship with Laney has always been driven by our purpose, which is to harness the magic of Oakland and the power of sport as a force for social good.

“Telling stories of the incredible people and organizations that make the community [is] very important to us and the new scoreboard will allow us to highlight and showcase these stories.” 

In a conversation with The Citizen, Laney Athletic Director John Beam indicated that the new scoreboard was a necessary improvement. “The old board was over 25 years old and we were unable to use it for track meets,” Beam said. 

“The Roots went out and consulted with professional soccer teams to see where to go with it.”

Arghandiwal praises Beam, the Laney Athletic Department and the Laney Culinary Department for their collective support of the soccer club. The unveiling marks the beginning of an era for Laney and the Roots, who hope their partnership will benefit the community for years to come.

“Throughout time, Laney has provided students and the community with meaningful pathways and connections that open doors. This is the magic we talk about. It’s about opening doors and leaving them open,” Arghandiwal said.

“(We are) grateful for all the hard work across the board to help get this to the finish line, we can’t wait to see all the Laney touchdowns and Roots goals on display.”