Should I pick Oakland as our next event’s location?

Being the one in charge of planning a sporting event can be a stressful responsibility. There are so many factors you have to consider. Are the facilities what your team’s looking for? Will the weather hold out? Are there different dining options? Where will everyone stay? With Oakland, you don’t need to stress; there’s a combination that will please everyone. So yes, you should pick Oakland in Northern California for your next sports event.

Averaging 260 sunny days a year, Oakland has the perfect climate for hosting your next sporting event. Fear of getting rained out is slim to none.

This beautiful California city is home to more than 80 parks, 50 locations listed in the National Register of Historic Places and over 300 restaurants serving a variety of cuisine.

Lodging options are made especially to ensure visitors the best rates possible in the Bay Area. Bed and breakfasts, motels and hotels are located throughout Oakland, leaving it up to you to find the perfect bed to rest your head.

With over 50 distinct neighborhoods, Oakland is one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the U.S. with more than 125 languages spoken, making a visit a cultural experience in itself.

Will there be activities for us to do off the court?

Oakland thrives with an endless list of fun activities to keep visitors busy before and after the games.

Explore Redwood Regional National Park to see the tallest trees in the world, the California redwoods. You can bring a picnic or jog the trails at this peaceful grove.

Oakland is also home to the Oakland Zoo and Children’s Fairyland, Walt Disney’s inspiration for Disneyland.

Lake Merritt, technically a tidal lagoon is the jewel of the city and a popular area for shopping, dining, and admiring the city’s beauty.

Get a taste of Oakland’s foodie neighborhoods on various food tours and enjoy signature chicken and waffles from California’s Chef of the Year, Tanya Holland, at Brown Sugar Kitchen. Ready to shop ‘til you drop? Discover vintage finds on College Avenue.

Stop and smell the tulips during the Mountain View Cemetery Tulip Festival, trot through Oakland Hills on a horseback ride, take an architectural walking tour, learn to juggle at the Kinetic Arts Center, listen to live music at Yoshi’s Jazz Club, watch a movie outside at the Great Wall of Oakland or write your own fortune at the cookie factory tour in Chinatown. If Major League Baseball’s Oakland A’s are in town, tickets to a game are sure to satisfy your players and families.

X Factors

  • Social media marketing
  • PR/Media Coverage
  • Welcome signage at the airport and around town
  • Site visits led by Visit Oakland
  • Team transportation
  • Housing
  • Discounts on local events and attractions

Planner Perspective

Producing The Oakland Triathlon Festival in Jack London Square and the City of Oakland has been an incredible experience! The Jack London Square and city staff as well as jurisdictional decision makers have made the planning process and execution flawless and are extremely professional in the way they conduct business. USA Productions had the privilege to conduct the first ever triathlon in the City of Oakland and based on the success look forward to many more years of support from the community and participation sellout for the event. This incredible event brings goal-oriented people into the City of Oakland and influences others to swim, bike, and run in and around the beautiful City of Oakland . Oakland is thriving with growth and it’s exciting to be part of the revitalization process.

– Ryan Coelho, The Oakland Triathlon

So you want to know about the facilities?

Jamtown

Sports: Basketball, volleyball

Jamtown is the best spot in the East Bay area to host a basketball or volleyball tournament. This 40,000-square-foot facility has four full basketball and volleyball courts made of maple hardwood. All are marked and lined for each group with arena-style backstops, state-of-the-art scoreboards, professional trainers and premium food and snacks for guests in the stands. Its basketball hoops are professional NBA-style portable hoops.

Oakland Ice Center

Sports: Ice hockey, figure skating, broomball, curling

This facility is operated by the professional NHL team, the San Jose Sharks. Located in downtown Oakland, it is perfect for corporate, youth or community teams of any size. The Olympic-sized ice rink at Oakland Ice Center not only serves hockey teams, but figure skating, broomball and curling teams as well.

Dry Ice Roller Hockey Arena

Sports: Hockey

This indoor rink includes pro-style dasher boards, NHL goals, four locker rooms with showers and a glass enclosure, giving it the feel of a professional hockey game. Dry Ice Roller Hockey Arena welcomes youth and adult leagues, tournaments, pick-up hockey, rental clinics, and summer and holiday hockey camps.

Oakland Convention Center

Sports: Gymnastics, running

The Oakland Convention Center hosts two main sporting events annually. The Oakland Running Festival is held every March in Snow Park near Lake Merritt. It features 5K’s, marathons, half marathons and relays. The Gold Country Classic Gymnastics is held at the Oakland City Center every year and includes both men and women’s levels.

O.co Coliseum

Sports: Baseball, football

Traveling teams are welcome to rent out the O.co Coliseum, Home to the Oakland Raiders and Oakland Athletics, for games and tournaments and play on the famous fields with two state-of-the-art scoreboards.

Oracle Arena

Sports: Basketball

Oracle arena is a top-notch facility with a 19,200 seating capacity. This is the arena where Golden State Warriors, the 2015 NBA Champs, play. Rent out the court to play where famous athletes have stepped before you.

Laney College

Sports: Basketball, football, baseball, swimming, diving, track and field, water polo, volleyball

Laney College allows other sporting teams besides its own teams to rent out facilities. From the basketball court to the baseball field, your team will be impressed.

Merritt College

Sports: Soccer, track, rugby

The turf field stadium, nestled in Oakland’s rolling hills, is a great location for soccer, track and rugby games. Merritt College also has two standard-sized and one junior-sized soccer field available for tournaments, games and practices.

Traveling to Oakland

Oakland has its own airport and convenient forms of public transportation, like the free Broadway Shuttle, Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), two Amtrak stations, San Francisco Bay Ferry’s, AC Transit and even water taxis. Its central location makes it convenient to visit major Bay Area attractions and popular cities.

By Car: Oakland is under an hour car ride from San Francisco, Berkeley and San Jose.

By Air: Oakland International Airport is five miles south of downtown Oakland and is one of three airports in the San Francisco Bay area—San Jose International Airport and San Francisco International Airport are the other two. Oakland is served by low-cost Southwest Airlines and Allegiant Air.