Shaded Seats at Oakland Coliseum

The Oakland Coliseum now hosts the Oakland Roots a, continuing its role as a key venue for Bay Area sports. With the unfortunate departure of the Athletics and Raiders, the Coliseum has embraced its next chapter as a professional soccer venue. While features like Mount Davis still loom above, a brand new grass pitch defines play on the field. The Bay Area is known for its relatively mild climate, and Oakland receives plenty of sun. Roots fans can use this guide to identify shaded seats at Oakland Coliseum.

Where are the shaded seats at Oakland Coliseum?

Generally, the seats in the shade at Oakland Coliseum are located:

• South Goal Line: Gradually becomes shaded during the afternoon
• West Sideline: Shaded for late afternoon and evening games
• Under Cover: Seats farthest from the pitch are covered

Roots games mostly kick off in the evening, though there are occasional day games mixed in as well. Even if you’re planning to attend an evening game, the long summer days in Oakland mean you should be aware of the sun’s position, no matter the start time.

Oakland Coliseum Orientation to the Sun

The Oakland Coliseum uses a unique orientation for professional soccer, with the field set in an offset north-to-south direction and fans seated in an L-shape around the pitch. A small number of field boxes are located in what was formerly right field, near the player benches. This is a different from the old football orientation that the Raiders used, so be aware if you are familiar with that legacy setup.

The southwest corner of the pitch is located where home plate was for A’s games, and the northeast corner of the pitch is in what was previously center field. Most sideline seating for soccer is along what was formerly the 3rd base side of the ballpark. This is generally good news for shade seekers, as the majority of seating is on the “shade side” of the stadium, at least for evening games.

The graphic below shows the approximate location of the sun throughout the day on July 1st.

See an interactive seating chart for the next event at Oakland Coliseum

Seats in the Shade at Roots Afternoon Games

Shade is challenging to find during day games in Oakland. At the start of the match, the sun will be high above the pitch. By around 3:00 p.m., it will move to a position closer to the southwest corner of the pitch (formerly home plate). The Roots only use the 100-level of the Coliseum, so the majority of seats are sunny, with the exception of those located under an overhang at the very back of each section. Seats at the very back of sections 113-121 are the best hope for shade early in the day.

Shade is sparse at the start of a day game. Only seats under and overhang are reliably shaded.
Photo by Brandon Sloter/Icon Sportswire

Seats in the Shade at Roots Evening Games

Shade is easier to find late in the day. For soccer games that start at 6:00 p.m. or later, the sun is positioned behind the west (formerly the 3rd base side) of the stadium. This makes most sideline seats on the “shade side.” The best bet is in sections 116-130. As the minutes tick by, most seats along the sideline should be out of the sun.

The sunniest seats are the field boxes on the east side of the pitch. Seats near the southeast corner of the pitch in sections 103-106 (near the former right field foul pole) will also face directly into the setting sun.

By late-afternoon, the west side (formerly 3rd base line) becomes the “shade side” while field boxes in the former right field space are sunny. 
Stephen A. Arce/ASP Inc/Icon Sportswire

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