When Jordan Ferrell laced up his cleats at Cal State East Bay in 2005, he couldn't have predicted that those Pioneer years would launch him into one of the most unique leadership roles in American soccer. Today, as Technical Director for Oakland Roots Sports Club, Ferrell stands at the intersection of sport and community, helping to redefine what it means for a professional team to belong to its city.

But the vision started in Hayward.

"Playing for CSUEB was the experience that catapulted me into coaching," Ferrell says, looking back on his four seasons as a Pioneer. "I was fortunate to have a great coach during my four years there who inspired me to continue learning more and more about the game I love. While studying for my degree in Sociology, I kept finding how cultures across the globe had their own unique use of the game to represent their values and traditions."

That classroom connection gave Ferrell's future coaching career a broader purpose. Soccer wasn't just tactics and technique. It was a mirror of humanity, a tool to teach values, and a space where identity could flourish.

That is why Ferrell leans into what he calls transformational coaching. "To see young men and women from all walks of life grow into their potential, become more empathetic humans, and positively affect the society around them is the true joy of coaching," he explains. "Coaching at all levels is about the humans you work with. An eight year-old and a 28 year-old are looking at the world differently, but your role as a coach is still to partner with them in learning the sport and about themselves."

The philosophy was nurtured not just at East Bay but by the mentors who shaped his early coaching career. Ferrell points to David Bond, a fellow Pioneer (from the school's CSU Hayward days), who gave him his first collegiate coaching job. "He inspired me to pursue this as a career more than anyone," Ferrell says. From there, a network of Northern California coaches helped him sharpen his craft, reinforcing a regional culture of collaboration.

Now Ferrell's collaboration is with Oakland Roots, the USL Championship club that has become more than a soccer team. In a city still grappling with the departure of the A's, Raiders and Warriors, Roots has embraced the role of Oakland's homegrown sports team.

"We started with the question of what a pro soccer team should look like to Oakland, and those seeds have been the foundation of our growth into the vacuum left by the others," Ferrell says. "Our founders have prioritized localness in every roster, authenticity in how we show up in and for the Town, and a match day vibe that looks and feels like Oakland everywhere we have played. It has been a priority to stay loyal to the soil while we work to build the greatest sports club Oakland has ever seen and I believe the community respects the way we have handled business."

And connection to the Oakland community goes beyond the pitch for Roots and what Ferrell believes in. "I believe in community (which is why I love football so much) and I think in many ways American society generally has lost connection with our neighbors. Big businesses continue to grow. However, I support everything local! Restaurants, artists, musicians, services, shops, you name it, I want to see them thrive!"
 
"Roots do an incredible job of highlighting those people and business who make Oakland what it is and using our position as a professional sports club to link resources where possible. They are the fabric of Oakland society and it's our job to support them as much as we can so we can both enjoy the community we know and love for centuries to come."

For Ferrell, the path from his Pioneer days to the Roots tenure is clear. Soccer has always been about people. From the teammates who pushed him at East Bay, to the players he mentors today, to the fans who show up at the Coliseum, it's the human connection that fuels his passion.