As we prepare for the 2024 USL League Two season—the third campaign since our foundation—we’re taking a moment to look back at our Environmental Justice Mission efforts from 2023. In publishing this report, we aim to celebrate the accomplishments made by the club with our community and our partners, and to reflect and think critically on the work. We’re looking back at a season that was incredibly successful on and off the pitch, and taking a moment to express gratitude to the many hands and hearts that went into such a memorable year.
While 2023 brought the team and our fans many moments of joy and renewed the spirit of collaboration that is so essential to our ethos, it also presented very real and very tangible challenges. The summer was in some ways defined by a harrowing reminder that the climate crisis that our club is dedicated to addressing was not some distant concept, but an immediate threat. Not just in distant lands or in far off futures, but right here and right now.
Vermont experienced the effects of the wildfires in Canada that filled our skies with smog and poor air quality for weeks, making exercise and recreation difficult and even threatened our ability to host a league match. Our communities were then struck by the catastrophic flooding that ravaged Vermont towns, destroyed homes and businesses, and displaced families. The Green Mountain State, often presented naively as a “climate haven,” was suddenly experiencing the rapid, unpredictable consequences of a warming world. For Vermont Green FC, the circumstances of these crises pushed our club, staff, players, and fans to quickly adapt from climate educators and advocates, to a dedicated, responsive community. One could argue that in 2023, a sixth mission goal was added out of necessity: Mutual Aid.
Despite these difficulties, the Vermont Green FC 2023 season was truly defined in one moment, a moment we will never forget. Our final match of the season was set to be played on Sunday, July 13th at home against Boston City FC. At this juncture in our season, we’d been officially eliminated from playoff contention. It was a match that—by all traditional sporting standards—was meaningless. With the playoffs mathematically out of reach and large parts of the state having to rebuild after the disastrous floods, it would have been understandable if this match saw a serious drop in attendance and the club quietly faded into the off-season. But the opposite happened, in the face of adversity, Vermont Green FC fans and our community at large opted to capitalize on this moment to do what Vermonters do best: come together to support one another.
Not even one more encore from mother nature—a one-hour delay for a thunderstorm that forced fans into their cars or to huddle underneath the Gutterson Fieldhouse—could stop 2,500 loyal, loving, and determined Vermonters from waiting it out and packing the stands for the Boys in Green. Fans donated their money to nonprofits and relief efforts, purchased fundraiser tshirts, and dropped off food and other supplies. Most importantly, we were together.
The players, in a way they’d never done before, clapped for the crowd before kick off, knowing well what some of them had been through. The crowd received the love and reciprocated with noise and adoration. “Welcome to Paradise” by Green Day played before kickoff, and “Stick Season” by Noah Kahan played at the final whistle. Things were as they ever were, but despite it all, the match seemed to have more meaning than ever before.
The Boys in Green won 6-1 that night, and in the celebration climbed the fence to be absorbed into the crowd. After the final whistle, the separation was non-existent. The 2023 season had ended, but it was clear that the story, and the work, were only just beginning.
The lesson in all of this, from the perspective of our club, is that recognizing the urgency of our situation and maintaining an informed optimism are not mutually exclusive. If we are going to combat the climate crisis in an effective way, it must be rooted deeply in the solidarity and togetherness of our communities. Our 2023 Environmental Justice Mission Report, in the grand scheme of things, represents a small effort. Vermont Green Football Club cannot change the world on our own, even if our community makes us feel like we can. We can, however, continue to ponder, strategize, and make progress in tackling issues here in our backyard, and in doing so we hope we can play some part in inspiring others. We remain eternally hopeful.
The gratitude we have for the community that supported us in 2023 is beyond our words. We continue to draw inspiration from each and every one of you who gives some part of yourself to uplifting this football club. We are counting down the days until we’re back at Virtue Field, together.
In solidarity,
Vermont Green Football Club