Burlington, Vt., May 5, 2022 – Today, Vermont Green Football Club is strengthening its commitment to its environmental justice mission by joining the Anti-Racist Soccer Club (ARSC), a coalition of clubs, players, and experts committed to fighting racism in soccer.
Vermont Green FC’s mission is to normalize environmental justice in soccer and racism is a throughline to some of our greatest environmental challenges. The Club recognizes that certain social groups–low income, BIPOC, and others–are disproportionately impacted by environmental harms, and are often the least responsible for these environmental challenges. Therefore, the most effective and enduring solutions to environmental issues also address social inequities. Anti-racism work is at the heart of environmental justice.
The Club is working in collaboration with ARSC and local stakeholders to develop a ten-point plan that meets both ARSC and local priorities. The plan will detail club actions and provide a vision of how the club can contribute to making Vermont a more inclusive and welcoming place for everyone who visits or calls it home, including the club’s diverse roster of players.
“This is a really exciting day for our club. Joining the ARSC coalition gives us the best chance at building a club with anti-racism in its DNA. We recognized we needed a supportive and knowledgeable community that will help us along our learning journey and hold us accountable. We also need to bring this work to scale and that can only happen by working with ARSC coalition members, and our community, towards shared goals and outcomes. We see this partnership as an essential element of our environmental justice mission,” said Keil Corey, Vermont Green FC Co-founder.
Vermont Green FC is dedicated to using soccer as a catalyst for a more environmentally sustainable and socially just world. The club is on a mission to build a soccer club that reflects these values and embeds them into its competitive strategy, operational processes, and culture. Joining ARSC adds a key piece to lock in this mission.
“We are excited to work with Vermont Green and continue building our coalition. The mission they’ve put forth directly aligns with our goals of impacting the soccer community. The intersection of climate justice and social justice is an important one and we look forward to developing a plan and initiatives that will address both. Vermont has shown a real commitment to being a part of our coalition and we are looking forward to growing with them!” said Brandon Turner, Anti Racist Soccer Club Co-founder.
Vermont Green FC is looking forward to sharing more information about this initiative as it grows during the 2022 season and beyond.
About Anti Racist Soccer Club
Anti-Racist Soccer Club is a coalition of players, clubs, and experts fighting racism in American soccer. The ARSC membership is open to teams and leagues at the professional and youth levels, supporter groups, and any other soccer-affiliated organization. ARSC works with interested parties to develop a ten-point plan anti-racism framework that is unique to that community. ARSC monitors and evaluates member plans to ensure accountability.