Congratulations to Vermont Green:
A Champion Soccer Club on a Mission

Dear Fellow Vermonter,

This past weekend, more than 5,000 Vermonters packed in and around Virtue Field in Burlington to watch the Vermont Green take on Seattle’s Ballard FC for the USL League Two national championship. It was a night filled with incredible soccer, amazing fandom and a hard-fought 2-1 victory for the Vermont club.

Vermont Green is respected by Vermonters and soccer fans around the country for their skill and heart on the field. And names like Maxi Kissel, Julien Le Bourdoulous, Zach Zengue and Chris Taylor will be remembered for their incredible talent and important roles in bringing the national championship to our home state of Vermont. But what makes Vermont Green truly special — and what has now gotten media coverage from the likes of Men in Blazers, The Guardian and Sports Illustrated — is their mission off the field.

Right from the beginning, Vermont Green founders Matthew Wolff, Sam Glickman and Patrick Infurna built their team the Vermont way. Not only have they involved the community, they have created an organization rooted in social and environmental justice. As the recent Sports Illustrated article rightly observed, “The focus is as much on bringing people together and reducing a carbon footprint as it is on winning titles.”

When the Bernie Buzz sat down with Vermont Green in 2023, Glickman shared that one of their goals is to “bring awareness, and also visibility, and actions, behind sharing those burdens and benefits” of the environmental effects of climate change.

As Men in Blazers put it after the team’s victory on Saturday, Vermont Green is “a model for what an authentic connection between team, town, and greater mission can look like.” The team has acknowledged that not every single fan shares everything that the club stands for, but as sporting director Adam Pfeifer put it, “what we hope is that people’s ears are open and that everyone’s willing to engage in constructive conversation.” At a time when we are seeing a lot of division — and bitter discourse happening online — having a soccer team that creates opportunities for communities to come together, find connection and share experiences face to face is incredibly important.

Let me thank the Vermont Green for all they have given our state. What you have done is truly unbelievable. And we know you’re just getting started.

Sincerely,

Stay tuned for an upcoming feature on Vermont Green’s women’s exhibition games held earlier this summer.