Climate for the win!
The Vermont Greens FC won their 2025 national championship. Why it matters for climate change.
Sometimes support for climate change comes in unexpected and delightful packages.
Vermont is one of the climate leaders among states in the US. It has pledged to conserve half of its land by 2050 and generates almost all of its electricity from renewables. As recently reported in The NY Times,1 they have another, less expected, contribution to climate change: their amateur soccer (football) club the Vermont Green.2 They are part of a 144-team summer league, made up mostly of high-level college players. Some of the players will go on to play professionally. The founders of the club are soccer (football) enthusiasts who want to provide quality soccer, but also carry a larger public cause.
Right away, you would notice the different vibe, as the announcer, before the game, calls on the fans to sort their recycling into the appropriate bins and thanks them for pitching in for the planet. The players' jerseys are made of recycled fabric, spectators who cycle to the game get a free raffle ticket, food trucks offer vegan eats. Most sponsors and supporters are local, including maple sugar makers and an eco-friendly cleaning-product company. Ben and Jerry’s ice cream drives an electric truck to the game and hands out free ice cream. Environmental groups are present and the porta-potties adorned with signs like “thanks for the donation” and “pee you soon” are provided by a local company that turns waste into fertilizer.
Climate change is not far from the playing pitch on many nights. Flooding is a threat and wildfire smoke from Canada makes the sky orange on some nights. The players are an international group with members from around the globe and together they bring a belief that climate change is indeed an international problem. A quote attributed to Victor Akoum, a defender with the team, wondered “How can we shift the paradigm from climate change only being emphasized by scientists and weather watchers?” 1
The team sells out most games and plays at the University of Vermont. The spectators are a big part of the enthusiasm behind the team. The issue of climate change is not exactly the lightest and cheeriest of topics, but the spectators increase their awareness while making the evening fun and with recognition that taking action on climate change and enjoying yourself can be part of the work.
Vermont is not the only place doing this. England boasts the Forest Green Rovers, the most sustainable soccer club in the world.3 It is located in the Cotswolds at the end of a road, fittingly called "Another Way." The Forest Green Rovers take the climate change commitment to another level, with lots of car chargers, an organic pitch and solar-powered robotic mowers, amongst many other innovations. They are the first club in the world designated as carbon neutral by the United Nations.
Reading
- “This Vermont Soccer Team Plays for the Planet - The New York Times.” Accessed August 9, 2025. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/24/climate/vermont-green-soccer-climate.html?searchResultPosition=1.
- Vermont Green Football Club. “Vermont Green Football Club.” Accessed August 9, 2025. https://vermontgreenfc.com/.
- “Another Way | WE ARE FGR.” Accessed August 9, 2025. https://www.fgr.co.uk/another-way/.