The Soccer Club Leading a Climate Revolution 🌱
This Earth Day, Vermont Green FC is launching a greener era of pro sports.
Today is Earth Day! Because of that, I’m dedicating this week’s story to an upstart soccer club in Burlington, Vermont that’s trying to save the planet through “The Beautiful Game.” I hope you’ll enjoy and on this day especially, will join me in saying: “LET’S GO GREEN!”
Let me tell you a dirty little secret: sports are bad for the environment.
Well, sports aren’t bad for the environment in and of themselves. But the whole infrastructure of professional sports that we’ve built—from stadiums, to the dozens of balls we use per game, to uniforms, to merchandise, to advertising—all of it, all of that, adds up and starts to take its toll on the Earth.
There might be no better example than the World Cup. In 2010, the tournament produced 2.8 million tons of CO2 emissions. That’s more than 80 countries' total carbon output per year.
But there’s hope—and it’s coming from an unlikely place. Next month, Vermont Green FC will kick off in its inaugural game in USL League Two, essentially minor league soccer. And when they do, they’ll usher in a new, greener future for professional sports.
The club was birthed during the pandemic, when Matt Wolff got an idea and called some friends. Wolff is a designer and art director by trade, working to create soccer teams’ kits and crests—including some of the most iconic designs of the last decade, like Nigeria’s 2018 World Cup uniforms and LAFC’s crest. He played college soccer with a group of Vermonters, and working in apparel, he understood the strains that traditional business models took on the environment. So when Wolff called those college teammates, he told them that not only did he want to create Vermont’s only professional soccer team—but he wanted to use it as an opportunity to triumph environmental issues, too. “It took me two seconds to be like, ‘This is the coolest idea I’ve ever heard of,’” Chief Purpose Officer Keil Corey told Religion of Sports this week.
There were Zoom calls and meetings with other clubs who graciously opened their books and answered questions, and now, two years later, Vermont Green FC will take the field in Burlington with a lofty mission: “to become the most environmentally- and socially responsible club in America.”
The founders discussed how closely environmental stewardship is entwined with social justice and landed on the term of “environmental justice” to describe their goals. They are working with an organization called Antiracist Soccer Club to bake antiracist policies into the club’s DNA. They’re collaborating with the Science Based Targets initiative to track and audit their environmental goals. They hope to have net zero emissions and be a guide to a more equitable future in Vermont.
But how does a soccer team tackle such large problems? There are small steps, like using soccer balls made of recycled plastic bottles and jerseys made of sustainable materials.
Then there are larger things, like partnering with local organizations to provide green transportation options to low-income populations who might not otherwise have a way to watch their local soccer team. If out-of-towners purchase two tickets, the club will donate seven more to local organizations that serve underprivileged youth. “This is part of a bigger effort we’re making to make our games financially accessible to all, particularly local youth and their families,” says Corey. Finally, there’s the team’s (ridiculously awesome) merchandise, which is all created using 100% organic cotton and recycled polyester that can be upcycled and given a second life.
Saving the planet and ending structural racism are, of course, huge societal issues. Why should a soccer club be the one trying to tackle them? For Vermont Green FC, it’s all about visibility. “Soccer is the world’s game,” says Corey. “Over half of the human population watched the last World Cup. It’s a very unique platform in terms of the scale and power, and it’s not being utilized to address these really, really important issues that we’re struggling to move forward on in a meaningful way.”
Corey discussed how people in Burlington have become fans of the club for the traditional reasons—simply because they want to support a local soccer team. “Then they learn about the mission, and it’s just the cherry on top,” he said.
“We can meet a lot of people where they are,” Corey explains. “We have a commonality. We share a passion. We typically share values. We understand team ethics. We understand what it means to be really embedded in a community and want your team to represent your community. And those starting places are what’s missing in a lot of the conversations around these difficult issues, whether it’s climate change or systemic racism…you can start the conversations from those places of connection rather than completely far apart and polarized. We believe it’s the most effective way.”
“And,” he added, “it’s also fun.”
Maybe next Earth Day, it won’t just be their small Vermont club leading the charge. Corey and his cofounders welcome calls from other pro franchises who are interested in learning more about best practices. More than anything, they just want to get people talking. “Our club isn’t going to solve climate change,” says Corey. “But if we just start the conversation in our local community, it grows from there.
🏈 LFG! This week, we announced that the tenth and final episode of Man in the Arena is coming to ESPN+ on Tuesday, April 26. Here’s a sneak peak of how the episode came together.
🍿 We also announced that the second season of our series Greatness Code is coming to Apple TV+ on May 13. If you haven’t watched season one yet, get caught up. It’s maybe my favorite thing we’ve ever made. And click here to watch a sneak preview of season two, starring Russell Wilson, Marcus Rashford, Lindsey Vonn, and more.
🏆 One more piece of housekeeping that’s so exciting I had to share it. At the Cynopsis Sports Media Awards, Simone Vs Herself won “Best Documentary Series.” Congrats to the whole team!
⚾ Here’s the best pitching performance you’ll see all week.
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