{"id":629134,"date":"2025-08-10T08:36:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-10T12:36:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/?p=629134"},"modified":"2025-08-08T19:38:23","modified_gmt":"2025-08-08T23:38:23","slug":"for-vermont-green-fc-soccer-and-social-advocacy-go-hand-in-hand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vtdigger.org\/2025\/08\/10\/for-vermont-green-fc-soccer-and-social-advocacy-go-hand-in-hand\/","title":{"rendered":"For Vermont Green FC, soccer and social advocacy go hand in hand"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Vermont Green Football Club fans say they scored two victories last week. One was in the club\u2019s first national championship game<\/a> in the United Soccer League\u2019s second tier, and the other was in a fan-organized fundraiser for assistance to immigrant communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the club\u2019s deep run into the playoffs, banners in the stands bore not just Vermont crests and \u201cAllez les Verts\u201d messages, but illustrations of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt, and \u201cAbolish ICE\u201d in block letters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Political neutrality in soccer has been the subject of international debate<\/a> at the professional level. According to Mike Jenack, a Vermont Green fan who organized much of the effort to raise over $25,000 for Migrant Justice<\/a> and the Vermont Immigration Legal Defense Fund<\/a>, the club\u2019s core identity is inextricable from its founding commitment to social issues<\/a>. Political advocacy is not just a silver lining, Jenack said \u2014 it\u2019s part of why people show up in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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From left: Patrick Infurna, Vermont Green Football Club cofounder; Mike Jenack, Vermont Green fan and fundraising organizer; Ian Bailey, owner of Vivid Coffee; Tyler Littwin, founder of the Green Mountain Bhoys. Photo by Theo Wells-Spackman\/VTDigger<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have conversations frequently with people who were never fans of soccer prior to attending a Vermont Green match,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSports are a place (where) people should be organizing,\u201d said Patrick Infurna, the club\u2019s co-founder.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Infurna described environmental justice as \u201cthe center of our mission\u201d for Vermont Green. It\u2019s a goal that can contain a wide variety of issues, he said. The club\u2019s 2024 mission report<\/a> details its progress toward net-zero emissions, work to address systemic racism in the sport and donations to a number of local climate organizations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In July, the club organized a raffle benefiting the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont<\/a>. The nearly $4,000 raised will be a significant addition to the organization’s Farmer Emergency Fund for disaster relief, according to Lindsey Brand, a spokesperson for the organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe way we tend the land and grow the food not only determines food is available for people to consume, but also how our ecosystems are stewarded,\u201d Brand said. \u201cFarming is really kind of a core intersectional issue.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond the club\u2019s own limited capacity for advocacy, Infurna said, fans have created an independent network of social advocacy that springs from the same priorities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe’re relying on the voices of our neighbors \u2026 to come use the platform that we’ve worked hard to build,\u201d he said of the fans and advocates who speak at games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Green had its most successful season ever this year, with no losses in 22 games. The national final in Burlington, the hosts said, sold out \u201cinstantaneously.\u201d They estimated<\/a> over 5,000 people attended the game \u2014 twice the capacity of the ticketed stand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Two
Vermont Green Football Club\u2019s Zachary Zengue, left, is pressured by Ballard FC\u2019s Luke Hammond in the USL League Two national championship in Burlington on Saturday, Aug. 2. Photo by Glenn Russell\/VTDigger<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Along with momentum on the pitch came unprecedented levels of engagement with the club\u2019s socially-engaged fundraisers, Jenack said. His was by far the largest fan-run fundraiser in the club\u2019s history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Will Lambek, a spokesperson for Migrant Justice<\/a>, said the club reached out shortly after its founding in 2022. This season, Lambek participated in halftime speeches at several games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt’s a great way to share the work of the organization and bring calls to action to a large group of people,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lambek called the fundraising efforts at the end of the season both \u201ctremendous\u201d and well-timed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe workload is increasing because of the intensification of attacks against immigrant communities,\u201d Lambek said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At halftime in the national semifinal game on July 27, Lambek translated statements from Jose Ignacio \u201cNacho\u201d De La Cruz, a farm worker who was detained by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol in a high-profile incident<\/a> in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jenack said these speeches, heard by thousands of spectators, are an important part of the club\u2019s culture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey’re telling us what it is that they do and why it matters,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The club also has held themed games like \u201cpride night\u201d and \u201clabor night\u201d in its four seasons to date, during which the club highlights local leaders in relevant organizations, and sometimes organizes donations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Vermont Green Football Club’s Owen O’Malley celebrates with fans after his go-ahead goal against Lionsbridge FC during a championship round match in Burlington on July 25. Photo by Glenn Russell\/VTDigger<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Mike Popovitch, a member of the Green Mountain Bhoys \u2014 a group of ardent Green supporters \u2014 is also in a leadership group of the Vermont Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals, a local affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers. He said this kind of exposure can be important for unions to explain their work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA labor movement on its own cannot survive without community support,\u201d Popovitch said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Green Mountain Bhoys have often been at the center of fan-led activism. The group announced<\/a> a fundraiser Friday for Medical Aid for Palestinians<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The club\u2019s affiliation with political movements has not come without disagreement, largely from visiting away fans, Jenack said. He urged any locals who don\u2019t feel represented to attend anyway. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI’m still gonna shake your hand,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Infurna said he wanted to create an inclusive environment, but that the club wasn\u2019t willing to be neutral on issues it feels are urgent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\u2018Unbelievable.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\n\t\t
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\u2018Unbelievable. Unreal\u2019: Vermont Green FC wins national soccer championship<\/a><\/h2>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tby<\/span> Shaun Robinson<\/a><\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t