Via Community News Service, a University of Vermont internship, for The Stowe Reporter
STOWE – Vermont has a new professional soccer club, and a local man is its first coach.
Vermont Clover FC is a soccer club based in Burlington that competes in the United Premier Soccer League, New England Conference.
It was founded to fill a gap for Vermont soccer players “by providing a high level competitive environment for homegrown and in-state players,” according to its website.
Brian Buczek from Stowe is known across Vermont from his 29 years coaching soccer. He has done it all from playing soccer at Johnson State University, founding the Vermont United Soccer Club, and now landing a gig as the head coach for Vermont Clover FC.
He has coached people ages four to 35, and has racked up a record of wins, including six Vermont State Championships at Stowe High School.
He said he was surprised to be asked to be the coach of the new Vermont Clover. It started with a phone call from one of the owners, Chris George, asking what he thought about the venture.
“I said I really think it’s exciting,” Buczek said, “who’s gonna be coaching the group?”
George asked if Buczek would be interested.
“My response was, ‘Who me? Really? No way!’”
He said it was an honor to be able to coach a team made up of Vermonters.
“This is probably one of the coolest opportunities other than the college and high school jobs I’ve received in the past,” he said. “Our training sessions have been phenomenal. The players are unbelievably receptive.
“I guess the thing I’m the most proud about with the Vermont Clover is the fact that they really wanna focus on Vermont players and players that have dedicated time to Vermont and that to me is pretty special,” he said.
“It’s kinda like this Vermont college post-college All-Star team, if you will, and to be at the helm is a dream come true for sure,” he said.
Originally from Sharon Springs, N.Y., Buczek moved to Vermont in 1992 to attend Johnson State University (now VTSU-Johnson,) where he played soccer.
He said he loved going to Johnson, and it was the place for him.
“Their idea of physical education was different from everybody else in the country at that point,” he said. “They really worked on something called inclusion, which was working with different populations all in the same classroom, and I thought that was really progressive, and just the vibe of Vermont.”
He fell in love with soccer, and Vermont, and decided to stay after graduation. He started out in the restaurant business, but soon decided he wanted to be a coach.
“I woke up one day and I said, if I don’t do this, I’m never gonna do it,” he said. “I figured if I was gonna do this, I probably should try.”
His first coaching gig was at his alma mater, Johnson State. He was only 23, and was coaching some of his former teammates.
After six seasons, he went to Middlebury College as an assistant coach for two seasons, and then returned to Johnson State and coached the men’s and women’s teams for four seasons.
Buczek was then the director of a summer camp called Woodridge Tennis and Sports camps, and then went on to be a coach at Stowe High School from 2013 until now.
He said he loves the start and finish of a season, seeing the personal and athletic development of his players.
“Being selfless, of being one for all and all for one kind of idea,” he said.
He said one of the most challenging aspects of being a coach is when a player gets injured. “That’s part of the training that coaches don’t necessarily get a ton of,” he said.
“The inner squad struggles or a big loss or something like that, that’s just life, you know and so is an injury, but sometimes it’s just a real challenge to mentally stay positive during those times,” he said.
All the wins and all the banners are great, he said, but what’s more important are the deep and lasting relationships he’s formed.
“To walk in some random place and have somebody yell across the way, ‘Coach, what’s going on man? Hey coach, how are you?’ Or somebody reaching out to check in or needing a letter of recommendation,” he said.
He said that being able to coach his daughter and his son was an unbelievable feeling.
“Probably the most special all in all for me was a couple years ago, my son and daughter both won a state championship, and I was part of my daughter’s state championship because I was an assistant coach. That was a pretty special day.”