LaLiga Vermont saw a great first year during the 2022-2023 season, getting accepted into US Club Soccer, making it to the NEPSAC (New England Preparatory School Athletic Council) finals, and gaining widespread attention from students and players at both national and international levels. VA’s Eduardo Caturla, LaLiga Vermont technical director, and head coach of the Girls' Varsity Soccer team, and Adrian Diaz, head coach of the Boys' Varsity Soccer team, both reflected on this past year of soccer immersion with LaLiga and shared their hopes for the future of LaLiga Academy Vermont. 

“It is an important project for me since we are bringing part of the Spanish culture to New England. Soccer/football goes far beyond a sports activity in Spain,” says Eduardo. “LaLiga [seeks] to transmit the Spanish methodology and values integrated in this sport. [It's a] big part of our culture.”

“This program puts Vermont Academy on the map for soccer in terms of recruiting, competition, college path, and overall success in the game,” Adrian adds. “This partnership also brings VA the opportunity to continue to open its doors to people from all over the world to come to this school and find their home away from home.”

Eduardo shares that LaLiga Academy Vermont has built on existing values that contribute to the VA community as a whole. These include teamwork, respect, equality, resilience, innovation, and inclusive leadership. It was these values that helped foster the successful first year. Other opportunities arose, such as participation in winter and spring leagues and tournaments. LaLiga Vermont also got accepted into US Club Soccer, allowing the program to participate in national soccer tournaments and showcases outside of NEPSAC. The Boys’ Varsity Soccer team also reached the NEPSAC finals last year. “I felt happy and proud for our players and coaches for such a great season last year,” shares Eduardo. 

For Adrian, the team’s success was reassurance that the program is headed on the right path. “It was a team effort and a confidence boost for our program and for what we are trying to do here with this partnership. We were close to achieving excellence and we were able to compete at all times during the season with an impressive 15(w)-2(L)-1(T) record that gave us the first seed in our NEPSAC class. We are hoping this year to bring both the Lakes Region and the Class C championship home; however, our philosophy hasn’t changed at all. We go one game at a time, making sure the environment and culture of this team is as positive as it can be. [We all] become a family over time.”

With this year's LaLiga Academy Vermont roster double the inaugural year, the team has hopes to build on their success last year having reached the NEPSAC finals but are striving for the next step as well: becoming champions. The leadership is specifically excited by the growth of the girls' program, which has seen an uptick since last year, and they plan to continue growing. There are also plans in place to continue and elevate hands-on help in the students’ college process, such as helping them find college opportunities, working on building their soccer highlights videos, and actively participating in their recruitment process. “One of our main missions and the most rewarding feeling is contributing to our students' success,” says Eduardo.