The Groton soccer program prides itself on the quality of the team’s experience, and that quality lies in success, resilience, and camaraderie.
A David-sized school facing many Goliaths, Groton relies on character and determination to make up the difference. Each year, players move up from JV, but particularly talented freshman consistently round out the roster, often playing significant roles on the team.
The field is an extension of the classroom, where players learn a great deal about themselves while placing the collective above individual goals. Aristotle said, “We are what we repeatedly do,” and at Groton our aim is to realize our best daily while committing to much more than ourselves.
Joe Martinez joined Groton School in 2020 after teaching and coaching at Avon Old Farms for seven years. During his time at Avon, the soccer program won the Hay-Sanderson Cup (awarded to the top team in Western New England), won the Cardinal Classic, qualified for the New England tournament twice, and reached #2 in the nation in Top Drawer Soccer’s prep school rankings. Many of Avon’s players went on to play collegiate and professional soccer.
Joe graduated from Amherst College in 2008 with a double major in economics and English. He was also a four-year member of the soccer program. After graduating, he worked in finance until 2012, when he received a Project Coach Fellowship to pursue a master of arts in teaching at Smith College. Concurrently, he worked for Project Coach, a nonprofit organization founded by two Smith professors. In that role, Joe designed and ran soccer programming for at-risk youth in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Joe teaches English, coaches soccer, and runs an Upper School dorm.