In 2018, all eyes were on Iceland’s remarkable journey on the world stage in Russia. They defied all odds, becoming the smallest nation to reach a FIFA World Cup™ stage. The women’s team has also been a source of great pride, having participated in the last four editions of the UEFA Women’s EURO. For a country of just 400,000 people, such feats speak volumes about its ability to make the most of limited resources. Indeed, Iceland emerged as an ideal host to host a FIFA Club Management Workshop, an initiative designed to equip club managers with essential knowledge and skills. The goal is to support teams in their journey towards professionalization. Organized over two days (November 11-12) in Reykjavik, this FIFA workshop was designed in collaboration with the Icelandic Football Federation (KSI) and the Icelandic League Association (ITF). Emphasis was placed on club and league management practices, development of club structures and operational planning.
“The FIFA Club Management Workshops are a global initiative to support the growth and professionalization of clubs. For this session, FIFA has partnered with the KSI and the ITF to organize the workshops in Iceland, on countries with strong potential for football development,” said Ornella Bellia, Director of FIFA Professional Football – Relations and Development. “With club football at the heart of the game, FIFA’s vision is to enable more teams from all regions to compete at the highest level on and off the pitch.”
The proposed workshop was tailored to the specific needs and challenges of local clubs, with a practical approach including group exercises aimed at applying theoretical concepts to real-world scenarios. Managers of men’s first and second division clubs, and first division women’s teams, attended presentations by FIFA consultants and representatives, including Marion Gavat, FIFA regional coordinator, and Álvaro Carias, head of strategic development of FIFA.
“Clubs represent the most important entity in the football pyramid. Our collaboration with the KSI during this workshop aims to give them the necessary tools to continue their development and professionalization of their management,” said Elkhan Mammadov, director of the FIFA Member Associations division. “We at FIFA are confident that the efforts of the member association will play a key role in improving the standard of football in Iceland.”
“It was an honor for us to host this FIFA club management workshop at our federation headquarters this week. I was very pleased with the number of participants and the level of engagement during the sessions,” added the president of the KSI, Thorvaldur Örlygsson. “We hope this event will inspire club leaders to achieve an even higher level of performance in the years to come.”
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