Iceland at the European football championship? Many would shake their heads just a few years ago. This year’s participation of Iceland’s national team has been the biggest surprise at EURO 2016.
As with everything, there are reasons for this admirable success. Football used to be a marginal sport in Iceland and handball reigned supreme. Given the Icelandic climate, football cannot be played outdoors for more than five months of the year. As a result, football development suffered primarily due to a lack of indoor football pitches.
15 years ago Iceland decided to invest huge amounts in both outdoor and indoor practice areas. 22 outdoor pitches and seven indoor ones have been built since then. LLENTAB was the contractor for the hall in Reykjavik sized 78.3 x 120.1 x 8.5 m (w x l x h) in 2002.
Iceland’s football euphoria this year is a reward for the consistent support of football, and we can expect to hear more about Icelandic football in the future.
