Knattspyrnufélag Akureyrar
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Knattspyrnufélag Akureyrar (Script error: No such module "IPA"., Template:Lit), commonly abbreviated to KA, is an Icelandic multi-sport club based in Akureyri in the north of Iceland.[1] The club was founded in 1928. The football team currently plays in Besta deild karla and have won the top flight once in 1989.
Club
The club offers various sports including football, handball, judo, volleyball and weightlifting.
The club crest features a red shield overlaid on a blue shield. Within the red shield is a golden ball, with the letters 'KA' positioned above it in white. The team colours are yellow shirts and blue shorts.
Its main rival is another sports club in Akureyri, Þór Akureyri.
History
The early years (1928–1943)
KA was founded on January 8, 1928, in the home of Margrét and Axel Schiöth, at Hafnarstræti 23, with the goal of promoting sports in Akureyri.
ÍBA (1943–1974)
Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote". Between 1944 and 1974 the two most prominent football clubs in Akureyri, KA and Þór, sent a united team under the banner of ÍBA to the Icelandic first tier made up of a selection of players from the Akureyri clubs. The club played 17 seasons in the top flight of Icelandic football league, Úrvalsdeild karla.
The first time the two Akureyri clubs, KA and Þór, combined forces was against recent league champions Valur in the middle of July 1942. The teams played twice, the united team from Akureyri won one game but lost the other. The positive results gave impetus to unification ideas and in 1943 for the fourth time a team from Akureyri played in Úrvalsdeild karla. But now it sailed under the flag of Íþróttaráð Akureyrar (In english Akureyri Sports Council) and not KA as in all the previous times.[1] Template:Webarchive
The subsequent year, in 1944, saw the establishment of ÍB Akureyri. By 1946, a football team representing ÍBA competed in Úrvalsdeild karla, for the first time.
From 1955 to 1974, the ÍBA team always took part in the Icelandic men's football tournament. In 1974, the two respective sports clubs ended their collaboration and started sending teams separately as KA and Þór.[2]
Back to the top tier (2015– )
The summer of 2015 was filled with anticipation for KA. Despite losing some key players, the team demonstrated strength during preseason, reaching the final of the Icelandic Men's Football League Cup but ultimately losing to Breiðablik. Good signings, preseason success, and the experienced coach Bjarni Jóhannsson, who took over in 2013, led many pundits to predict that KA would be promoted to the top flight with ease.[2] However, the season failed to meet expectations, and the team finished in 3rd place, prompting the sacking of manager Jóhannsson, with his assistant Srdjan Tufegdzic taking over late in the season.[3]
In 2016, KA finally reached the top flight. Under new management with Tufegdzic at the helm and notable acquisitions like Hallgrímur Mar Steingrímsson, Guðmann Þórisson, and Ásgeir Sigurgeirsson, the team comfortably won the second division. Expectations were high for KA's first match in the top division in thirteen years. The team faced Breiðablik and emerged victorious with a 1–3 scoreline. The first season in the top division since 2004 fared well as the team finished in 7th place.[4]
The following year saw KA once again finish in 7th place, and at the end of the season, the club parted ways with Tufegdzic. Óli Stefán Flóventsson replaced him and managed to guide the team to 5th place, KA's best showing since 2002. Elfar Árni Aðalsteinsson emerged as the team's top scorer with 13 goals. However, the subsequent season did not go as well for Flóventsson, who was let go after managing five games without a win.[5] His replacement, Arnar Grétarsson, led the team to a 7th-place finish, although the season was cut short due to COVID-19. The season was notable for an unusual number of draws, with the team drawing 12 times. The team was praised for its solid defending and the homegrown player Brynjar Ingi Bjarnason had a breakout season.[6]
The 2021 season marked Grétarsson's first full season as head coach, during which significant acquisitions like Jonathan Hendrickx, Dušan Brković, and the return of homegrown player Daníel Hafsteinsson bolstered the team's roster.[7] On 29 May 2021, Bjarnason made his international debut for the Icelandic national team before being sold to Lecce midway through the season.[8] Despite the loss of Bjarnason, KA achieved remarkable success, securing its best result since 2002 with a 4th-place finish.[9] Moving into the 2022 season, KA continued its upward trajectory, clinching its second-best result ever in the Besta deild karla. This achievement qualified them for the UEFA Europa Conference League. Nökkvi Þeyr Þórisson showcased an outstanding performance throughout the season, earning recognition as the league's best player and top scorer with 17 goals. Notably, his remarkable achievements came despite his transfer to K Beerschot VA before the season concluded.[10] Grétarsson's assistant and former KA player, Hallgrímur Jónasson, assumed managerial duties for the team towards the end of the season, following the departure of Grétarsson.[11] Jónasson successfully navigated the team through the playoffs and a second-place finish.[12]
In 2023, KA finished 7th[13] in the league and made it to the cup final against Víkingur R., ultimately losing 3-1.[14] The team also had a relatively successful UEFA Europa Conference League campaign, defeating Connah's Quay Nomads and Dundalk, with their journey coming to an end against Club Brugge.[15][16]
Football
Men's football
They have once been the Icelandic champions, in 1989 after a tough fight against FH (Fimleikafélag Hafnarfjarðar). FH were in the lead until their final match, against already relegated team Fylkir. FH lost and KA obtained the title for the first time in their history.
KA formerly played at Akureyrarvöllur close to downtown Akureyri but have since moved all games to Greifavöllurinn, a temporary arena at the club's training base, KA-Heimilið in the Lundarhverfi neighborhood where a new permanent stadium is also being built.
Current squad
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Out on loan
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European record
| Competition | Matches | W | D | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UEFA European Cup | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| UEFA Cup Winners Cup | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 14 |
| UEFA Intertoto Cup | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| UEFA Europa Conference League | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 13 |
| Total | 12 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 15 | 32 |
Matches
| Season | Competition | Round | Opponents | 1st leg | 2nd leg | Aggregate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970–1971 | UEFA Cup Winners' Cup | 1R | Template:Flagicon Zürich | 1–7 | 0–7 | 1–14 | File:Symbol delete vote.svg |
| 1990–1991 | UEFA European Cup | 1R | Template:Flagicon CSKA Sofia | 1–0 | 0–3 | 1–3 | File:Symbol delete vote.svg |
| 2003 | UEFA Intertoto Cup | 1R | Template:Flagicon Sloboda Tuzla | 1–1 | 1–1 Template:Aet | 2–2 (2–3 p) | File:Symbol delete vote.svg |
| 2023–24 | UEFA Europa Conference League | 1Q | Template:Flagicon Connah's Quay Nomads | 2–0 | 2–0 | 4–0 | File:Symbol keep vote.svg |
| 2Q | Template:Flagicon Dundalk | 3–1 | 2–2 | 5–3 | File:Symbol keep vote.svg | ||
| 3Q | Template:Flagicon Club Brugge | 1–5 | 1–5 | 2–10 | File:Symbol delete vote.svg | ||
| 2025–26 | UEFA Conference League | 1Q | Template:Flagicon Silkeborg |
- Notes
- PR: Preliminary Round
- 1R: First round
- 1Q: First qualifying round
- 2Q: Second qualifying round
- 3Q: Third qualifying round
- PO: Play-off round
Recent history
Season Pos. Pl. W D L GS GA P Cup Notes 1987 Úrvalsdeild 6 18 5 6 7 18 17 21 Fourth round 1988 Úrvalsdeild 4 18 8 3 7 31 29 27 Fourth round 1989 Úrvalsdeild 1 18 9 7 2 29 15 34 Fourth round 1990 Úrvalsdeild 8 18 5 1 12 18 28 16 Fourth round European Cup 1991 Úrvalsdeild 6 18 7 4 7 21 23 25 Fourth round 1992 Úrvalsdeild Template:Down-arrow10 18 3 4 11 18 33 13 Final Relegated to the 1.deild 1993 1.deild 4 18 9 2 7 31 22 29 Fourth round 1994 1.deild 8 18 5 3 10 26 34 18 Third round 1995 1.deild 3 18 7 6 5 26 25 27 Second round 1996 1.deild 4 18 7 5 6 36 33 26 Quarter-finals 1997 1.deild 7 18 4 6 8 24 31 18 Fourth round 1998 1.deild 7 18 7 4 7 24 28 25 Third round 1999 1.deild 6 18 6 5 7 24 24 23 Second round 2000 1.deild 3 18 10 4 4 38 23 34 Fourth round 2001 1.deild Template:Up-arrow 2 18 11 4 3 43 21 37 Final Promoted to the Úrvalsdeild 2002 Úrvalsdeild 4 18 6 7 5 18 19 25 Semi-finals 2003 Úrvalsdeild 8 18 6 4 8 29 27 22 Semi-finals UEFA Intertoto Cup 2004 Úrvalsdeild Template:Down-arrow 10 18 4 3 11 13 30 15 Final Relegated to the 1.deild 2005 1. deild 3 18 10 4 4 40 20 34 Fourth round 2006 1. deild 6 18 6 3 9 22 25 21 Quarter-finals 2007 1. deild 11 22 5 4 13 14 45 19 Third round 2008 1. deild 4 22 9 5 8 31 27 32 Third round 2009 1. deild 5 22 10 5 7 32 24 35 Fourth round 2010 1. deild 9 22 6 6 10 29 43 24 Quarter-finals 2011 1. deild 8 22 9 2 11 32 40 29 Third round 2012 1. deild 4 22 9 6 7 34 30 33 Fourth round 2013 1. deild 6 22 9 5 8 38 31 32 Second round 2014 1. deild 8 22 8 7 7 42 33 31 Third round 2015 1. deild 3 22 12 5 5 42 22 41 Semi-final 2016 1. deild Template:Up-arrow 1 22 16 3 3 42 16 51 Third round Promoted to the Úrvalsdeild 2017 Úrvalsdeild 7 22 7 8 7 37 31 29 Third round 2018 Úrvalsdeild 7 22 7 7 8 36 34 28 Fourth round 2019 Úrvalsdeild 5 22 9 4 9 34 34 31 Fourth round 2020 Úrvalsdeild 7 18 3 12 3 20 21 21 Fourth round *Season not completed due to COVID-19 2021 Úrvalsdeild 4 22 12 4 6 36 20 40 Fourth round 2022 Besta deild 2 27 16 5 6 54 30 53 Semi-final 2023 Besta deild 7 27 12 5 10 42 45 41 Final UEFA Europa Conference League
Trophies and achievements
- Icelandic Champion:
- Winners: 1989
- Icelandic Cup:
- Winners: 2024
- Icelandic League Cup:
- Runners-up: 2015
- Icelandic Super Cup:
- Champions: 1990
Notable former players
- Template:Flagicon Þorvaldur Örlygsson
- Template:Flagicon Erlingur Kristjánsson
- Template:Flagicon Þorvaldur Makan Sigbjörnsson
- Template:Flagicon Hreinn Hringsson
- Template:Flagicon Dean Martin
- Template:Flagicon Sandor Matus
- Template:Flagicon Pálmi Rafn Pálmason
- Template:Flagicon Atli Sveinn Þórarinsson
- Template:Flagicon Haukur Heiðar Hauksson
- Template:Flagicon Brynjar Ingi Bjarnason
- Template:Flagicon Nökkvi Þeyr Þórisson
Player of the Season
| Season | Name | Nationality | Position | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Sandor Matus | Script error: No such module "flag". | Template:Sort | |
| 2005 | Template:Sortname | Script error: No such module "flag". | Template:Sort | |
| 2006 | Janez Vrenko | Script error: No such module "flag". | Template:Sort | |
| 2007 | Þorvaldur Sveinn Guðbjörnsson | Script error: No such module "flag". | Template:Sort | |
| 2008 | Arnar Már Guðjónsson | Script error: No such module "flag". | Template:Sort | |
| 2009 | Template:Sortname | Script error: No such module "flag". | Template:Sort | |
| 2010 | Sandor Matus (2) | Script error: No such module "flag". | Template:Sort | |
| 2011 | Template:Sortname (2) | Script error: No such module "flag". | Template:Sort | |
| 2012 | Gunnar Valur Gunnarsson | Script error: No such module "flag". | Template:Sort | |
| 2013 | Hallgrímur Mar Steingrímsson | Script error: No such module "flag". | Template:Sort | |
| 2014 | Srdjan Rajkovic | Script error: No such module "flag". | Template:Sort | |
| 2015 | Callum Williams | Script error: No such module "flag". | Template:Sort | |
| 2016 | Template:Sortname | Script error: No such module "flag". | Template:Sort | |
| 2017 | Hallgrímur Mar Steingrímsson (2) | Script error: No such module "flag". | Template:Sort | |
| 2018 | Callum Williams (2) | Script error: No such module "flag". | Template:Sort | |
| 2019 | Elfar Árni Aðalsteinsson | Script error: No such module "flag". | Template:Sort | |
| 2020 | Brynjar Ingi Bjarnason | Script error: No such module "flag". | Template:Sort | |
| 2021 | Steinþór Már Auðunsson | Script error: No such module "flag". | Template:Sort | |
| 2022 | Ívar Örn Árnason | Script error: No such module "flag". | Template:Sort | |
| 2023 | Hallgrímur Mar Steingrímsson (3) | Script error: No such module "flag". | Template:Sort |
Overall most appearances
| Rank | Nationality | Name | Years | Appearances[18] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Template:Flagicon | Hallgrímur M. Steingrímsson | 2009–14, 2016– | 320 |
| 2 | Template:Flagicon | Sandor Matus | 2004–13 | 231 |
| 3 | Template:Flagicon | Dean Martin | 1995–97, 1999–04, 2008–10 | 214 |
| 4 | Template:Flagicon | Hrannar Björn Steingrímsson | 2014– | 205 |
| 5 | Template:Flagicon | Elfar Árni Aðalsteinsson | 2015– | 198 |
| 6 | Template:Flagicon | Ásgeir Sigurgeirsson | 2016– | 173 |
| 7 | Template:Flagicon | Steingrímur Örn Eiðsson | 1997–07 | 168 |
| 8 | Template:Flagicon | Andri Fannar Stefánsson | 2010, 2019– | 166 |
| 9 | Template:Flagicon | Bjarni Jónsson | 1987–97 | 166 |
| 10 | Template:Flagicon | Þorvaldur M. Sigbjörnsson | 1992–96, 1999–03, 2007 | 160 |
Overall top scorers
| Rank | Nationality | Name | Years | Goals[19] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Template:Flagicon | Hallgrímur M. Steingrímsson | 2009–14, 2016– | 98 |
| 2 | Template:Flagicon | Hreinn Hringsson | 2000–06 | 73 |
| 3 | Template:Flagicon | Elfar Árni Aðalsteinsson | 2015– | 71 |
| 3 | Template:Flagicon | Þorvaldur M. Sigbjörnsson | 1992–96, 1999–03, 2007 | 61 |
| 5 | Template:Flagicon | Ásgeir Sigurgeirsson | 2016– | 42 |
| 6 | Template:Flagicon | David Disztl | 2009–2010, 2012 | 32 |
| 7 | Template:Flagicon | Nökkvi Þeyr Þórisson | 2019–2022 | 30 |
| 8 | Template:Flagicon | Ævar Ingi Jóhannesson | 2011–15 | 28 |
| 9 | Template:Flagicon | Þorvaldur Örlygsson | 1984–89, 2000–03 | 25 |
| 10 | Template:Flagicon | Jóhann Helgason | 2002–05, 2012, 2014–15 | 24 |
Managerial history
- Template:Flagicon Einar Helgason (1975–76)
- Template:Flagicon Jóhannes Atlason (1977–79)
- Template:Flagicon Alex Willoughby (1980–82)
- Template:Flagicon Fritz Kissing (1983)
- Template:Flagicon Gústaf Baldvinsson (1984–1986)
- Template:Flagicon Hörður Helgason (1987)
- Template:Flagicon Guðjón Þórðarson (1988–1990)
- Template:Flagicon Ormar Örlygsson (1991)
- Template:Flagicon Gunnar Gíslason (1992)
- Template:Flagicon Njáll Eiðsson (1993)
- Template:Flagicon Erlingur Kristjánsson (1994)
- Template:Flagicon Pétur Ormslev (1995–1996)
- Template:Flagicon Sigurður Kristján Lárusson (1997)
- Template:Flagicon Einar Einarsson (1998–1999)
- Template:Flagicon Þorvaldur Örlygsson (2000–2005)
- Template:Flagicon Slobodan Milisic (2006–2007)
- Template:Flagicon Pétur Ólafsson (2007)
- Template:Flagicon Dean Martin (2008–2010)
- Template:Flagicon Gunnlaugur Jónsson (2011–2012)
- Template:Flagicon Bjarni Jóhannsson (2013–2015)
- Template:Flagicon Srdjan Tufegdzic (2015–2018)
- Template:Flagicon Óli Stefán Flóventsson (2019–2020)
- Template:Flagicon Arnar Grétarsson (2020–2022)
- Template:Flagicon Hallgrímur Jónasson (2022–present)
Kit
| Period | Kit manufacturer |
|---|---|
| 1975–78 | Adidas |
| 1979 | Hummel |
| 1980–1981 | Puma |
| 1982–83 | Hummel |
| 1984–98 | Adidas |
| 1999–2002 | Puma |
| 2003 | Henson |
| 2004–2014 | Hummel |
| 2015–2019 | Diadora |
| 2020–2023 | Erreà |
| 2023– | Macron |
Women's Football
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In 2010 the team also went to the semi-finals in the Icelandic cup, losing to the eventual winner Valur.[22] In 1989 and 2013 they lost the cup final.
In 2012 Þór/KA finished first in the Úrvalsdeild and secured its first ever Icelandic championship.[23]
On 29 September 2017, the club secured its second national championship by defeating FH, in the last game of the season, 2–0 with goals from Sandra Jessen and Sandra Stephany Mayor.[24]
Trophies and achievements
- Úrvalsdeild kvenna (2):
- 20121, 20171
- Icelandic Women's Football Cup:
- Runner-up: 20131
- Icelandic Division I (2):
- 19922, 19991[25]
- As Þór/KA
- As KA
Handball
Men's handball
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Before the 2006–2007 Icelandic handball season, they merged their handball clubs to form Akureyri Handboltafélag. In 2017, KA left the partnership and reinstated the KA Handball section.
Trophies and achievements
- Icelandic Championships:
- Template:Gold1 Gold medal: 1997, 2002
- Icelandic Cup:
- Champions: 1995, 1996, 2004
- Icelandic League Cup:
- Champions: 1996, 1998, 2001
Women's handball
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Trophies and achievements
- Icelandic championship:
- Template:Gold1 Gold medal:2021
- Icelandic Cup
- Template:Gold1 Gold medal:2021
- Icelandic Super Cup:
- Template:Gold1 Gold medal:2020
- 1. deild kvenna:
- Template:Gold1 Gold medal: 2018
Volleyball
Trophies and achievements
Men's volleyball
- Icelandic Championships:
- Template:Gold1 Gold medal: 1989, 1991, 2010, 2011, 2018, 2019
- Icelandic Cup:
- Champions: 1991, 1992, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019
- Icelandic League Cup:
- Champions: 1989, 1991, 1994, 2010, 2011, 2018, 2019
Women's volleyball
- Icelandic Championships:
- Template:Gold1 Gold medal: 2019
- Icelandic Cup:
- Champions: 2019
- Icelandic League Cup:
- Champions: 2019
Club officials
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Current technical body
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Club Board
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Football Board
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References
External links
- Official website (Icelandic)
- supporters siteTemplate:Dead link (Icelandic)
Template:Urvalsdeild Template:Football in Iceland
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- ↑ UEFA rankings for 2011/12, retrieved 21 October 2010
- ↑ Thor/KA is champion, own website, retrieved 21 October 2010
- ↑ women.soccerway.com, 2010 Cup results
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- ↑ [3]‚ KA.is, 4 January 2018
- Pages with script errors
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- Knattspyrnufélag Akureyrar
- Football clubs in Iceland
- Multi-sport clubs in Iceland
- Association football clubs established in 1928
- 1928 establishments in Iceland
- Sport in Akureyri
- Sports clubs and teams in Northeastern Region (Iceland)