Iceland’s captain, Sara Bjork Gunnarsdottir, said with high hopes, after being accepted to the Euro 2022, “We are all very excited to play in England, on some of the country’s most famous stadiums, and I think that this will be a fantastic tournament.”
Unexpected Turn of Events
Gunnarsdottir’s jaw dropped when she found out her team would be playing at the Manchester City Academy Stadium. The stadium is not a Premier League venue, but a practice field. She was clearly disappointed when she said, “It’s shocking, you’re playing in England, you have so many stadiums, and we have a training ground from City. It’s just embarrassing.”
Just across Manchester is Old Trafford, where England beat Austria in the tournament opener. Old Trafford held 68,871 fans, while the Academy Stadium can only hold 4,400 people.
Uproar of traditional Viking clap
Though the team is in such a small stadium, their fans do not disappoint. They create an epic atmosphere with an uproar of the Viking clap.
The Viking clap consists of fans clapping their hands above their heads and chanting after hearing a drum being hit. Almost 2,000 fans were in the stadium clapping and chanting, but thousands more were in Iceland. They were watching through live national television at home. Others were crammed at a fan park in Reykjavik, Iceland’s capital.
Women’s Soccer’s Impact on Icelanders
The Prime minister of Iceland, Katrín Jakobsdóttir, said, “I was five when I started to watch English games on television with my dad.”
“Women’s football in Iceland was definitely not a thing until maybe 25 years ago.”
“Even then, many stopped playing when they became teenagers. It has now become more normal to continue and we now have players who are teams in Europe and the United States.”
“When I was growing up we had much more gentle sports. But that has changed, and for me as a feminist, who has been fighting for women’s rights, it is very important girls have a choice to play football (soccer).”
“As you can see internationally, women’s football (soccer) is having a lot more attention.”
Jakobsdóttir went to the game at the Manchester City Academy Stadium to support her country.
Unexpected Turn of Events
Gunnarsdottir’s jaw dropped when she found out her team would be playing at the Manchester City Academy Stadium. The stadium is not a Premier League venue, but a practice field. She was clearly disappointed when she said, “It’s shocking, you’re playing in England, you have so many stadiums, and we have a training ground from City. It’s just embarrassing.”
Just across Manchester is Old Trafford, where England beat Austria in the tournament opener. Old Trafford held 68,871 fans, while the Academy Stadium can only hold 4,400 people.
Uproar of traditional Viking clap
Though the team is in such a small stadium, their fans do not disappoint. They create an epic atmosphere with an uproar of the Viking clap.
The Viking clap consists of fans clapping their hands above their heads and chanting after hearing a drum being hit. Almost 2,000 fans were in the stadium clapping and chanting, but thousands more were in Iceland. They were watching through live national television at home. Others were crammed at a fan park in Reykjavik, Iceland’s capital.
Women’s Soccer’s Impact on Icelanders
The Prime minister of Iceland, Katrín Jakobsdóttir, said, “I was five when I started to watch English games on television with my dad.”
“Women’s football in Iceland was definitely not a thing until maybe 25 years ago.”
“Even then, many stopped playing when they became teenagers. It has now become more normal to continue and we now have players who are teams in Europe and the United States.”
“When I was growing up we had much more gentle sports. But that has changed, and for me as a feminist, who has been fighting for women’s rights, it is very important girls have a choice to play football (soccer).”
“As you can see internationally, women’s football (soccer) is having a lot more attention.”
Jakobsdóttir went to the game at the Manchester City Academy Stadium to support her country.
