Winter Sports
Kristinn V. Jóhannsson is Head Groundsman at the National Stadium in Iceland, where he is working with a pitch that has changed little since its construction in 1957. But, as he explains, things are slowly improving as managers, coaches and players are being given a better understanding of just what his job entails
This is I
celand is the second largest island in Europe after Great Britain. It lies 470 miles north of mainland Scotland on the edge of the Arctic Circle and, subsequently, has a climate that is, to say the least, difficult to grow grass in. Two thirds of the country is tundra, with the majority of Icelandic folk living in coastal towns and cities, where fishing is the main industry. The capital is Reykjavík, which has a population of just over 120,000, almost half the total population of the country. It is here that Iceland’s national stadium, Laugardalsvöllur, was opened in 1957. It may be surprising to note that the country accommodates five football leagues; a Premier League and Divisions 1, 2 made up of twelve teams each, Division 3 (ten teams) and Division 4
(twenty-four teams and play-offs). The country’s most famous footballing
exports have been Eiður Gudjohnsen, who enjoyed success with Chelsea and Barcelona amongst others, Gylfi Sigurðsson (currently with Tottenham Hotspur) and Heiðar Helguson (Cardiff). The Laugardalsvöllur stadium accommodates just short of 10,000 spectators, but temporary seating can be used to increase this, with the record attendance being 20,204 in 2004 for a friendly match between Iceland and Italy when the hosts surprised themselves, and the footballing world, by winning the game 2-0. Kristinn V. Jóhannsson is Head
Groundsman, a position he has held since 2006. Prior to that, he worked at the stadium as a summer trainee
Reykjavik calling!
(between 1997 and 2005) whilst completing his schooling and training, part of which was at Arsenal. Kristinn takes up the story. “My career began in 1997 when, at the age of sixteen I began working as a summer trainee. At that time, I wanted to be a professional footballer (as do many kids) and never thought that I would become a groundsman one day.” “I worked at Laugardalsvöllur every summer and, in January 2002, got the opportunity to work at Arsenal Football Club. Paul Burgess was the head groundsman at that time, with Paul Ashcroft second in command. They took me in and I spent two months working with them. It was then that I realised that this job was something I really wanted to do. That time was very special; Paul
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