Developing football in the Faroe Islands

Monday, July 9, 2018

Members

Football remains far and away the most popular sport in the Faroe Islands.

The Faroe Islands have scored some notable triumphs in recent years Bjarni Enghamar

Overview

With a population of just over 50,000 and a challenging climate, the Faroe Islands does not necessarily offer an easy environment for football, but a small army of volunteers continues to help keep the grassroots healthy.

The islands have a relatively small number of players, but the Faroe Islands Football Association (FSF) has big plans, aiming to make the Faroes the world's leading football nation in terms of participation proportion, a challenge which demands a 20% increase in the number of players, coaches and administrators currently involved. The rise in overall participation levels between 2019 and 2021 was 13%.

Women's football is an important area for growth. In its 2021 action plan, Get In The Game, the FSF set a target of doubling the number of registered female players by 2025, and has already employed a full-time national team coach and a women's football lead within the association to advance those aims. Between 2021 and 2025, key objectives have been identified in the following areas for women's football:

Elite and national teams
Participation
Clubs and tournaments
Leadership and workforce
Visibility and perception

Women's football participation progress

The women's football strategy devised by the FSF with help from UEFA has already seen encouraging progress made in participation:

• Number of registered female players increased from 1,600 to 2,000 between January 2021 and November 2022

• Number of female coaches with a UEFA B licence increased from 9 to 16 between 2020 and 2022

Participation is the key focus of the overall FSF strategy. The association sees the clear benefits of football to public health as well its role fostering good sportsmanship, a sporting spirit that helps to not only encourage well-being but also strengthens the islands' communities.

"There is room for everyone in Faroese football; for dedicated fans, generous sponsors and local authorities, and for the volunteers who help to keep local clubs going. Faroese football must dare to be ambitious and set high goals for itself, on the pitch, in the club offices, and inside the FSF."

Christian Andreasen, FSF president

UEFA assistance

The Faroese national stadium Tórsvollur has benefited from several cycles of UEFA HatTrick funding, UEFA helping to improve seating and floodlighting as well as develop the FSF's office facilities.

One of the most recent HatTrick funded initiatives is the 60+ football fitness project. A collaboration with the University of the Faroe Islands and Klaksvík Municipality, it tracks the benefits of regular football sessions on the physical and mental health of men and women over the age of 60.

A 60+ football fitness sessionBjarni Enghamar

Timeline

Association history

1892 The Faroe Islands’ first club, Tvoroyrar Boltfelag TB, is established; football thrives on the islands with a series of unofficial championships, despite variable weather and uneven sand pitches.

1939 The Faroe Islands Sports Association (ISF) is founded.

1942 The first official Faroese national championship takes place; KÍ Klaksvík are the first champions.

1955 The first Faroese Cup takes place; HB Tórshavn beat KÍ 3-1 in the final.

1979 The ISF's duties are taken over by the newly formed Faroe Islands Football Association (FSF – Fótbóltssamband Føroya) on 13 January. The FSF takes charge of planning and organising national tournaments, as well as ensuring improved training conditions for coaches, officials and referees.

1986 The FSF introduces artificial turf to the Islands: a game-changing intervention that raises the game's popularity as a participation sport. All important matches are still played on synthetic grass.

1990 Having become a FIFA member on 2 July 1988, the FSF joins UEFA on 18 April.

1999 The national stadium, Tórsvollur opens in Tórshavn. It is one of only two stadiums in the Faroe Islands with a natural grass pitch.

2017 The Faroe Islands qualify for the UEFA European Under-17 Championship in Croatia – the nation’s first ever participation at a UEFA final tournament.

Present day

National team history

1988 The Faroes play their first official game, a 1-0 defeat against Iceland on 24 October. They win their next game, 1-0 against Canada, in April 1989. Prior to these matches, national sides had played occasional friendlies against sides from Shetland, Orkney and Iceland.

1990 The Faroes make a remarkable start to their first competitive campaign, beating Austria 1-0 in Landskrona, Sweden, in their first ever UEFA European Championship qualifier.

1995 The national women’s team embarks on its first competitive campaign as part of the 1997 UEFA European Women’s Championship. Their best result of the campaign is a 1-0 win in Wales.

2014 The Faroes pull off a huge shock by beating Greece 1-0 away in a UEFA EURO 2016 qualifier; it is almost as surprising when they beat the same side 2-1 in Torshavn the following year.

2017 The Faroese women overcome sides from Luxembourg, Montenegro and Turkey in their preliminary round group to make it to the qualifiers for the 2019 FIFA World Cup; later the same year, the men’s national team finishes the European Qualifiers for the 2018 FIFA World Cup with nine points: their biggest qualifying haul to date.

2020 The men's national team are promoted to UEFA Nations League C after a 1-1 draw with Malta in November.

Present day

President

Christian Andreasen

Nationality: Faroese
Date of birth: 10 December 1959
Association president since: 2010

General secretary

Kristin Dam Ziska

Nationality: Faroese
Date of birth: 7 April 1985
Association general secretary since: 2023

Faroe Islands Football Association website

Developing football in the Faroe Islands

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