Íþróttafélagið Leiknir, commonly known as Leiknir Reykjavík, is an Icelandic multi-sport club. It is best known for its men's football section, but also fields departments in Badminton, Basketball, Volleyball and Karate.[1] The club was founded in 1973 and is based in Breiðholt neighbourhood of Reykjavík.

Leiknir R.
Full nameLeiknir Reykjavík
Nickname(s)Ljónin (The Lions)
Short nameLEI
Gegründet17 May 1973; 51 years ago (1973-05-17)
GroundLeiknisvöllur,
Reykjavík
Capacity1,215
ChairmanOscar Clausen
ManagerÓlafur Hrannar Kristjánsson
League1. deild karla
20231. deild karla, 5th of 12
WebsiteClub website

Leiknir plays it's home matches at Leiknisvöllur, which has a capacity of 1,215 of which 525 seating[2]

The club's motto is "Pride of Breiðholt".

Facilities

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The whole Leiknir area is newly renovated and is in excellent condition. In 2008 the club opened its new facilities which replaced the old cabin that had served as the club's office and dressing facility since 1987. The current facilities are a 700 sq m club house, artificial turf with heat, main stadium and total of 4 practice grounds. One practice ground is called Þorsteins-völlur, named on 7 September 2012 in memory of 9-year-old Þorsteinn Björnsson, a former player of the youth department in Leiknir.

The club has access to a swimming pool and a gymnasium located next to the Leiknir area.

Men's football

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Seasons

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Leiknir currently plays in 1. deild karla, the second tier of Icelandic football. In 2014 the men's football team placed 1st in the 1. deild karla and won a promotion to the Úrvalsdeild, for the first time in the clubs history, however after just one season they were relegated to back to the first division. In 2021 they returned to the top flight having finished second in the 2020 season and this time they managed to finish 8th. In 2022 they finished above the relegation spots in the regular season but were relegated after the playoffs.

Support

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The organized supporters of Leiknir are known as Leiknisljónin, translated in English as the Leiknir's Lions. Founded in 2015 they have been the main supporter group of Leiknir. In 2022, Leiknir got it's second unofficial faction, a youth faction called Ghetto Boys. The club's anthem is In the Ghetto made famous by Elvis Presley and is played before every home game.


Rivalry

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Leiknir's main rivals are their neighbours ÍR. Leiknir and ÍR are the only football clubs in Breiðholt and they represent two very different areas of the neighbourhood. The match between these two is known as Breiðholtsslagurinn. Those games tend to be very interesting. The club's record against ÍR in more recent times is very favorable.

Youth academy

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The club runs a youth setup in it's district for children aged 6–18. The club is renowned for playing many homegrown players and developing young players. Some of the most noticable home-grown players are Rúnar Kristinsson, Hannes Þór Halldórsson, Hilmar Árni Halldórsson, Sævar Atli Magnússon and Júlíus Magnússon

Honours

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League

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Cups

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  • Reykjavíkurmótið (Reykjavik Cup)
    • Winners (2): 2013[6] 2016[7]
    • Runners up (1): 2015[8]
  • Deildarbikarkeppni KSÍ – B deild (League Cup – B division)
    • Winners (1): 2005[9]

Players

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Current squad

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As of 3 Sep 2024[10]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK   ISL Viktor Freyr Sigurðsson
3 DF   ISL Ósvald Jarl Traustason
4 DF   ISL Patryk Hryniewicki
5 MF   ISL Daði Bærings Halldórsson (captain)
6 MF   ISL Andi Hoti
7 MF   ISL Robert Quental Árnason
8 MF   ISL Sindri Björnsson (Vice-captain)
9 FW   ISL Róbert Hauksson
10 MF   ISL Shkëlzen Veseli
10 MF   ISL Gísli Alexander Ágústsson
12 GK   ISL Bjarki Arnaldarson
14 MF   ISL Davíð Júlían Jónsson
16 DF   ISL Arnór Daði Aðalsteinsson
17 DF   ISL Stefan Bilić
No. Pos. Nation Player
18 DF   ISL Marko Živković
19 DF   ISL Bogdan Bogdanović
21 MF   ISL Egill Ingi Benediktsson
22 MF   ISL Þorsteinn Emil Jónsson
23 DF   ISL Arnór Ingi Kristinsson
25 DF   SRB Dušan Brković
30 MF   ISL Egill Helgi Guðjónsson
43 MF   ISL Kári Steinn Hlífarsson
44 MF   ISL Aron Einarsson
45 FW   POR José
66 DF   ISL Zachary Chase O'Hare
67 FW   GAM Omar Sowe
80 FW   ISL Karan Gurung

Managerial history

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Name Nationality Years
Pétur Arnþórsson   1994–1996
Magnús Pálsson   1996–1997
Jóhann Gunnarsson   1999–2000
Magnús Einarsson   2001–2003
Garðar Ásgeirsson   2004–2006
Óli Halldór Sigurjónsson   2006–2007
Jesper Tollefsen   2007
Garðar Ásgeirsson   2007–08
Sigursteinn Gíslason   2008–2011
Zoran Miljković   2011
Willum Þór Þórsson   2011–2012
Davíð Snorri Jónasson and
Freyr Alexandersson
 
 
2012–2015
Kristján Guðmundsson   2015–2016
Kristófer Sigurgeirsson   2016[11]–2018
Stefán Gíslason   2019
Sigurður Heiðar Höskuldsson   2019–2022
Vigfús Arnar Jósefsson   2023–2024
Ólafur Hrannar Kristjánsson   2024–

Backroom staff

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Club officials

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Position Staff
Chairman Oscar Clausen
Director Geir Þorsteinsson
Board of Directors Aron Fuego Daníelsson
Brynjar Hlöðvers
Elvar Geir Magnússon
Eyjólfur Tómasson

Source: Leiknir | Stjórn Leiknis

Basketball

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Leiknir's basketball department was founded in 1992.[12] In October 2021, Brynjar Karl Sigurðsson was announced as the new chairman of Leiknir's basketball department.[13]

Men's basketball

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Titles

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Women's basketball

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History

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In March 2022, the team started a collaboration with Aþena basketball club to field a team in the women's second-tier 1. deild kvenna.[12]

References

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  1. ^ "Leiknir Reykjavík – Stolt Breiðholts". leiknir.com (in Icelandic). Íþróttafélagið Leiknir. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  2. ^ https://www.ksi.is/mannvirki/vellir/knattspyrnuvellir/vollur/?vollur=62
  3. ^ "Úrslit – staða | Mótalisti | Mótamál | Knattspyrnusamband Íslands". Archived from the original on 24 April 2015. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  4. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 25 April 2010. Retrieved 5 July 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. ^ "Leikskýrsla: Leiknir R. – Víkingur Ó. – Knattspyrnusamband Íslands".
  6. ^ "Stakt mót – Knattspyrnusamband Íslands".
  7. ^ "Leikskýrsla: Leiknir R. – Valur – Knattspyrnusamband Íslands".
  8. ^ "Leikskýrsla | Mótalisti | Mótamál | Knattspyrnusamband Íslands". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
  9. ^ "Stakt mót – Knattspyrnusamband Íslands".
  10. ^ "Team roster". KSÍ official website. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
  11. ^ Einarsson, Þórður (17 October 2016). "Kristófer Sigurgeirsson nýr þjálfari Leiknis" [Kitts Sigurgeirsson new training facility] (in Icelandic). Leiknir R. Archived from the original on 14 November 2016. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  12. ^ a b "Leiknir og Aþena gera með sér samkomulag – Senda lið í fyrstu deild kvenna". Karfan.is (in Icelandic). 31 March 2022. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  13. ^ Ingvi Þór Sæmundsson (1 October 2021). "Brynjar Karl aftur heim til Leiknis". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 2 October 2021.
  14. ^ – 2. deild karla
  15. ^ Skúli Sigurðsson (27 April 2016). "Leiknir sigraði 2. deildina". Karfan.is (in Icelandic). Archived from the original on 3 September 2021. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
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