Knattspyrnufélag Akureyrar is the

handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball, Olympic handball or indoor handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of thr ...

section of

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

ic sports club KA from

Akureyri Akureyri (, ) is a town in northern Iceland, the country's fifth most populous Municipalities of Iceland, municipality (under the official name of Akureyrarbær , 'town of Akureyri') and the largest outside the Capital Region (Iceland), Capital R ...

. The team currently competes in the Úrvalsdeild karla, the top tier of handball in Iceland. They play their home matches at KA-heimilið. The team enjoyed a successful period in the late 90's and early 2000s becoming league Champions three times, cup winners three times and champions of Iceland two times.

History

The Alfreð Gíslason era (1991-1997)

In 1991 former KA player Alfreð Gíslason took charge of the team, he would lead the team to its most successful period in its history. The 1994–95 Season marked a significant chapter in the history of KA handball club. KA had strong players in

Valdimar Grímsson Valdimar Grímsson (born 5 December 1965) is an Icelandic former handball player who competed in the 1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics (, ), officially the Games of the XXV Olympiad (, ) and officially branded as Barcelona '9 ...

and goalkeeper Sigmar Þröstur but now they were joined by one of the nation's most promising handball players,

Patrekur Jóhannesson Patrekur Jóhannesson (born 7 July 1972) is an Icelandic former handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball, Olympic handball or indoor handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt ...

. The highlight of the season was the intense cup final against Valur. The match went into double overtime, with KA emerging victorious with a score of 27-26, claiming their first cup title. Patrekur Jóhannesson scored 11 goals for KA in the match. Valur got their revenge by beating KA in the final to become Icelandic champions. The following season Valdimar Grímsson would depart however there were notable acquisitions in Julian Duranona and Guðmundur Arnar Jónsson. KA made its European debut, the season culminated in triumphs, including a cup victory over Víkingur and the club's first league title. However, the team lost to Valur in the final playoff game to become Icelandic champions. Individual honors went to Julian Duranona as top scorer and Patrekur Jóhannesson as best defensive player. After the season Patrekur Jóhannesson would leave to

Tusem Essen TUSEM Essen is a handball club from Essen, Germany. Currently, they compete in the 2. Handball-Bundesliga. Accomplishments *Handball-Bundesliga: 3 **: 1986, 1987, 1989 *DHB-Pokal: 3 **: 1988, 1991, 1992 *EHF Champions League: 1 **: 1988 * EHF ...

in his place KA would acquire the talents of

Belarusian Belarusian may refer to: * Something of, or related to Belarus * Belarusians, people from Belarus, or of Belarusian descent * A citizen of Belarus, see Demographics of Belarus * Belarusian language * Belarusian culture * Belarusian cuisine * Byelor ...

, Sergei Ziza. In the 1996-1997 season, KA performs well in European matches, winning the series against Amiticia and Herstal and then with a notable victory against Fotex Vesprém, despite losing against them in the series. The team finished 3rd in the league and reached the playoff finals this time beating Afturelding to become Icelandic champions for the first time. They reached the cup finals for the fourth consecutive year, however, they lost to

Haukar Knattspyrnufélagið Haukar (, ) is an Icelandic multi-sport club from Hafnarfjörður with divisions in Association football, Football, Haukar Handball, Handball, Basketball, Haukar RC, Rugby union, Karate, Skiing & Chess. Club history The clu ...

. Julian Duranona and Ziza shine throughout the season. At the end of the season Alfreð Gíslason departs, which marks the end of an era, but KA looks ahead with optimism, focusing on youth development and the continued success of the club. The KA club house and home-ground (KA-heimilið) becomes an integral part of the team's success, fostering a unique atmosphere during matches.

Becoming Icelandic champions for the 2nd time (1997-2006)

Alfreð's successor was

Atli Hilmarsson Atli Hilmarsson (born 23 December 1959) is an Icelandic former handball player who competed in the 1984 Summer Olympics and in the 1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and officially ...

. In his first season, 1997-1998, he would lead the team clinch the league title for the second time in their history. KA's success was unexpected to many, as they had undergone significant changes since last season. A key to KA's success at this time was the arrival of

Guðjón Valur Sigurðsson Guðjón Valur Sigurðsson (born 8 August 1979) is an Icelandic retired handball player and current coach of VfL Gummersbach. A captain of the Iceland men's national handball team, Guðjón Valur broke the world record for most goals scored in ...

in 1998, who came from

Grótta Grótta () is a tied island at the extreme end of Seltjarnarnes in the Capital Region of Iceland. During high tide the tombolo is completely submerged, turning Grótta into an island. The island is accessible by foot during low tide, giving pe ...

's academy but had yet to play in the first teams. He would prove to be very successful winning the league's award for best player in 2000 and 2001. In the 2000-01 season, KA managed to become league champions for the third time and came second in the playoffs finals. In 2002, the KA team reached he final of playoffs in a match against Valur for the Icelandic handball championship. The KA team lost the first two games and was therefore in a very difficult position as Valur only needed one more win to secure the title. However, KA won the next two matches and forced a tiebreaker. The game ended with a KA victory bringing them their second Icelandic champions title, with player

Halldór Jóhann Sigfússon Halldór () or Halldor is a given name. Notable people with the name include: *Halldór Ásgrímsson (born 1947), Icelandic politician, formerly Prime Minister of Iceland from 2004 to 2006 *Halldór Orri Björnsson (born 1987), Icelandic internati ...

being key to KA's success. Atli Hilmarsson had declared that this would be his last season as manager. From 2002 to 2005, Jóhannes Gunnar Bjarnason managed KA, with the team experiencing less success compared to previous years. A highlight was their victory against Fram in the Icelandic cup in 2004, securing KA's third cup win. Andrius Stelmokas was named the league's best player in 2003, while young

Arnór Atlason Arnór Atlason (born 23 July 1984) is an Icelandic retired handball player. He is the current head coach of TTH Holstebro, and assistant coach of the Iceland men's national handball team. Career Arnór proved to be one of the best players in ...

emerged as a key player, winning both the best player and best young player awards in 2004.

Akureyri Handball club (2006-2017)

From 2006 to 2017, KA and rival team from Akureyri,

Þór Thor (from ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred groves and trees, strength, the protection of humankind, hallowing, and fertility. Beside ...

, fielded a joint first-team in the Úrvalsdeild karla, the team was called

Akureyri Handboltafélag Akureyri Handboltafélag was a men's handball club, located in Akureyri, Iceland. History Akureyri Handboltafélag was founded in 2006 as a joint team between KA and Þór Akureyri. In 2011 it posted the best record in the Úrvalsdeild karla ...

. The team achieved its best result in 2011 finishing as the runner-up in the Icelandic Cup and reaching the Úrvalsdeild finals where it lost to FH. In 2017, the club was relegated from the Úrvalsdeild and shortly after, KA decided to break off from the cooperation and field their own team starting from 2017–2018.

KA's handball section reinstated (2017-)

In 2017, KA resumed playing under its own emblem in men's handball after competing under the banner of Akureyri Handboltafélag since 2006. Stefán Árnason coached the men's championship team, competing in the second division. They secured second place in the league, earning a spot in the top flight. Over the following years, the team established itself in the top tier, albeit with mixed results. In their inaugural two seasons, they secured 9th place in 2018/19 and 10th place in 2019/2020. In the 2020/21 season Jónatan Magnússon took solely over as manager of the team. KA finished 6th in the league, marking their first playoff qualification since their reinstatement. However, they were eliminated by Valur in the first round, ending their playoff journey. Árni Bragi Eyjólfsson, a KA player, had an outstanding season, winning the league's Best Player award and finishing as the top scorer. The subsequent season saw KA secure 7th place, only to be knocked out in the first round by Haukar. This marked the second consecutive season where a KA player claimed the league's top scorer title, this time being

Óðinn Þór Ríkharðsson Óðinn Þór Ríkharðsson (23 October 1997) is an Icelandic handball player for Kadetten Schaffhausen and the Icelandic national handball team. He represented Iceland at the 2019 World Men's Handball Championship. He was the top scorer of t ...

. In the cup competition that year, KA enjoyed success, reaching the final but ultimately losing to Valur. Moving on to the 2022/23 season, KA competed in the

EHF European Cup The EHF European Cup is an annual men's handball club competition organised by the European Handball Federation (EHF). It is the third-tier competition of European club handball, after the EHF Champions League and the EHF European League. Founde ...

, exiting in the first round against HC Fivers. Domestically, the team battled relegation, finishing 10th in the league, ultimately parting ways with manager Jónatan Magnússon. For the third cconsecutive year in a row a KA player was the top scorer in the league as Einar Rafn Eiðsson claimed the title. In 2023 Halldór Stefán Haraldsson was appointed head-coach of the team.

Trophies

* Icelandic Championships (2): **: 1997, 2002 * Icelandic Cup: (3): **: 1995, 1996, 2004 **: 1997, 2022 *Icelandic League Cup : (3): **: 1996, 1998, 2001

Men's team

Current squad

:''Squad for the 2023-24 season'' ;Goalkeeper * 12 Nicolai Horntvedt Kristensen * 23 Bruno Bernat ;Wingers ;LW * 5 Logi Gautason * 33 Jóhann Geir Sævarsson ;RW * 90 Ott Varik ;Line players * 22 Jens Bragi Bergþórsson * 28 Einar Birgir Stefánsson * 41 Haraldur Bolli Heimisson ;Back players ;LB * 4 Patrekur Stefánsson * 10 Skarphéðinn Ívar Einarsson * 11

Ólafur Gústafsson Ólafur Gústafsson (born 27 March 1989) is an Icelandic handball player for KA Akureyri and the Icelandic national team. He competed at the 2013 World Men's Handball Championship The 2013 World Men's Handball Championship was the 23rd Wor ...

;CB * 7 Magnús Dagur Jónatansson * 19 Arnór Ísak Haddsson * 24 Dagur Árni Heimisson ;RB * 13 Einar Rafn Eiðsson ;Defensive players * 5 Daði Jónsson * 44 Ragnar Snær Njálsson

Technical staff

:''Staff for the 2023-24 season'' * Head Coach: Halldór Stefán Haraldsson * Assistant coach: Guðlaugur Arnarsson

Notable former players

* Alfreð Gíslason * Sverre Andreas Jakobsson * Andrius Stelmokas * Sergey Zisa * Erlingur Kristjánsson *

Roberto Julián Duranona Roberto Julián Duranona (born 8 December 1965) is a Cuban-Icelandic former handball player. He played left back. Duranona participated with the Cuba men's national handball team on the World Men's Handball Championship in 1986, where his team f ...

Player of the Season

Recent history

European record

Matches

;Notes * PR: Preliminary Round * 1R: First round * 2R: Second round * QF: Quarter finals * GS: Group stage

Managerial History

* Birgir Björnsson (1978–82) * Jan Larsen (1982–83) * Birgir Björnsson (1984–85) * Ljubo Lazic (1985–86) *

Brynjar Kvaran Brynjar Kvaran (born 16 January 1958) is an Icelandic former handball player who competed in the 1984 Summer Olympics and in the 1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and officially b ...

(1986-1988) * Ivan Duranec (1988-1989) * Erlingur Kristjánsson (1989-1991) * Alfreð Gíslason (1991-1997) *

(1997-2002) * Jóhannes Gunnar Bjarnason (2002-2005) * Reynir Stefánsson (2005-2006) * Stefán Árnason and Heimir Örn Árnason (2017-2019) * Stefán Árnason and Jónatan Magnússon (2019-2020) * Jónatan Magnússon (2020-2023) * Halldór Stefán Haraldsson (2023-)

Kit

Women's team

KA currently has a joint women's team with

Þór Akureyri Íþróttafélagið Þór (, ), commonly known as Þór Akureyri (), or simply Þór or Thór, is a multi-sport club in Akureyri, in the north of Iceland. It features departments in basketball, football, handball and taekwondo. Its main rival is ...

. It goes by the name KA/Þór and as of 2018-2019 season plays in the first tier.

References

External links

*
KA Akureyri
at EHF {{in lang, en Handball clubs in Iceland Sport in Akureyri Knattspyrnufélag Akureyrar Sports clubs and teams in Northeastern Region (Iceland) 1928 establishments in Iceland Handball clubs established in 1928