Vanda Sigurgeirsdóttir

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Vanda Sigurgeirsdóttir (born 28 June 1965) is an Icelandic former athlete who played both football and basketball for Iceland’s national teams. She is known for breaking gender barriers, becoming the first woman to coach a men’s football team in Iceland in 2001 (Neisti Hofsósi). In 2020 she received the Order of the Falcon for her work promoting women’s football. In 2021 she became the first woman to chair the Football Association of Iceland.

Football career
Vanda was born in Sauðárkrókur and started playing football with the boys’ team of Tindastóll. She later moved to Akureyri for school and played with a women’s team there. She began her senior club career with Knattspyrnufélag Akureyrar in 1982, then played in Iceland’s top division for ÍA, Breiðablik, KR and Tindastóll. In 2008, at age 43, she came out of retirement to play as a goalkeeper for Tindastóll in a match after their keeper was injured, marking her first time in goal.

National team and management
From 1985 to 1996, Vanda earned 37 caps for Iceland and scored one goal, serving as captain for 28 of those matches. She has also pursued coaching, leading clubs such as Breiðablik and KR, and she managed the Iceland national team from 1997–1998.

Basketball career
Vanda also played basketball for Iceland. She competed with Íþróttafélag Stúdenta (ÍS), helping the team win the national championship and the Icelandic Cup in 1991. She played nine games for the Icelandic national basketball team from 1989 to 1991 and helped Iceland win bronze at the 1991 Games of the Small States of Europe in Andorra.