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Knattspyrnufélag Akureyrar
Full nameKnattspyrnufélag Akureyrar
Short nameKA
Founded1928
ArenaKA heimilið
Capacity1,200
PresidentHaddur Júlíus Stefánsson
Head coachHalldór Stefán Haraldsson
LeagueÚrvalsdeild karla
2022/202310th
Club colours   
Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
Home
Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
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Away
Website
Official site

Knattspyrnufélag Akureyrar is the handball section of Icelandic sports club KA from Akureyri. 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

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Departments of
Knattspyrnufélag Akureyrar
Football
(Men's)		Football
(Women's)		Handball
(Men's)
Handball
(Women's)		 Volleyball
(Men's)		 Volleyball
(Women's)
Tennis Badminton Judo

The Alfreð Gíslason era (1991-1997)

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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 and goalkeeper Sigmar Þröstur but now they were joined by one of the nation's most promising handball players, Patrekur Jóhannesson. 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.[1] 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 in his place KA would acquire the talents of Belarusian, Sergei Ziza.[2]

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. 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.[3]

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

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Alfreð's successor was Atli Hilmarsson. 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 in 1998, who came from Grótta'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.[4]

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 being key to KA's success. Atli Hilmarsson had declared that this would be his last season as manager.[5]

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.[6] Andrius Stelmokas was named the league's best player in 2003, while young Arnór Atlason emerged as a key player, winning both the best player and best young player awards in 2004.[7]

Akureyri Handball club (2006-2017)

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From 2006 to 2017, KA and rival team from Akureyri, Þór, fielded a joint first-team in the Úrvalsdeild karla, the team was called Akureyri Handboltafélag. 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-)

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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.[8]

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.[9] 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.[10] 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.[11] 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, 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.[12] 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.[13]

Trophies

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Men's team

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Current squad

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Squad for the 2023-24 season[14]
Goalkeeper
  • 12 Norway Nicolai Horntvedt Kristensen
  • 23 Iceland Bruno Bernat
Wingers
LW
  • 5Iceland Logi Gautason
  • 33 Iceland Jóhann Geir Sævarsson
RW
  • 90 Estonia Ott Varik
Line players
  • 22 Iceland Jens Bragi Bergþórsson
  • 28 Iceland Einar Birgir Stefánsson
  • 41 Iceland Haraldur Bolli Heimisson
Back players
LB
CB
  • 7 Iceland Magnús Dagur Jónatansson
  • 19 Iceland Arnór Ísak Haddsson
  • 24 Iceland Dagur Árni Heimisson
RB
  • 13 Iceland Einar Rafn Eiðsson
Defensive players
  • 5 Iceland Daði Jónsson
  • 44 Iceland Ragnar Snær Njálsson

Technical staff

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

Notable former players

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Player of the Season

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Guðjón Valur Sigurðsson, two-time winner of the award
Alfreð Gíslason, won the award in 1993
Season Name Nationality Position
1992-1993 Alfreð Gíslason  Iceland Left back
1993-1994 Valdimar Grímsson  Iceland Right wing
1994-1995 Patrekur Jóhannesson  Iceland Left back
1995-1996 Roberto Julián Duranona  Cuba Left back
1996-1997 Björgvin Þór Björgvinsson  Iceland Left wing
1997-1998 Sigtryggur Albertsson  Iceland Goalkeeper
1998-1999 Lars Walther  Denmark Right back
1999-2000 Guðjón Valur Sigurðsson  Iceland Left wing
2000-2001 Guðjón Valur Sigurðsson (2)  Iceland Left wing
2001-2002 Andrius Stelmokas  Lithuania Pivot
2002-2003 Jónatan Magnússon  Iceland Centre back
2003-2004 Arnór Atlason  Iceland Left back
2004-2005 Halldór Jóhann Sigfússon  Iceland Centre back
2005-2006 Jónatan Magnússon (2)  Iceland Centre back
2017-2018 Áki Egilsnes  Faroe Islands Right back
2018-2019 Áki Egilsnes (2)  Faroe Islands Right back
2019-2020 Andri Snær Stefánsson  Iceland Left wing
2020-2021 Árni Bragi Eyjólfsson  Iceland Right back
2021-2022 Óðinn Þór Ríkharðsson  Iceland Right wing
2022-2023 Einar Rafn Eiðsson  Iceland Right back

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Recent history

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Season Pos. Pl. W D L GS GA P Playoffs Cup Notes
1994-95 Úrvalsdeild 6 22 10 6 6 544 506 26 Runner-up    Champions   
1995-96 Úrvalsdeild 1 22 18 2 2 612 552 38 Runner-up    Champions    EHF Cup 2. round   
1996-97 Úrvalsdeild 3 22 13 1 8 575 562 27 Champions    Final EHF Cup Quarter finals   
1997-98 Úrvalsdeild 1 22 13 4 5 606 538 30 Semi-finals    First round EHF CL Group Stage   
1998-99 Úrvalsdeild 6 22 11 0 11 574 558 22 Quarter finals    Quarter-finals
1999-00 Úrvalsdeild 2 22 12 4 6 578 499 28 Semi-finals    Second round
2000-01 Úrvalsdeild 1 22 16 0 6 573 527 32 Runner-up    Quarter-finals
2001-02 Úrvalsdeild 5 26 11 8 7 677 629 30 Champions    Quarter-finals
2002-03 Úrvalsdeild 4 26 17 3 6 719 658 37 Semi-finals    Second round
2003-04 Úrvalsdeild 6 14 7 0 7 439 437 14 Semi-finals    Champions   
2004-05 Úrvalsdeild 6 14 5 3 6 412 417 13 Quarter finals    Quarter-finals
2005-06 Úrvalsdeild 6 26 12 3 11 731 717 27 Second round EHF Challenge Cup 2.round   
2017-18 1.deild ↑ 2 18 15 0 3 457 369 30 Second round Promoted to Úrvalsdeild
2018-19 Úrvalsdeild 9 22 7 3 12 570 591 17   First round 
2019-20 Úrvalsdeild 10 20 5 1 14 524 581 11   Second round 
2020-21 Úrvalsdeild 6 22 9 7 6 587 571 25  First round Third round 
2021-22 Úrvalsdeild 7 22 9 2 11 604 630 20  First round Final
2022-23 Úrvalsdeild 10 22 5 3 14 634 680 13   Second round  EHF European Cup 1.round 

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European record

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Competition Matches W D L GF GA
EHF Champions League 8 2 0 6 183 216
EHF Cup Winners' Cup 10 4 3 3 266 267
EHF Challenge Cup 4 3 0 1 148 75
EHF European Cup 2 1 0 1 56 59

Matches

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Season Competition Round Opponents 1st leg 2nd leg Aggregate
1995-1996 EHF Cup Winners' Cup 1R Norway Viking HK 24–23 27–20 50–44
2R Slovakia TJ VSZ Kosice 33–28 31–24 57–59
1996-1997 EHF Cup Winners' Cup 1R Austria Amicitia Zürich 27–27 29–29 56–56
2R Belgium HC Herstal 26–20 23–23 49–43
QF Hungary Veszprém 32–31 34–22 54–65
1997-1998 EHF Champions League PR Lithuania Granitas Kaunas 27–23 28–19 51–46
GS Slovenia RK Celje 23–26 31–18 41–57
GS Croatia RK Zagreb 36–23 23–28 46–64
GS Italy Generali Trieste 30–24 21–19 45–49
2005-2006 EHF Challenge Cup 1R Georgia (country) Mamuli Tbilisi 50–15 15–45 95–30
2R Romania CSA Steaua București 24–23 30–21 45–53
2022-2023 EHF European Cup 1R Austria HC Fivers 29–30 30–26 59–56

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

Managerial History

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  • Iceland Birgir Björnsson (1978–82)
  • Denmark Jan Larsen (1982–83)
  • Iceland Birgir Björnsson (1984–85)
  • Serbia Ljubo Lazic (1985–86)
  • Iceland Brynjar Kvaran (1986-1988)
  • Croatia Ivan Duranec (1988-1989)
  • Iceland Erlingur Kristjánsson (1989-1991)
  • Iceland Alfreð Gíslason (1991-1997)
  • Iceland Atli Hilmarsson (1997-2002)
  • Iceland Jóhannes Gunnar Bjarnason (2002-2005)
  • Iceland Reynir Stefánsson (2005-2006)
  • Iceland Stefán Árnason and Heimir Örn Árnason (2017-2019)
  • Iceland Stefán Árnason and Jónatan Magnússon (2019-2020)
  • Iceland Jónatan Magnússon (2020-2023)
  • Iceland Halldór Stefán Haraldsson (2023-)

Kit

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Period Kit manufacturer
1995–1996 Adidas
1996-1999 Nike
1999-2002 Puma
2003-2006 Hummel
2017-2018 Diadora
2018- Hummel

Women's team

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Main article: KA/Þór

KA currently has a joint women's team with Þór Akureyri. It goes by the name KA/Þór and as of 2018-2019 season plays in the first tier.

References

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  1. ^ "1994-1995". Knattspyrnufélag Akureyrar (in Icelandic). Retrieved 2024-03-01.
  2. ^ "1995-1996". Knattspyrnufélag Akureyrar (in Icelandic). Retrieved 2024-03-01.
  3. ^ "1996-1997". Knattspyrnufélag Akureyrar (in Icelandic). Retrieved 2024-03-01.
  4. ^ "2000-2001". Knattspyrnufélag Akureyrar (in Icelandic). Retrieved 2024-03-01.
  5. ^ "2001-2002". Knattspyrnufélag Akureyrar (in Icelandic). Retrieved 2024-03-01.
  6. ^ Akureyrarkaupstaður. "KA bikarmeistarar í handbolta". Akureyrarbær (in Icelandic). Retrieved 2024-03-01.
  7. ^ "Meistaraskrár". HSÍ (in Icelandic). Retrieved 2024-03-01.
  8. ^ "2017-2018". Knattspyrnufélag Akureyrar (in Icelandic). Retrieved 2024-03-01.
  9. ^ "2019-2020". Knattspyrnufélag Akureyrar (in Icelandic). Retrieved 2024-03-01.
  10. ^ "2020-2021". Knattspyrnufélag Akureyrar (in Icelandic). Retrieved 2024-03-01.
  11. ^ "2021-2022". Knattspyrnufélag Akureyrar (in Icelandic). Retrieved 2024-03-01.
  12. ^ "2022-2023". Knattspyrnufélag Akureyrar (in Icelandic). Retrieved 2024-03-01.
  13. ^ Vikublaðið. "Halldór Stefán tekur við þjálfun mfl karla KA í handbolta". Vikublaðið (in Icelandic). Retrieved 2024-03-01.
  14. ^ "HANDKNATTLEIKUR - LIÐSYFIRLIT" (in Icelandic). HSI official website. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
  15. ^ "Bestu leikmenn handboltans". ka.is (in Icelandic). KA. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
  16. ^ "Mótamál". hsi.is (in Icelandic). HSI. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  17. ^ "EVROPULEIKIR KA I HANDBOLTA". ka.is. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
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