Elísabet Gunnarsdóttir (born 2 October 1976) is an Icelandic football

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

and former player, currently in charge of Swedish

Damallsvenskan The Damallsvenskan, Swedish for ''ladies all-Swedish'' and also known as OBOS Damallsvenskan for sponsorship reasons, is the highest division of women's football in Sweden. It is also referred to as the women's Allsvenskan. The term Allsvenskan ...

club

Kristianstads DFF Kristianstads DFF is a women's association football club from Kristianstad, Sweden. The club is affiliated to the Skånes Fotbollförbund. History The original club Wä IF played in from 1989 to 1994 in the Damallsvenskan. The club was reformed ...

.Isländskan på blixtvisit - Sport - Kristianstadsbladet - Nyheter dygnet runt
/ref> Elísabet was the head coach of the Icelandic Úrvalsdeild kvenna team Valur from 2003 to 2008; during which her team won four league titles and one cup title. Elísabet became head coach of Kristianstads DFF in the Swedish women's football league, Damallsvenskan, in January 2009. In 2013 Elísabet appeared in the Sveriges Television documentary television series '' The Other Sport''.

Playing career

Club

Elísabet started with Valur FC as a youth player and progressed to the senior team before moving to Stjarnan in 1995 and playing two seasons with the club. She then rejoined her mother club Valur FC in 1997 and played until 2001 when she decided to retire and take over IBV in the highest women´s league as the head coach. At the age of 24 years, Elísabet became the youngest ever female to work as a head coach in the highest division.

Coaching career

Youth teams

Elísabet got her start in coaching at the age of 16 when she joined the youth program at Valur FC as an assistant coach. For nine years she coached different age groups at the club and played a big part in building one of the most organized and successful youth programs on the women's side in Iceland. She won many national trophies with her youth teams and was named Iceland's 1999 youth team coach of the year.

Senior teams

In 2001 Elísabet left her mother club Valur FC for the opportunity of coaching ÍBV in the Úrvalsdeild kvenna. After one year with ÍBV she took over Breiðablik's under-19 team and guided them to the Icelandic championship. In 2003, she was hired by Valur as the senior team's head coach, winning the club's first league title in 15 years and being named the 2003 Coach of the Year. Elísabet remained Valur's head coach for five consecutive seasons, leading the team to four league titles and one cup title. She took the team all the way to the quarter finals of the

2005–06 UEFA Women's Cup The UEFA Women's Cup 2005–06 was the fifth edition of the UEFA Women's Cup football club tournament. It was won by 1. FFC Frankfurt in an all-German final against defending champions FFC Turbine Potsdam for their second title in the competition ...

. Elísabet is known for making high-profile transfers for her teams and brought players like German world champion

Viola Odebrecht Viola Odebrecht (born 11 February 1983) is a retired German footballer who last played for VfL Wolfsburg. She also played for Germany. She played 49 international matches for the national team and became world champion in 2003 . Club career 1 ...

and Scottish

Julie Fleeting Julie Fleeting MBE (born 18 December 1980), whose married name is Julie Stewart, is a Scottish former footballer who played as a forward. She spent nine years at English club Arsenal and was the first Scot to play as a full-time professional ...

to Iceland to play for her at Valur FC. 2013 damallsvenskan managers

Elísabet moved to Sweden in January 2009 to take over

of the Swedish

. She has been leading the team as a head coach for six consecutive seasons and has helped the club develop their organization and show some good results from season to season. Through her time at the club Kristiantads DFF has signed some big names including Icelandic stars Margrét Lára Viðarsdóttir and Sif Atladóttir, Danish international

Johanna Rasmussen Johanna Maria Baltensperger Rasmussen (born 2 July 1983) is a former Danish professional footballer who last played for Linköpings FC in the Damallsvenskan and the Denmark women's national football team. She played as a forward and wore the n ...

and Swedish stars

Hedvig Lindahl Rut Hedvig Lindahl (born 29 April 1983) is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Swedish Damallsvenskan club Djurgården and the Sweden national team. She previously played club football in Sweden for other Damalls ...

(sold to Chelsea 2015),

Kosovare Asllani Kosovare Asllani (born 29 July 1989) is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as a striker or an attacking midfielder for Italian first division Serie A club AC Milan and the Sweden national team. Nicknamed "Kosse", Asllani possesses grea ...

(sold to PSG 2012) and

Josefine Öqvist Anna Lenita Josefine Öqvist (born 23 July 1983) is a Swedish former footballer who played for Montpellier of the French Division 1 Féminine and the Swedish national team. She scored a critical goal at the 86' minute in the 2003 FIFA Women's ...

(sold to Montpellier 2013). In September 2012 Elísabet signed a new two-year contract with the club. In August 2014,

Marija Banušić Marija Maredinho Banušić (born 17 September 1995) is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Italian Serie A club Parma. She previously played for Linköpings FC, Eskilstuna United DFF and Kristianstads DFF of the Dama ...

gave Kristianstads the lead in the

Svenska Cupen Svenska Cupen (, ''The Swedish Cup'') is a knockout cup competition in Swedish football and the main Swedish football cup. Svenska Cupen usually refers to the men's tournament, although a women's tournament is also held. Each year 96 teams compe ...

( en, Swedish Cup) final, but Elísabet's team were defeated 2–1 by

Linköpings FC Linköpings Fotboll Club is an association football club from Linköping, Sweden. The club was established in 2003 when Kenty DFF women's football club decided to merge with the premier division ice hockey club Linköpings HC under the new name L ...

National teams

Elísabet served as an assistant to Jörundur Áki Sveinsson for the Icelandic women's national team and was also the head coach for the U-21 national team from 2005 to 2007. When

Freyr Alexandersson Freyr Alexandersson (born 18 November 1982) is an Icelandic Association football, football Coach (sports), coach and former player who is currently the manager of the Danish Superliga club Lyngby Boldklub. He was manager of the Iceland women's ...

—Elísabet's former assistant and successor at Valur—was named Icelandic women's team coach in 2013, she agreed to scout opposition teams on his behalf.

Honours

Managerial honours

Valur * Icelandic Champions (4): 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008 * Icelandic Cup: 2006

Individual

* Úrvalsdeild kvenna Coach of the year (4): 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008 *

Coach of the year: 2017 ** ''Runner-up'': 2012 * Svenska Cupen Damer ''Runner-up'' (2): 2014, 2019

References

Guðbjörg, Þóra og Elísabet tilnefndar - mbl.is
/ref>

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gunnarsdottir, Elisabet 1976 births Living people Elisabet Gunnarsdottir Elisabet Gunnarsdottir Female association football managers Elisabet Gunnarsdottir Women's association football players not categorized by position Elisabet Gunnarsdottir Elisabet Gunnarsdottir Elisabet Gunnarsdottir Elisabet Gunnarsdottir Elisabet Gunnarsdottir Damallsvenskan managers