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. The club was founded in 1973 and is based in Breiðholt neighbourhood of Reykjavík.
Leiknir plays its home matches at Leiknisvöllur, which has a capacity of 1,215 of which 525 seating
The club's motto is "Pride of Breiðholt".
Facilities 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 Seasons
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 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 its 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 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 The club runs a youth setup in its district for children aged 6–18. The club is renowned for playing many homegrown players and developing young players. Some of the most noticeable home-grown players are Rúnar Kristinsson, Hannes Þór Halldórsson, Hilmar Árni Halldórsson, Sævar Atli Magnússon, Vuk Oskar Dimitrevic, Andi Hoti Shkelzen Veseli and Júlíus Magnússon
Honours
League
1. deild karla (1st Division) Winners (1): 2014 Runners-up (1): 2020 2. deild karla (2nd Division) Winners (1): 2005 3. deild karla (3rd Division) Runners-up (1): 2003
Cups
Reykjavíkurmótið (Reykjavik Cup) Winners (2): 2013 2016 Runners up (1): 2015 Deildarbikarkeppni KSÍ – B deild (League Cup – B division) Winners (1): 2005
Players Current squad
(on loan from ÍA)
(on loan from ÍA)
Managerial history NameNationalityYearsPétur Arnþórsson1994–1996Magnús Pálsson1996–1997Jóhann Gunnarsson1999–2000Magnús Einarsson2001–2003Garðar Ásgeirsson2004–2006Óli Halldór Sigurjónsson2006–2007Jesper Tollefsen2007Garðar Ásgeirsson2007–08Sigursteinn Gíslason2008–2011Zoran Miljković2011Willum Þór Þórsson2011–2012Davíð Snorri Jónasson and Freyr Alexandersson2012–2015 Kristján Guðmundsson2015–2016 Kristófer Sigurgeirsson2016–2018 Stefán Gíslason2019 Sigurður Heiðar Höskuldsson2019–2022 Vigfús Arnar Jósefsson2023–2024 Ólafur Hrannar Kristjánsson2024–
Backroom staff Club officials 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 Leiknir's basketball department was founded in 1992. In October 2021, Brynjar Karl Sigurðsson was announced as the new chairman of Leiknir's basketball department.
Men's basketball Titles 2. deild karla: Winners (1): 2016– 2. deild karla Runner up (1): 1993, 2010
Women's basketball History 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.
Footnotes
References
External links
Videos of architects impression of new facilities (archived)