The Selfoss men's football team, commonly known as Selfoss or UMF Selfoss, is the men's football department of the Ungmennafélag Selfoss multi-sport club. It is based in Selfoss, Iceland. The team plays at JÁVERK-völlurinn and traditionally play in a maroon strip.[1]
The football department of Ungmennafélag Selfoss was established in 1955 but the team's debut season was not until 1966. From 1966 to 1993 the team played in 1. deild karla (2nd level in pyramid), 2. deild karla (3rd level in pyramid) and 3. deild karla (4th level in pyramid). From 1993 to 2007 the team played in 2. deild, but were always close to being promoted. In the summer of 2007 the team were finally promoted to 1. deild. In the summer of 2008 (the football season in Iceland is played from May to September due to harsh winter) the team was 1 point and 8 goals from being promoted to Úrvalsdeild (1st level in pyramid). In the summer of 2009 the team won 1. deild and were finally promoted to Úrvalsdeild for the first time. In the team's debut season in Úrvalsdeild, the 2010 season, the team was relegated to 1. deild. Before the 2010 season the club's board decided to hire a retired and well known Icelandic football player, Guðmundur Benediktsson, as the team's new head coach. Guðmundur had no experience as a football coach and the summer was very difficult for him and the inexperienced team which was based on young local players. For the spring transfer period in 2010 the team only received two young players which was not enough to bring the club to a higher standard. On 13 October 2010 the club announced that former Icelandic national team coach Logi Ólafsson had been signed as a new head coach on a two-year contract. In his first season as the team's coach, in the summer of 2011, the team was promoted back to Úrvalsdeild, ending the season in second place (two teams are promoted in each division).
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Jon Daði Böðvarsson now playing for English club Bolton. Also played in the final stages in Euro 2016.
Viðar Örn Kjartansson now playing for Vålerengens IF.
Guðmundur Þórarinsson now playing for New York City.
As of season 2015.
In February 2013 it was announced that English club Brentford had entered into partnership with UMF Selfoss, enabling the clubs to exchange youth players to gain experience. The partnership also sees the two clubs exchanging coaching philosophies and allows Brentford to utilise Selfoss' scouting network. Towards the end of the 2012/13 English season, Brentford player Aaron Pierre joined Selfoss for a work experience period[2] and teammate Montell Moore joined in February 2014.[3] Selfoss players Svavar Berg Jóhannsson and Daniel Thorstein Thorsteinsson spent a period training with Brentford in October 2013.[4]
Brentford[5]