November 28 – The World Leagues Association (WLA) is growing like Topsy, adding its 47th member from Iceland. The Íslenskur Toppfótbolti (ÍTF) runs Iceland’s top tier national football competition.
With WLA now consisting of close to 25% of FIFA’s membership, its calls for a seat at FIFA’s decision making table are becoming increasingly hard to ignore. Considerably more than 50% of FIFA’s members have neither professional leagues nor professional players playing domestically. While clubs pay the players, it is the leagues that provide the base and structure that create the professional environment that FIFA has seemingly chosen to ignore.
ÍTF oversees the Besta deild karla and represents the country’s leading clubs. It has recently undergone a process of improving its own governance, professional standards and long-term development structures.
It has also strengthened its operational and commercial foundations, with clubs investing in improved facilities, youth academies and digital engagement.
Birgir Jóhannsson, CEO of Íslenskur Toppfótbolti, said: “ÍTF is committed to further strengthening the top tier of Icelandic football. Joining the WLA gives us an important platform to exchange ideas, learn from leading leagues and deepen cooperation with organisations facing similar challenges and ambitions. We look forward to engaging with our peers worldwide.”
With FIFA’s refusal to take into account the concerns of domestic leagues as they drive an increasingly busy international calendar and a new desire to expand its reach from the national team game into the club game and its professionial leagues worldwide, those leagues are increasingly looking towards a common voice to represent their concerns and help build their own expertise.
The membership was formalised by Richard Masters, chair of the World Leagues Association (pictured left), and Birgir Johannsson, Chair of Íslenskur Toppfótbolti, (right) during the WLA Annual Meeting held in Athens.
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