April 15 – Women’s Leagues Forum (WLF) has added Iceland’s top tier league, Besta deildin kvenna, to its growing network.
The 10-club league becomes the latest member of the Forum, which operates under the umbrella of the World Leagues Association, with a focus on collaboration, knowledge-sharing and the professionalisation of domestic competitions.
The Besta deildin sits at the top of Iceland’s women’s football pyramid and plays a central role in player development, combining a competitive domestic structure with close alignment to the national team pathway.
Its inclusion follows discussions between Jessica Berman (NWSL) and Nikki Doucet (WSL), co-chairs of the WLF, and Birghir Johannson, CEO of Icelandic Toppfootball that oversees both the men’s and women’s league structures in Iceland.
Johannson said: “Joining the Women’s Leagues Forum enables us to connect with the global community of leagues committed to the professionalization and growth of elite women’s football.
“Despite great variations in size and circumstances around the world, national women’s leagues must navigate similar challenges as they professionalise. Shared knowledge and co-ordinated advocacy enable us to accelerate our development, creating better careers for players, better football for fans, and better commercial opportunities for our partners.”
The move adds another European league to the Forum’s membership at a time when domestic competitions are increasingly looking beyond their own markets for operational and commercial benchmarks, as well as new international partners.
The addition of Iceland expands the Women’s Leagues Forum beyond the largest markets, as it brings in leagues at different stages of development but facing similar structural questions around growth, investment and calendar alignment.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at [email protected]