He brings hundreds of players from Iceland to the Gothia Cup

Ludvik Arnarson has helped Icelandic teams to go to the Gothia Cup for over 20 years.

Ludvik Arnarson and his company bring a lot of teams from Iceland to the Gothia Cup every summer. Last year, they brought over 70 teams to Gothenburg and this year it will be over 40 teams.

How did you get involved in the Gothia Cup in the first place?
– When I started working at a sport travel agency back in 1997, one of the matters we were working on was sending youth teams abroad for tournaments. It came very clear to me, very soon, that the Gothia Cup was simply the best tournament for our clients in so many ways. Both from a travel and football point of view. So ever since we've been striding towards getting as many teams as possible for the tournament each year, says Ludvik Arnarson.

You have 41 teams from Iceland registered this year. Are you happy with that and how big is the interest?
– We have 41 teams from 11 clubs, Breidablik, Dalvik, FH, Fram, Fylkir, HK, KA, Keflavik, KR, Vikingur and Volsungur. I think this is second most teams we have had, so we're very happy with the numbers. The interest is very high in Iceland for the Gothia Cup, and to have 30-40 teams each year is surely proof of that. When you consider we have less than 400 000 people in Iceland, this is a big number of teams for sure.

What is your role? How does it work when you bring teams to Gothenburg?
– Our role is to promote the tournament for Icelandic teams, and then arrange the flights and etcetera for all the teams. For example this year, we have about 750 players, leaders and coaches coming, so organizing the flights can be a complicated matter. We're in constant contact with the group leaders from each club and we help them out with the registrations as well as the travelling aspect of it all. We are also in good connection with the Gothia Cup staff, as there are always some issues that need to be taken to consideration. Then for the tournament we send over two-three people who are working at the tournament as our staff, helping out the group leaders of all the teams we are sending. That of course is the most fun, to be at the tournament and enjoy the great event that Gothia Cup is.

Why do you think that the Gothia Cup is so popular in Iceland? How many teams have you brought to the Gothia Cup at most?
– Last year we had over 70 teams, but that of course was due to the fact the tournament had not been held for two consecutive years, so that was not a normal situation at all. I'm not sure if we can ever repeat those numbers again, says Ludvik Arnarson and continues:
– The reason for the popularity of the tournament for Icelandic teams, is mainly to do with the tournament itself. It's a fantastic event, where you can meet up and test yourself against teams from all over the world. For a week, the world is in a way brought to Gothenburg and it's not just football, it's in general a great experience for young people.