History

The club was founded in 1986 as the football department of Badmintonfélag Ísafjarðar, or BÍ for short.^[2] It first participated in the Icelandic tier-4 league, then known as 4. deild karla, that same year and their first coach was former Icelandic international player Björn Helgason. In 1988, Ísafjörður biggest club, Íþróttabandalag Ísafjarðar (ÍBÍ), folded after years of financial difficulties and most of their players moved over to BÍ who took over as the town's major football club.^[3][4] The club took up the name BÍ'88 to mark the new beginning and Jóhann Króknes Torfason was hired as the head coach.^[5] They won their group in 4. deild convincingly, scoring 46 goals while conceding only 3, with their biggest win being an 18–0 victory over Höfrungur. In the 4. deild playoff they came out on top and achieved promotion to 3. deild karla where they played the next three years. In 1991 the team achieved promotion to 2. deild karla after finishing as runner-up's in 3. deild. They played there for two years before being relegated back to 3. deild. After the 1996 season, the club withdrew from play due to financial difficulties.

From 2006 to 2016 the team fielded a joint team with Ungmennafélag Bolungarvíkur, called BÍ/Bolungarvík.^[6] In 2008 the team was promoted to 2. deild karla^[7] and in 2010 to 1. deild karla.^[8] In October 2010 the team hired Guðjón Þórðarson as their manager.^[9] In 2016 the club merged into Íþróttafélagið Vestri along with Skellur (Volleyball), Sundfélagið Vestri (Swim) and KFÍ (Basketball).^[10][11][12]

On 21 September 2019, Vestri won a 7–0 victory against Tindastóll in the last game of the season and secured a promotion to the second-tier 1. deild karla.^[13]

On 30 September 2023, Vestri defeated Afturelding in the 1. deild karla promotion playoff final to secure a berth in the top-tier Besta deild karla for the first time in its history.^[14]

Current squad

As of 11 September 2023

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  ISL Marvin Darri Steinarsson 2 DF  DEN Morten Ohlsen Hansen 3 DF  ISL Elvar Baldvinsson 4 MF  NGA Fatai Gbadamosi 5 DF  GAB Loic Ondo 6 MF  ENG Daniel Osafo-Badu (vice-captain) 7 FW  SRB Vladimir Tufegdžić 9 FW  ESP Iker Hernández 10 MF  ESP Nacho Gil 11 MF  ISL Benedikt Warén 12 GK  BRA Rafael Broetto 14 DF  SWE Deniz Yaldir 15 MF  ISL Guðmundur Arnar Svavarsson

No. Pos. Nation Player 16 DF  ISL Ívar Breki Helgason 17 MF  ISL Guðmundur Páll Einarsson 18 MF  SEN Ibrahima Baldé 19 DF  ISL Grímur Andri Magnússon 21 MF  DEN Tarik Ibrahimagic 22 DF  ISL Elmar Atli Garðarsson (captain) 23 FW  ZIM Silas Songani 25 DF  FRA Aurélien Norest 30 GK  ATG Brentton Muhammad 40 DF  DEN Gustav Kjeldsen 77 FW  SEN Sergine Fall 80 MF  DEN Mikkel Jacobsen

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player — MF  ISL Daníel Agnar Ásgeirsson (to Hörður Í.)

Player of the year

Year Winner 1988 Guðmundur Gíslason[15] Year Winner 2006 Sigurgeir Sveinn Gíslason 2007 Pétur Geir Svavarsson 2008 Goran Vujic 2009 Óttar Kristinn Bjarnason 2010 Sigurgeir Sveinn Gíslason   Year Winner 2011 Þórður Ingason 2012 Andri Rúnar Bjarnason 2013 Hafsteinn Rúnar Helgason 2014 Matthías Króknes Jóhannsson 2015 Loic Cédric Mbang Ondo   Year Winner 2016 Ernir Bjarnason 2017 Daði Freyr Arnarsson 2018 Elmar Atli Garðarsson 2019 Zoran Plazonic 2020 Nacho Gil   Year Winner 2021 Nicolaj Madsen Top scorers by season Season Player League Total Goals Domestic League Domestic Cup 2021 Pétur Bjarnason 1. deild 14 11 3 2020 Nacho Gil 1. deild 10 10 0 2019 Pétur Bjarnason 2. deild 12 7 5 2018 Pétur Bjarnason 2. deild 17 14 3 2017 Pétur Bjarnason 2. deild 6 6 0 2016 Sólon Breki Leifsson 2. deild 8 8 0 2015 Pape Mamadou Faye 1. deild 5 5 0 2014 Andri Rúnar Bjarnason 1. deild 11 7 4 2013 Ben Everson 1. deild 12 10 2 2012 Pétur Georg Markan 1. deild 8 5 3 2011 Tomi Ameobi 1. deild 12 11 1 2010 Andri Rúnar Bjarnason 2. deild 22 19 3 2009 Andri Rúnar Bjarnason 2. deild 8 8 0 Goran Vujic 2. deild 8 8 0 2008 Andri Rúnar Bjarnason 3. deild 14 14 0 2007 Pétur Geir Svavarsson 3. deild 25 25 0 2006 Óttar Kristinn Bjarnason 3. deild 10 0 0 2005 Þröstur Pétursson 3. deild 4 4 0 2004 Hálfdán Daðason 3. deild 9 9 0 Pétur Georg Markan 3. deild 9 9 0 2003 Pétur Georg Markan 3. deild 10 7 3 2002 Pétur Georg Markan 3. deild 4 4 0 1993 Djordje Tosic 1. deild 5 5 0 Jóhann Þór Ævarsson 1. deild 5 5 0 1992 Jóhann Þór Ævarsson 1. deild 7 6 1 1988 Stefán Tryggvason[15] 3. deild 10 - - Players in bold are currently playing for Vestri. Former notable players Players who have played for Vestri (Badmintonfélag Ísafjarðar, BÍ'88 and BÍ/Bolungarvík) and earned international caps at senior level. Correct as of 1 May 2021. Nat. Player Date of birth Current club Position International career James Charles Mack (1988-08-10) 10 August 1988 Albion W. Eagles Forward 2018–present Andri Rúnar Bjarnason (1990-12-12) 12 December 1990 Esbjerg fB Forward 2018–present Kundai Benyu (1997-12-12) 12 December 1997 Vestri Midfielder 2017–present Loïc Cédric Mbang Ondo (1990-10-05) 5 October 1990 Kórdrengir Defender 2017–present Emil Pálsson (1993-06-10) 10 June 1993 Sarpsborg 08 Midfielder 2016–present Brentton Muhammad (1990-09-11) 11 September 1990 Vestri Goalkeeper 2014–present Matthías Vilhjálmsson (1987-01-30) 30 January 1987 FH Forward 2009–2016 Gilles Mbang Ondo (1985-10-10) 10 October 1985 retired Forward 2007–2013 Nigel Quashie (1978-07-20) 20 July 1978 retired Midfielder 2004–06 Managerial history Dates[6] Name Notes 1986 Björn Helgason 1987 Jakob Ólason 1988 Jóhann Króknes Torfason 1989 Örnólfur Oddsson Player-manager 1990 Jóhann Króknes Torfason 1991–1992 Ámundi Sigmundsson Player-manager 1993 Helgi Helgason 1994 Einar Friðþjófsson 1995 Björn Ingimarsson Fired midway through season 1995 Örnólfur Oddsson Interim player-manager 1996 Ómar Torfason Player-manager 2002–2004 Haukur Benediktsson Player-manager 2005 Örnólfur Oddsson 2006–2007 Jónas Leifur Sigursteinsson 2008 Slobodan Milišić 2009 Dragan Kažić 2010 Alfreð Elías Jóhannsson Player-manager 2011 Guðjón Þórðarson 2012–2014 Jörundur Áki Sveinsson 2015 Jón Hálfdán Pétursson 2016 Ásgeir Guðmundsson 2017 Daniel Osafo-Badu Player-manager 2017–2020 Bjarni Jóhannsson 2020–2021 Heiðar Birnir Torleifsson 2021 Jón Þór Hauksson 2022 Gunnar Heiðar Þorvaldsson 2023– Davíð Smári Lamude[16] Honours 3. deild karla Winners (1): 1988 Runner-up (1): 2008 2. deild karla Runner-up (3): 1991, 2010, 2019 Women's History After ÍBÍ women's team folded before the 1988 season, a women's team was founded under the BÍ'88 name and took its spot in the top-tier 1. deild kvenna.[17] They won the then second-tier 2. deild kvenna in 1989 but withdrew from the top-tier 1. deild kvenna prior to the 1990 season and did not field a team again until 1992.[6] The team last played during the 2015 season in the second-tier 1. deild kvenna when it fielded a joint team with Íþróttafélag Reykjavíkur under the name ÍR/BÍ/Bolungarvík.[18] In 2023, the club registered a women's team for the 2023 season in 2. deild kvenna and hired Kristján Arnar Ingason as the new head coach.[19] Player of the year Year Winner 1988 Sigrún Sigurðardóttir[15] 2006 Karítas Sigurlaug Ingimarsdóttir 2012 Silja Runólfsdóttir 2013 Hildur Hálfdánardóttir 2014 Hildur Hálfdánardóttir Former notable players Players who have played for Vestri (Badmintonfélag Ísafjarðar, BÍ'88 and BÍ/Bolungarvík) and earned international caps at senior level. Correct as of 20 March 2019. Nat. Player Date of birth Current club Position International career Stella Hjaltadóttir (1967-06-23) 23 June 1967 retired Defender 1987 Managerial history Dates[6] Name Notes 1988 Örnólfur Oddsson 1989 Rúnar Guðmundsson 1992 Björn Helgason 1993 Örnólfur Oddsson 2000 Dögg Lára Sigurgeirsdóttir Player-manager 2006 Tómas Emil Guðmundsson 2007 Sigþór Snorrason 2012–2014 Jónas Leifur Sigursteinsson 2015 Halldór Þorvaldur Halldórsson As ÍR/BÍ/Bolungarvík 2023–present Kristján Arnar Ingason Honours 1. deild kvenna Winners (1): 1989 References ↑ "Vestri – Knattspyrnusamband Íslands". www.ksi.is. Retrieved 25 August 2017. ↑ ""Gömlu mennirnir í B.Í. velgja þeim yngri undur uggum í 4. deildinni". Bæjarins Besta (in Icelandic). 1 July 1986. p. 7. Retrieved 4 July 2021. ↑ "Ísfirðingar leika í 4. deild undir nafni BÍ". Bæjarins Besta (in Icelandic). 18 May 1988. p. 2. Retrieved 4 July 2021. ↑ "Skiptafundur í þrotabúinu á morgun". Vestfirska Fréttablaðið (in Icelandic). 26 May 1988. p. 5. Retrieved 4 July 2021. ↑ "Ísfirðingar spila undir nafninu BÍ 88". Bæjarins Besta (in Icelandic). 25 May 1988. p. 18. Retrieved 4 July 2021. 1 2 3 4 Sigurður Pétursson (2017). Knattspyrnusaga Ísfirðinga. Púkamót, félag. ISBN 978-9935-24-189-4. ↑ "BÍ Bolungarvík tryggði sér sæti í 2. deild". Vísir.is. Archived from the original on 2012-03-23. Retrieved 2011-06-28. ↑ "BÍ/Bolungarvík komið upp í 1. deild". Vísir.is. Archived from the original on 2012-03-23. Retrieved 2011-06-28. ↑ "Guðjón þjálfar BÍ/Bolungarvík". Vísir.is. ↑ "Vestri ræður ríkjum á Vestfjörðum". mbl.is. Retrieved 25 August 2017. ↑ "/ Fréttir / Íþróttafélagið Vestri". Hsv.is. Retrieved 2016-11-28. ↑ "Vestri kemur í stað BÍ/Bolungarvíkur – Knattspyrnusamband Íslands". www.ksi.is. Retrieved 25 August 2017. ↑ Guðmundur Aðalsteinn Ásgeirsson (21 September 2019). "Bjarni Jó: Það verður mikið stuð fyrir vestan". Fótbolti.net (in Icelandic). Retrieved 22 September 2019. ↑ Jóhann Páll Ástvaldsson (30 September 2023). "Vestri upp í Bestu deild karla". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 30 September 2023. 1 2 3 "BÍ 88 Íslandsmeistari í 4. deild". Bæjarins Besta (in Icelandic). 14 September 1988. p. 11. Retrieved 4 July 2021. ↑ Elvar Geir Magnússon (13 October 2022). "Davíð Smári nýr þjálfari Vestra (Staðfest)". Fótbolti.net (in Icelandic). Retrieved 20 May 2023. ↑ "Ísfirðingar leika í 4. deild undir nafni BÍ". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 12 May 1988. p. 66. Retrieved 4 July 2021. ↑ Magnús Már Einarsson (18 May 2015). "ÍR og BÍ/Bolungarvík með sameiginlegt lið". fotbolti.net (in Icelandic). Retrieved 23 July 2018. ↑ Sæbjörn Þór Þórbergsson Steinke (16 November 2023). "Kristján Arnar ráðinn þjálfari kvennaliðs Vestra (Staðfest)". Fótbolti.net (in Icelandic). Retrieved 16 November 2023. External links Official Website