Northern Ireland’s UEFA Women’s Nations League play-off against Iceland and Northern Ireland has been rescheduled for tomorrow, Wednesday 29 October, at the Þróttur Stadium (Laugardalur), a professional sports club in Reykjavik. The kick off time will be 5pm.
The game, originally due to take place today, Tuesday 28 October, was postponed due to severe weather conditions in Reykjavík and the pitch at the original venue, Laugardalsvöllur Stadium, was rendered unplayable.
Subsequently, and following considerable engagement with UEFA, the alternative venue, which has hosted UEFA Women’s Nations League fixtures earlier this year, was agreed.
Senior women’s manager, Tanya Oxtoby said:
“It’s been a challenging day, but one that has brought this already tight-knit group even closer. The weather situation was, of course, beyond anyone’s control, and the conditions we’ve had to prepare in have been far from what I would consider a high-performance environment. However, through the efforts of Patrick (Nelson) and Conrad (Kirkwood), we’ve worked closely with UEFA throughout the day to find a solution. While it’s not an ideal scenario, we now have clarity, and the team will be ready and focused for the game.”
The Icelandic capital has experienced unprecedented snowfall over the past 15 hours, with accumulation expected to reach close to 50 centimetres within a 24-hour period — an exceptional event for October. Temperatures around freezing have made the snow particularly heavy and compact.
Forecasts from the Icelandic Met Office indicate that snowfall will continue until midnight before easing tomorrow, with road conditions in the Reykjavík area expected to return to normal by early morning.
