NASM
The Algarve Cup 2019 tournament
The 2019 Algarve Cup was the 26th edition of the international women’s invitational football tournament held in Portugal between 27th February to 6th March. One scheduled women’s football match was special for a slightly different reason.
During the tournament, on 4th March, Scotland (FIFA ranking 20th) played against Iceland (FIFA ranking 22nd) in an exciting matchup that delivered 5 goals in total with Scotland taking the victory. The full match reports, can be found on the Scottish FA website and also the Icelandic FA website.
In addition to the exciting game and football talent on show, there was another lesser known fact about this specific football match. There were also four personal training students/graduates from the same school playing alongside each other during the match.
Icelandic football team:
Playing for Iceland, Dagný Brynjarsdóttir was the very first graduate of the Nordic Personal Training Certification (NPTC), obtaining her European Level 4 personal training qualification in January 2018. Regarding her learning experience, Dagný said: “The NPTC is a great programme which gave me the opportunity to study while pursuing my professional football career.”
Sigriður Garðarsdóttir, also playing for Iceland, is the most recent graduate of the NPTC programme (per date of publication). She achieved her Level 4 personal training qualification in February 2019, just a few days before this international game with Scotland. In respect to her journey to becoming a certified personal trainer, Sigriður rated the NPTC course as “Excellent,” and that she would “recommend the course.”
Needless to say, here at Nordic Fitness Education, and our mother training company Keilir Academy, we are very proud of both of these personal training graduates. We wish them continued success both on the football field and through their educational achievements as certified personal trainers.
Glódís Viggosdóttir, who was selected in the starting 11 for this match, is currently halfway through the NPTC programme. Similarly to her football skills, she is performing very well in her studies to date.
Scottish football team:
Finally, on the Scottish side, Fiona Brown, who played in the second half of the game, is also halfway through her NPTC studies. Fiona is proving to be a very capable student as she works towards her Level 4 personal training qualification.
The team here at Nordic Fitness Education will continue to support both Glódís and Fiona as they work hard towards the completion of their Level 4 personal training certifications. No doubt they are gaining valuable knowledge that will help support them as they continue to play football at an international level.
We wish all four women the very best as they continue with their national football careers.
2020 Update:
Since this blog was written regarding this women’s football match, Glódís and Fiona have also completed the programme so that all 4 of the NPTC students mentioned have successfully graduated from the course and are now certified European Level 4 personal trainers. We are proud of their educational achievements as well as their performance on the football pitch!
Could you become a certified personal trainer?
Undertaking a career in personal training can be a great option for those who are seeking a secondary field of expertise to focus their professional careers. Whether you work in sport or perhaps in some other field of expertise, why don’t you find out more about the Nordic Personal Training Certificate.
The NPTC programme has been fully accredited by Europe Active to meet all the required professional fitness industry standards across the European region. NPTC graduates are eligible for registration with the European Register of Exercise Professionals.
