| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 26 January 1964 | ||
| Place of birth | Sandavágur, Faroe Islands | ||
| Position(s) | midfielder | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1987–1993 | SÍF Sandavágur | 101 | (49) |
| 1994–1997 | FS Vágar | 63 | (26) |
| 1999–2001 | FS Vágar | 9 | (4) |
| 2003 | FS Vágar | 1 | (0) |
| 2007 | FS Vágar 2004 | 3 | (1) |
| International career | |||
| 1988–1993 | Faroe Islands | 18 | (2) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Torkil Nielsen (Faroese pronunciation: [ˈtʰɔɹ̥tʃɪlˈnɪlsɛn] , born 26 January 1964) is a former Faroese football midfielder. He is also one of the Faroe Islands' best chess players.
He played most of his career at SÍF Sandavágur and after they merged with MB Miðvágur he played with the club which was a result of the merger, FS Vágar. He was an active football player until 1997, after that he just played a few matches and played his last match in 2007, just before the club was re-established into 07 Vestur after a merger between FS Vágar 2004 and SÍ Sørvágur.
Nielsen played in an August 1988 friendly match against Iceland, the country's first FIFA-recognized match. He scored the very first Faroese goal after FIFA recognition, in a game, which also turned out to be the first ever official victory for the Faroe Islands, winning 1–0 in a friendly over Canada in April 1989.
Torkil claimed his place in world football history for his goal in the 1992 European championship qualifying shock 1–0 defeat of Austria in September 1990, which also was the Faroe Islands' first competitive match. His final match was a June 1993 World Cup qualifying match against Czechoslovakia. He earned 18 caps, scoring 2 goals. [1]
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 April 1989 | Gundadalur, Tórshavn, Faroe Islands |  Canada | 1-0 | 1-0 | Friendly |
| 2 | 12 September 1990 | Idrottsparken, Landskrona, Sweden |  Austria | 1-0 | 1-0 | Euro 1992 Qualifying |
During and after his football career, Torkil Nielsen plays chess with the club Sandavágs talvfelag. [2] [3] He was a three-time individual champion of the Faroes in 1984, 1986 and 1988; and participated three times in the Chess Olympiad as a member of Faroese chess national team - in 1982 in Lucerne, Switzerland, and in 1984 and 1988 in Thessaloniki, Greece.
Two of Torkil Nielsen's sons, Rógvi (born 1992) and Høgni Egilstoft Nielsen (born 1997) are also football players as well as chess players, just like their father. His elder son, Rógvi Egilstoft, is also a notable football and chess player. He is a defender for NSÍ Runavík football club and represented Faroes at U-19 level. [4] He was individual chess champion of the Faroes in 2012, 2015 and 2016. He is rated 2334 at the World Chess Federation as of April 2016. [5] Rógvi Egilstoft is also acting mayor of the municipality of Eiði (Eiðis kommuna). [6]
His younger son, Høgni Egilstoft Nielsen, was considered among the most promising chess players of Scandinavia in his age group. In 2014, he won the Faroese Chess Championship for adults at the age of 16, and became the youngest ever to win the championship. Høgni was also the first player ever who won all matches played in a Faroese Chess Championship. [7] Høgni also plays football as a defender for 07 Vestur and also played 10 national matches for the Faroe Islands national football team at U-17 level in 2013. [8] Høgni is rated 2295 at the World Chess Federation as of April 2016. [9]
The Faroe Islands national football team represents the Faroe Islands in men's international football, and is governed by the Faroe Islands Football Association (FSF). The FSF became a member of FIFA in 1988 and UEFA in 1990 and represents the fourth-smallest UEFA country by population.
Sandavágur is a town on the south coast of the Faroese island of Vágar. The name Sandavágur means sandy bay and refers to the sandy beach which used to be much larger than present. From one point in Sandavágur you can get a view of all the southern islands in the Faroes. Sandavágur used to be a municipality until 1 January 2009, when it fused together with the neighbour village Miðvágur into the new Vágar municipality.
EB/Streymur is a Faroese semi-professional football club based in Streymnes and Eiði. The club was founded in 1993, as result of the merger between EB and Streymur. They have won the Faroe Islands Premier League twice and the Faroe Islands Cup four times.
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07 Vestur is a Faroese football club, which was founded in 2007. It is located in Sandavágur and Sørvágur on Vágar island.
Christian Høgni Jacobsen is a Faroese football striker, who lastly played for NSÍ. Jacobsen has also played for HB, and B68. He has been the topscorer of the Faroe Islands Premier League 3 times. Jacobsen had spells in Denmark with Esbjerg, Vejle, AB, and ÍF Føroyar. He has gained caps with Faroe Islands at senior level.
The Faroe Islands national under-21 football team are a feeder team to the Faroe Islands national football team. The Faroe Islands U21 team was first formed in 2006 and took part in UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying for the first time in 2007 and 2008. Before this there was no step between the U-19 team and the senior team.
Páll á Reynatúgvu is a Faroese politician, and former football player, currently serving as speaker of the Faroese Parliament. He was first elected in 1998, and again in 2002, when he assumed the position of Minister of Health and Social Affairs. After being re-elected in 2004, he became a member of the "Fíggjarnevndin".
2009 Faroe Islands Premier League, also known as Vodafonedeildin for sponsoring reasons, was the sixty-seventh season of top-tier football on the Faroe Islands. It began on 4 April 2009 and ended on 3 October 2009. EB/Streymur were the defending champions. The league was won by HB Tórshavn.
Fróði Benjaminsen is a Faroese former footballer who played as a defender or midfielder. Benjaminsen previously played for HB Tórshavn, B68 Toftir, Fram Reykjavík, B36 Tórshavn and Skála ÍF. He made a record 96 appearances for the Faroe Islands and captained the national team since 2008. In 2015, he retired from the national team, but continued to play at club level until 2022. On 16 August 2016, Benjaminsen came out of international retirement to play against Hungary in the FIFA World Cup 2018 qualification phase.
2010 Faroe Islands Premier League, also known as Vodafonedeildin for sponsoring reasons, was the sixty-eighth season of top-tier football on the Faroe Islands. It began on 31 March 2010 with a match between NSÍ Runavík and ÍF Fuglafjørður and ended on 23 October 2010. HB Tórshavn were the defending champions, having won their 20th league championship last season.
Høgni Reistrup is a Faroese singer, musician, writer and scientist from Tórshavn, Faroe Islands. He is the co-writer of the book Exit Føroyar ; he wrote it together with Heri á Rógvi. The books was published in 2012 and created a major debate in the Faroe Islands and in Denmark about the problems the Faroe Islands were facing with population decline in the islands, where the biggest problems seemed to be that half of the young people who moved away to study abroad never moved back again; especially the women did not move back again. After a period of six years with negative net migration in the Faroe Islands, the country saw an increase in the population in 2014 and 2015.
Rógvi Poulsen is a Faroese footballer who currently plays for AB Argir. He has played four matches for the Faroe Islands national football team.
Hallur Hansson is a Faroese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Faroe Islands Premier League club KÍ.
Klæmint Andrasson Olsen is a Faroese professional footballer who plays as a striker for Faroe Islands Premier League side NSÍ Runavík and the Faroe Islands national team. Olsen spent his entire football career with his hometown club NSÍ before joining Breiðablik on loan in 2022. As of 2022, he is the all-time top scorer in the Faroe Islands Premier League with 239 goals. He has been the topscorer of the Faroe Islands Premier League six times as of November 2020.
Sølvi Vatnhamar is a Faroese footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Víkingur and the Faroe Islands national football team. He also works as a constructor next to his football career, and his brother Gunnar Vatnhamar is also a footballer who has played with him on the national team.
Helgi Dam Ziska is a Faroese chess Grandmaster. He is the first Faroese player to qualify for the Grandmaster title. Ziska is the top ranked and the highest ever rated player from his country, and has been rated number one amongst Faroese chess players since the age of 16. He has competed at the Chess Olympiad since 2006, representing the Faroe Islands.
The Faroese Chess Championship is organized by the Faroese Chess Association, which was established in 1970. The championship has been held annually since 1972.
