Our Purpose
Athena is founded on the principle of empowering young people, especially young women and immigrant youth in Iceland. Our goal is to have a positive impact on our coaches and athletes, focusing on their emotional and character development.
The club is for everyone but there is a special emphasis placed on empowering young women and second generation Icelandic immigrants through the game of basketball.
Girls
While the playing field is still unequal in women’s sports and the gender imbalance persists, Athena will continue to be a role model for athletic programs everywhere, persistently fighting for equal opportunities. The discourse should not focus solely on the material, such as equipment and facilities but also on the values, attitudes, and behavior towards female athletes.
Immigrants
It’s no secret that the participation of second generation Icelandic immigrants in sports is lower than that of other demographics. The goal of Athena is to create a pilot program that will show by doing, how athletic programs can meet the needs of this demographic. Sports are an ideal venue to accelerate assimilation to a new country and culture. Athena will promote equal opportunities, regardless of color, race, origin, language, religion, and other personal traits.
Female Coaches
No woman has ever been head coach on a men’s team in the top divisions of handball, basketball or football in Iceland. On the other hand, the majority of head coaches on the women’s side are men. Athena will, with all its might, fight to erase this disparity and increase the number of female coaches. The club will offer a coaching program where the main goal will be to increase the number of, and the success of female coaches in sports.
Character is the ultimate goal
While providing the top level athletic coaching within the sport of basketball the main goal of Athena is to have a positive impact on the character of our athletes. The greatest measurement of our success is the skillset our athletes are equipped with and how they apply them in their daily life, long after they retire from playing basketball.
Team sports provide an excellent platform to create the environment necessary to teach young people to improve their character alongside developing their leadership skills. Athena provides a unique form of support to parents in the character development of their children where parents are expected to actively participate in the coaching of our athletes.