Our Purpose
Athena is a sports academy founded on the principle of youth empowerment through sports. The academy is for everyone but there is a special emphasis placed on empowering young women and second generation Icelandic immigrants through the game of basketball. The goal of Athena is to shape the paradigms and values that drive the development of young people, especially considering their emotional maturity and character.
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 rights and 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 equality and equal opportunities, regardless of color, race, origin, language, faith, and other personal traits.
Female Coaches
No woman has ever coached a men’s team in the top divisions of handball, basketball or football in Iceland. On the other hand, the majority of 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 sports academy 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 influence on the character of our athletes. We strive to improve the self-worth of young people and move them along into society as wholesome, competent individuals. Team sports provide an excellent platform to create the environment necessary to teach young people to improve personally alongside developing their leadership skills. Athena provides a unique form of support to parents in the character development of their children, parents are expected to actively participate in the coaching of our athletes.