Iceland's 'quirky' World Cup team a reflection of nation's commitment to creativity, innovation, KU researcher says


LAWRENCE — The 2018 FIFA World Cup is progressing through its first stage, and the world’s biggest sporting event is full of intriguing storylines as always. One of the most compelling is the qualification of Iceland, the smallest nation to ever to play on the World Cup stage. The nation of Iceland is an enigma to some, but it's known for its unique landscape, arts and, to one University of Kansas researcher, its amazing amount of creativity.

Barbara Kerr, Williamson Family Distinguished Professor of Counseling Psychology at KU, has spent time in Iceland researching the creativity of its citizens and is available to discuss Iceland with the media, as well as its soccer team, unique aspects of the team makeup, the non-soccer backgrounds of the players and coaches, Iceland’s history, culture and related topics.

Iceland played its first match against Argentina and earned a draw against the traditional powerhouse. The team lost to Nigeria June 22 and will play its final match against Croatia on June 26. Iceland’s team needs a win to advance, but the team has made headlines for its home nation regardless of the outcome.

“I hope the World Cup gets people interested in Iceland as a country,” Kerr said. “They may not be the best team, but they’re going to be a lot of people’s favorites.”

Kerr published a scholarly article on Iceland and its creative citizens in the journal Gifted and Talented International. By many international measures, Iceland is one of the most creative countries on Earth and a leader in innovation in fields such as design, music, art and literature. The research reflected that, among other things, the nation’s approach to education, personal open-mindedness, egalitarian families, cultural and government support for creativity account for the nation’s creative spirit. Kerr leads a study abroad course every year to Iceland to study in-depth these characteristics of the society.

“The Icelandic football team is another example of Icelandic creativity. This small country would have difficulty fielding a team of professional, expensive players, so ordinary people who had the skills and the passion took up the challenge. It was the same during the Icelandic economic crash. Ordinary people – punk musicians, computer geeks and writers — stepped up and began crowdsourcing the policies and products that would lead to prosperity again,” Kerr said. “Since the country began Innovation Education in their schools, Icelandic children have learned from an early age the skills and attitudes they need to solve real-world problems. This quirky football team is one of the results of that creative approach to education.”

To schedule an interview, contact Mike Krings at 785-864-8860 or mkrings@ku.edu.

Mon, 06/25/2018

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Mike Krings

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