Sport

Ísafjörður football club was founded 1913-1914 and was active for 10 years. Hvöt football club for girls was founded in 1914 and was active for just a few years. Hörður football club was founded in 1919 and is still active. Vestri football club was founded in 1926 and many years later was changed to Vestri swimming club. Hörður and Vestri competed on the football pitch for decades. The combined Ísafjörður football team, ÍBÍ played in the final of the Icelandic second division for 5 years in a row until it won promotion to the first division in the summer of 1962. The Ísafjörður team was once again promoted to the first division in 1981 and played there for 2 years. A new gravel football ground was opened at Torfanes in the summer of 1964. It was subsequently turfed and is now the home team's main ground. In addition to this a new artificial turf ground has been built which revolutionised facilities for playing football, and there are several miniature enclosed playing fields at several locations in the town.

Skiing has long been popular in Ísafjörður which has had produced many successful skiers. The Easter skiing week in Ísafjörður was first held in 1935. The local ski slopes in Seljalandsdalur were called a skier's Paradise. The first ski lift in Seljalandsdalur, called the old lift, was formally taken into use on 7 January 1968. The ski lift was a major boost for skiing and for interest in the sport in Ísafjörður. One could say that with the arrival of the ski lift, skiing gained widest participation among public sports in the town.

More lifts were built and with these additions, Seljalandsdalur became the country's best and most varied skiing location. In 1994 an avalanche fell on Seljalandsdalur and destroyed all of the skiing facilities. This skiing area was subsequently moved to Tungudalur where the town's permanent skiing facilities have been located, but there are still cross-country skiing routes in Seljalandsdalur.

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