For most managers of professional football teams, their career in sport is time-consuming enough. Iceland’s coach however, is not like most managers. A dentist by training, he continues to look after patients in his hometown despite being the coach of the most successful national team in Icelandic history.
Heimir Hallgrímsson became the assistant coach of Iceland’s national football team in 2011 and quickly assessed what he saw as a major problem – a lack of passionate support among the team’s fans. To try and stir the football fans in this tiny island nation, Hallgrímsson chose a very personal way of communicating. He began to invite fans to meet him at a pub prior to matches in order to share some of the team’s game plan, starting lineup, and insight into their opponents. In a country of only 334,000 people, trust is highly valued. His strategy worked as 100,000 fans - nearly a third of Iceland’s population - showed up to cheer the team on their return from the 2016 European Championship. After the Championship, he took over as head coach.
Unlike most professional team managers, when he isn’t coaching, Hallgrímsson still saw patients as a practicing dentist on his home island of Heimaey off the coast of Iceland’s mainland.
Some coaches play golf, shoot reindeer, whatever — everybody has something. But I really enjoy going back home to my clients.
Heimir Hallgrímsson uses a Sinius CS as shown.
Much like in his role as a successful coach, as a dentist, Hallgrímsson has developed a reputation for communicating well with his patients, explaining his treatment plans to make his patients feel comfortable and involved. This also has the advantage of helping to build trust.
At the heart of his dental practice’s equipment is a Dentsply Sirona Sinius CS treatment center. For any clinician, time is a valuable asset. This is all the more true for the busy coach. The Sinius line of treatment centers is designed to save time thanks to the integrated Endo and Implant function, as well as the integrated infection prevention system. The Sinius CS model specifically uses a whip arm enabling the dentist element to be rotated by up to 240° for optimal positioning during treatment.
The Icelandic coach and his team continued to impress their fans at home and around the world by qualifying for this year’s World Cup in Russia. Has his dental career provided insight into his coaching? Indeed it has. “You know how it is in the dental chair… You have to approach each client in a different way — you have to adjust to his personality — and it’s the same with football players.”
After seven years of success with the team, Hallgrímsson decided to step down as coach to focus once again on being a dentist.
Integration is a top priority within the Sinius treatment center.
Any quotes of this article are taken from the news article "With a Coach Who Pulls Teeth to Relax, Iceland Becomes a Contender" by Sarah Lyall, published in the New York Times on June 14, 2018.