West Ham United celebrated the release of Ómarsson, presented by WOW Hydrate, with an exclusive premiere taking place at Curzon Bloomsbury.
The West Ham United original documentary follows Dagný Brynjarsdóttir's journey with pregnancy as a professional sportswoman and the barriers female athletes face when making the decision to start a family.
The documentary is an industry first. It’s a celebration of a lifelong West Ham fan from Iceland, who followed her dream to not only play for, but captain the team that she loves, telling her story on the challenges of pregnancy and motherhood as an elite athlete.
Staff and players from West Ham United women's team, alongside guests and VIP's from WOW Hydrate were invited to Curzon Bloomsbury cinema, just off London's Russell Square for an exclusive first-look at the documentary.
With a run-time of just over 30 minutes, the piece looks back at notable moments on Dagný’s pregnancy journey since she first shared the news that she was expecting her second child in August 2023. This includes never-seen-before footage from Dagný’s gender reveal, which took place at Chadwell Heath training ground in October.
The documentary will be released on the West Ham United Official YouTube channel and on our website and app on International Women's Day [Friday 8 March] at 12noon.
Speaking at the event, women's Club captain Mackenzie Arnold spoke about the importance of celebrating the premiere event and the positive impact it has on herself and the players.
“I’m really excited to be here, it’s a time where we get to celebrate Dags (Dagný Brynjarsdóttir's) and what she has done, welcoming a second baby boy, which I think is exciting not only for her but the Club as well", said Arnold. "I think she’s come so far as a mother and to have her as part of the Club is just amazing and I’m so glad we get to celebrate that tonight.
“I think she’s definitely paved the way for female athletes, as I don’t think it’s very heard of professionally in football that mothers have kids then come back and play better than they have when they could have potentially left the game. It’s so exciting that she has been able to do that for a second time and has proved a lot of people wrong in that aspect. I’m glad to have her as a part of West Ham and that we get to share that with her.
“The conversation [about maternity leave] is starting to get a lot more frequent, even in contract talks it wasn’t discussed before, but now it has become a big talking point and having those conversations now are really making people more aware and making more possibilities for women in football and being able to leave the game, have a family, and then come back. There’s been progress but I think there is still a long way to go.
“It’s such a different feeling [when her and Katrina Gorry’s children come to training]. We could come off a loss or played bad and then you walk into the changing room and see Brynjar or Harper running around which puts a smile on your face. I can’t imagine what it’s like for Dags or Mini [Katrina Gorry] to go home to their kids and forget about football, so for us to have a taste of that puts a smile to our faces and gives a different aspect of football and family.
“Since I’ve come to West Ham, it’s always felt like a family, even before the kids were running around. To see that aspect of that game develop at a Club like West Ham has just been so special to be a part of and for them share their family with us. It’s like two families coming into one and we love it so much, so hopefully it keeps on progressing that way.
“It makes me feel proud to be the captain of West Ham seeing that we are celebrating this kind of achievement, it’s great to be a part of it.”
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