Background
Stensland was born in Farsund in the south of Norway and grew up at nearby Lyngdal showing her talent for football at an early age. She grew up in a footballing family.
Stensland was born in Farsund in the south of Norway and grew up at nearby Lyngdal showing her talent for football at an early age. She grew up in a footballing family.
She has also played in the French Division 1 and the Swedish Damallsvenskan for Olympique Lyon and Göteborg Football Club. As a youth, Stensland trained with her male counterparts at Lyngdal until she reached her teens. She had a successful career with Lyngdal before starring for clubs such as FK Donn, Athene Moss, and Kolbotn in her home country Norway, Kopparbergs/Göteborg Football Club in Sweden, and Lyon in France. She has also been nominated for the Fédération internationale de football association Women"s World Player of the Year award on four occasions.
As a national team player, Stensland played in the 2005 European Championships guiding her team to a second-place finish after falling 3–1 to the Germans in the final.
Since making her debut in 2003, Stensland has become a regular in the team appearing at the 2007 Fédération internationale de football association Women"s World Cup, the 2008 Summer Olympics, Union of European Football Associations Women"s Euro 2009 and the 2011 Fédération internationale de football association Women"s World Cup. At the beginning of 2009, Ingvild Stensland signed a contract with top French club, Olympique Lyonnaise.
At about the same time she took over as captain of the national team, an appointment that was confirmed by the new chief trainer, Eli Landsem, at the end of 2009. After the end of the season she returned to Norway to play for Stabæk FK.
Individual.
She plays as a midfielder and is currently a member of the Norway women"s national team having made her debut in 2003.