A qualified sports teacher and personal trainer outside of football, Helena grew up in the town of Neskaupstaður before moving to Reykjavík aged 11.
She started her career in the youth team at Víkingur Reykjavík before joining KR in the summer of 1986 and went on to score 55 goals in 64 league appearances for the club over the following five seasons.
Helena returned to KR as club captain ahead of the 1993 season and success followed as the team won their first ever Úrvalsdeild championship, before winning the Women's Super Cup on consecutive occasions in 1994 and 1995.
After missing the majority of the 1996 campaign following the birth of her son, Helena returned to playing in 1997 and helped KR to the first of three successive league titles.
The Hafnarfjörður club won promotion to the Úrvalsdeild at the end of the 2011 season, but Helena resigned as FH manager in July 2012 following an indifferent start to the following campaign.
She scored 9 goals for KR and played all 12 league matches as the side went through the campaign undefeated to finish four points clear of runners-up Breiðablik.
During the following season, Helena netted 16 goals in 12 matches, including a five-goal haul in the 18–0 win against Haukar on 9 July 1994,[11] as KR finished second in the division behind Breiðablik.
Helena returned to the side full-time for the 1997 season and ended the campaign with a record of more than one goal per game as KR won all 14 of their league matches to secure their second Icelandic championship.
[15] She was also instrumental in the side regaining the Women's Super Cup the same year, scoring the team's first goal in the 3–1 victory against Breiðablik on 20 September 1997.
In 1999, the team also won the Icelandic Women's Cup for the first time in its history, defeating Breiðablik 3–1 in the final at the Laugardalsvöllur, the country's national stadium, on 12 September.
[17] By 2000, Helena had become less of an integral part of the KR side, only twice playing the full 90 minutes of a league match, and began to share captain duties with Guðrún Jóna Kristjánsdóttir.
[19] Helena received her first call-up to the Iceland women's national football team in September 1987, when she was selected in the squad for the two matches against West Germany by manager Aðalsteinn Örnólfsson.
She won her eighth and final cap for Iceland more than five years later, coming on as a late substitute for Sigrún Sigríður Óttarsdóttir in the 0–5 defeat to Germany on 14 October 1999.
[26] During her first year in charge, she guided the team to a third-place finish in the Úrvalsdeild and the final of the Icelandic Women's Cup, although they were beaten 4–3 by KR.
[27] On 11 February 2003, Helena was appointed manager of the Icelandic women's national football team on a two-year contract, taking over from Jörundur Áki Sveinsson, who was leaving to coach Breiðablik.
[28] She continued to coach Valur despite taking the national team job,[19] and led the club to another third-place league finish at the end of the 2003 campaign.
[29] On 4 September 2003, it was announced that Helena had quit as Valur coach to concentrate on managing the Icelandic national team, despite being asked to stay with the club.
[30] She led Iceland through the qualification campaign for the 2005 UEFA Women's Championship as the team won four of their eight matches, including a 10–0 victory over Poland, to finish third in their group.
It was confirmed on 7 December 2004 that Helena would not continue as Iceland manager after her contract expired, with KSÍ chairman Eggert Magnússon stating his disappointment at failing to qualify for the Euro tournament.
[35] Before the start of the 2005 season, Helena agreed a deal to return to her former club KR as manager of the women's team later that year in place of Íris Eysteinsdóttir, who was to take maternity leave.
[47][48] After spending the 2009 season without a club, it was announced in October of that year that Helena would take charge of 1. deild kvenna side Selfoss for the 2010 campaign.
[49] Selfoss made 16 new signings during the close season, including former Iceland under-17 internationals Anna Þorsteinsdóttir, who arrived from Þróttur, and Aníta Guðlaugsdóttir.
The play-offs consisted of two matches against Þróttur, who had finished as runners-up in Group A. Selfoss lost 4–1 on aggregate over the two legs, drawing 1–1 at home before suffering a 3–1 defeat at the Valbjarnarvöllur.