What is Korfball?

Korfball takes its name from the Dutch word for basket, ‘korf’ and was created in The Netherlands back in 1901 by schoolteacher Nico Broekhuysen. Since the formation of the International Korfball Federation, the sport has been ever expanding, becoming popular all across the world.

Korfball’s unique selling point is that it is the only fully mixed competitive sport, with teams consisting of 4 males and 4 females. It is a non contact sport which requires good team work as well as aspects of individual skill.

It is played on a rectangular court, split into 2 halves, each with a basket on a 3.5 metre high post in each half. Each team is split into 4 attackers and 4 defenders, situated in opposite halves of the court. The ball is passed around the court by hand and the attackers use changes of speed and movement to get free from their defender. If the defender is within an arms length of an attacker then they are not permitted to shoot, if they do it will be called a ‘defended shot’ and will not count. Although the sport is mixed, players must only defend opposing players of the same sex, and are penalised for infringement of this rule. Once 2 points are scored the teams switch halves, so the attackers become defenders and vice versa. This is repeated after every 2 goal phase.

Korfball is mostly played indoors however in the summer outdoor korfball becomes a popular alternative, with regular outdoor tournaments held all over the UK across the summer. There are also tournaments held across Europe which offer players a chance to play against teams from a number of different countries. As a team we try to take a team to at least one of these tournaments each year. Tournaments, wherever they are held, are always popular occasions, as much for the socials held in the evenings, as for the sport itself.