Korfball

Mixed gender team sport

Not to be confused with the "mini-baseball" game corkball.

Korfball

Outdoor korfball match in the Netherlands

Highest governing body| International Korfball Federation
First played| 1902
Characteristics
Contact| Limited
Team members| 8 per side: 4 male players and 4 female players
Mixed-sex| Yes
Type| Team sport, ball sport
Equipment| Korfball
Venue| Korfball court
Presence
Olympic| Demonstration sport in 1920 and 1928
World Games| 1985–present
Outdoor Korfball

Korfball (Dutch: korfbal [ˈkɔr(ə)vbɑl]) is a ball sport with similarities to netball, basketball, and ringball. The objective is to throw a ball into a netless basket that is mounted on a 3.5 m (11.5-foot) pole. Each team is composed of four female players and four male players. The sport was created in the Netherlands in 1902 by schoolteacher Nico Broekhuysen, and has since spread globally.

## History

[edit]

Korfball match at the 1928 Summer Olympics in the Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam

In 1901, Dutch schoolteacher Nico Broekhuysen travelled to the Swedish town of Nääs to take an educational course on teaching gymnastics to children. While there, he was introduced to ringboll. The objective of this Swedish game was to score points by throwing a ball through a ring attached to a pole that was 3 metres (9.8 ft) in height. The field below was divided into three zones, and each player was confined to his or her assigned zone. Men and women played together. Upon Broekhuysen's return to Amsterdam, he began to teach his students a modified version of ringboll. Broekhuysen replaced the ring with a basket to make it easier to see whether the ball had gone through it and scored a point. With his young students in mind, he also simplified the rules.[1][2]

The name korfball derives from korf, a Dutch word meaning 'basket'.[citation needed][3]

Korfball was featured as a demonstration sport in the Summer Olympics of 1920 and 1928.[4] It has been included in the World Games since 1985.

Members of the International Korfball Federation

The International Korfball Federation (IKF) was founded in 1933 in Antwerp, Belgium.[5] IKF World Korfball Championships have been held every four years since 1978. The most successful countries at these competitions have been the Netherlands, Belgium, and Taiwan. The IKF announced in March 2022 that due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Russian Korfball Federation would not be invited to any international competition until further notice, effectively banning Russian athletes from such events. Furthermore, the Russian Korfball Federation would not be eligible to bid to host any IKF event, nor were any IKF events planned to be held in Russia.[6]

As of 2022, korfball is played in 69 countries and on every populated continent.[7] In the Netherlands, there are approximately 500 clubs and more than 90,000 players.[8]

The oldest korfball club that is still in existence, and has never merged with another, is HKC ALO in The Hague, having been founded on 1 February 1906.[9][10][11][better source needed]

## Rules and regulations

[edit]

### Equipment

[edit]

Korfball is played inside in winter and outdoors in spring, summer and autumn.

The size of the indoor court is 20 m × 40 m (22 yd × 44 yd), as are most outdoor courts. The court is divided into halves called zones. In each zone is a 3.5 m (11 ft) tall post with a basket at the top. This is positioned two-thirds of the distance between the center line and the back of the zone.[2]

The ball is very similar to the one used in association football, with a circumference of 68.0-70.5 cm (or diameter of 21.75-22.45 cm), a weight of 445-475 grams, and a bounce height of 1.10-1.30 meters when dropped from a height of 1.80 meters.

* Korfball field diagram

* Korf and ball

### Team

[edit]

A korfball team consists of eight players: four female and four male.[12]

### Match

[edit]

Korfball match in the Netherlands

An international korfball match typically consists of two halves or four periods, with the length varying depending on the competition. When the match consists of halves, the duration is typically 25 minutes, with periods typically between 7 and 10 minutes, with a one-minute break between the first and second periods and between the third and fourth periods. At half time the break is five or ten minutes.[12]

Four players of each team are in one zone and the other four are in the other zone. Within each zone, a player may only defend a member of the opposite team of the same gender.

At the beginning of the match, one team chooses a particular half of the court. That half will be that team's defending zone, with "their" basket in it. Players score by throwing the ball through the opposing team's basket. After two goals, the teams change zones: defenders become attackers and attackers become defenders. In between those zone-changes, attackers cannot set foot on their defending zone or vice versa. At half time the teams swap halves of the court.

The rules prevent physical strength dominating the game. Blocking, tackling, and holding are not allowed, nor is kicking the ball.

Once a player has the ball, that player cannot dribble or walk with it; however, the player can move one foot as long as the foot on which the player landed when catching the ball stays in the same spot. Therefore, tactical and efficient teamwork is required, because players need each other in order to keep the ball moving.

A player may not attempt to score when defended, which occurs when the defender is in between the opponent and the basket, is facing his/her opponent, or is within arm's length and attempting to block the ball. This rule encourages fast movement while also limiting the impact of players' height compared to their opponents.

## International tournaments

[edit]

### World Games

[edit]

Main article: Korfball at the World Games

The national teams competition organized by the International World Games Association has been played roughly every four years since 1981.

| Year | Host | Champion | Second place | Third place

|
|
|
|
|

II Details | 1985  | United Kingdom  |  Netherlands |  Belgium |  West Germany
III Details | 1989  | West Germany  |  Netherlands |  Belgium |  West Germany
IV Details | 1993  | Netherlands  |  Netherlands |  Belgium |  Germany
V Details | 1997  | Finland  |  Netherlands |  Belgium |  Chinese Taipei
VI Details | 2001  | Japan  |  Netherlands |  Belgium |  Chinese Taipei
VII Details | 2005  | Germany  |  Netherlands |  Belgium |  Czech Republic
VIII Details | 2009  | Taiwan  |  Netherlands |  Belgium |  Chinese Taipei
VIII Details | 2013  | Colombia  |  Netherlands |  Belgium |  Chinese Taipei
IX Details | 2017  | Poland  |  Netherlands |  Chinese Taipei |  Belgium
X Details | 2022  | United States  |  Netherlands |  Belgium |  Chinese Taipei
XI Details | 2025  | China  |  |  |

### IKF World Korfball Championship

[edit]

Main article: IKF Korfball World Championship

The national teams competition organized by the International Korfball Federation has been played roughly every four years since 1978.

| Year | Host | Champion | Second place | Third place

|
|
|
|
|

I Details | 1978  | Netherlands  |  Netherlands |  Belgium |  West Germany
II Details | 1984  | Belgium  |  Netherlands |  Belgium |  West Germany
III Details | 1987  | Netherlands  |  Netherlands |  Belgium |  Great Britain
IV Details | 1991  | Belgium  |  Belgium |  Netherlands |  Chinese Taipei
V Details | 1995  | India  |  Netherlands |  Belgium |  Portugal
VI Details | 1999  | Australia  |  Netherlands |  Belgium |  Great Britain
VII Details | 2003  | Netherlands  |  Netherlands |  Belgium |  Czech Republic
VIII Details | 2007  | Czech Republic  |  Netherlands |  Belgium |  Czech Republic
IX Details | 2011  | China  |  Netherlands |  Belgium |  Chinese Taipei
X Details | 2015  | Belgium  |  Netherlands |  Belgium |  Chinese Taipei
XI Details | 2019  | South Africa  |  Netherlands |  Belgium |  Chinese Taipei
XII Details | 2023  | Chinese Taipei  |  Netherlands |  Chinese Taipei |  Belgium

### IKF U23 World Korfball Championship

[edit]

Main article: IKF U23 World Championship

* 2008 Kaohsiung, Taiwan – Winner: Netherlands
* 2012 Barcelona, Spain – Winner: Netherlands
* 2016 Olomouc, Czech Republic – Winner: Netherlands

### Continental championships

[edit]

IKF promotes four continental championships: European Korfball Championship, All-Africa Korfball Championship, Pan-American Korfball Championship and Asia-Oceania Korfball Championship.

### International club competitions

[edit]

The IKF used to organize the Europa Cup competition for national champions (clubs) every year. The Europa Cup was organized for the first time in 1967, and was won by Ons Eibernest from the Netherlands. The winner of the last edition was Fortuna/Delta Logistiek, which won the 2020 edition.

PKC from Papendrecht, the Netherlands, have won the championship the most times, a record 12 wins in total.

Until now, the winning team was either from the Netherlands or Belgium, with respectively 45 and 6 Europa Cups. The only club from the United Kingdom to reach the final was Mitcham Korfball Club from London. Mitcham lost the final against Catbavrienden from Belgium in 1998.

On 25 January 2022 IKF announced the introduction of the IKF Europe Korfball Champions League meant as a replacement for the IKF Europa Cup and IKF Europa Shield competitions.[13] The first edition of the competition was the 2022/2023 edition.

## Beach korfball

[edit]

For beach korfball, the rules of the game differ slightly from those of regular korfball. Each team has 4 starting players and up to 4 substitutes. The field of play is 20 metres by 10 metres, and goals are to be placed 4 metres from the end line. Matches consist of two halves of 6 minutes with a 1-minute rest.[14]

Each team has 4 players in the field, two men and two women. Players can be substituted at any time. Furthermore, if a goal is scored from a 2-point zone, a two-point goal is awarded. Free shots can both be executed at the standard Free Shot line, or at the spot where the fault was made by the opponent.

The current Beach Korfball World Champion is Poland, who won the World Beach Korfball Championship in Nador, Morocco in 2022. 13 teams were represented with Portugal taking silver and Belgium bronze.[15]

### IKF World Beach Korfball Championship 2022

[edit]

| Year | Host | Champion | Second place | Third place

|
|
|
|
|

I Details | 2022  | Nador, Morocco |  Poland |  Portugal |  Belgium

IKF Beach Korfball World Cup (Regional)

| Year  | Region  | Host  | Champion  | Second Place  | Third Place

|
|
|
|
|
|

I  | 2017[16] | Europe  | The Hague, Netherlands | Netherlands | Portugal | Belgium
II  | 2018[17] | Europe  | Blankenberge, Belgium | Belgium | Portugal | Poland
III  | 2019[18] | Asia  | Hong Kong | Chinese Taipei | China | Hong Kong
IV  | 2019[19] | Europe  | Bonson, France | Portugal | Netherlands | Belgium
V  | 2023  | Asia  | Pattaya, Thailand | Chinese Taipei | Thailand | United States
VI  | 2023  | Europe  | Wrocław, Poland | Belgium | Netherlands | Poland

## Cultural references

[edit]

* Korfball is the theme of the song "Joy in Leeuwarden (We Are Ready)" on the album 90 Bisodol (Crimond) by Half Man Half Biscuit.
* "Korfball", the fourth episode of the FOX television series Going Dutch, centres around a korfball match between American soldiers and Dutch villagers.[20]

## See also

[edit]

* British Student Korfball Nationals
* Commonwealth Korfball Championships
* Korfball Europa Shield
* Korfball European Bowl
* Korfbal League

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Koninklijk Nederlands Korfbalverbond. "History of korfball" (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 17 December 2010. Retrieved 4 February 2011.
2. ^ a b "korfball". Webster's Sports Dictionary. Springfield, Mass.: G&G Merriam Company. 1976. p. 248.
3. ^ Bomhoff, Dirk (1851). New Dictionary of the English and Dutch Language: Dutch and English Volume 2 of New Dictionary of the English and Dutch Language (2nd ed.). Harvard University: Thieme.
4. ^ Jurryt van de Vooren. "Forgotten Sport-heroes: Nico Broekhuysen" (in Dutch). Retrieved 4 February 2011.
5. ^ "International Korfball Federation (IKF) - Spread Korfball Around The Globe!". International Korfball Federation. Retrieved 6 February 2025.
6. ^ "No Russian athletes in international korfball events". 1 March 2022.
7. ^ "What's korfball? And why is it gaining popularity in Birmingham, Alabama?". Here and Now. WBUR. 5 April 2022.
8. ^ "IKF Members". International Korfball Federation. Retrieved 27 April 2025.
9. ^ "Sports On Call - Information You Can Access On One Call". Retrieved 1 February 2019.
10. ^ "History". alo.nu (in Dutch).
11. ^ "Oldest Korfball Club". Guinness World Records.
12. ^ a b IKF. "Complete Rules of Korfball" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
13. ^ "IKF launches Korfball Champions League in Europe". 25 January 2022.
14. ^ "Documents". IKF beachkorfball. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
15. ^ "Poland is the first World Beach Korfball Champion". IKF beachkorfball. 20 August 2022. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
16. ^ "IKF OEBKC 2017 - Day 2 (Semi-finals & Finals): Updated results". IKF beachkorfball. 19 August 2017. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
17. ^ "IKF Beach Korfball World Cup 2018: Day 2 - Programme, Results & Ranking". IKF beachkorfball. 11 August 2018. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
18. ^ "Chinese Taipei: 1st IKF Beach Korfball World Cup (Asia) Champion!". IKF beachkorfball. 11 March 2019. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
19. ^ "IKF BKWC (Europe) 2019: Recap day 2". IKF beachkorfball. 7 July 2019. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
20. ^ "Listings - GOING DUTCH on FOX". FOX. Retrieved 24 January 2025 - via The Futon Critic.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Korfball.

* International Korfball Federation (IKF) includes rules, all national associations and event results.
* US Korfball Federation (USKF)
* "Homepage". Royal Dutch Korfball Association. Archived from the original on 18 December 2010. Retrieved 6 February 2011. (793.7 KB) Extensive description and explanation of rules and requirements in competition korfball. (in Dutch)
* Infographic about what korfball is
* PNW Beach Korfball (US)

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