What Is Korfball?!?

Korfball was invented in 1901 by an Amsterdam schoolmaster called Nico Broekhuysen. It is a game comparable to netball and basketball with one major exception - the game is designed to be played by mixed teams. It was designed by Nico Broekhuysen in this way because he wanted a game which could be played by his schoolchildren where both boys and girls were able to compete on an equal footing within the same game. Korfball is the world's only true mixed team sport in which both men and women compete on equal grounds.

Korfball is played by two teams of 8 (4 men,4 women) on a rectangular pitch 40 m by 20 m (although smaller sizeshave to be used in Britain where most Sports Halls tend to be based on Badminton Courts). The pitch is divided into two halves so that each end is square. At either end, at one third of the length of the square measured from the back line, is a goalpost supporting a cylindrical basket open at both ends with the rim of the basket 3.5 m (11.5ft) from the ground, 1.5ft higher than a netball post. There is no backboard. The ball is similar to a soccer ball, although the weights allowed are towards the top end of the weights for a soccer ball. The two zones, defence and attack, are occupied by two men and two women from each team.

Action consists almost entirely of passing the ball by hand from person to person. Passing and movement form the basis of the game with attackers using changes of speed and direction, combined with team tactics, to try to lose their defenders in order to create a shooting chance. This is not easy because an attacker is not allowed to shoot if the defender is within arms' length and nearer to the post. Any player in the attack zone may score.

Kicking, punching and running with the ball are forbidden and no body contact is permitted. Players may only mark a player of the same sex. Apart from playing within one half of the field there are no set positions and players need to have all round skills since whenever two goals are scored in the match the players change zones (ie those who were attacking now become defenders and vice versa).

Although the game is spread throughout Britain the majority of clubs are in South London and mid-Kent since the game started in South London in 1946 and has spread slowly out from there. There are leagues operating in London, Kent, Cambridge, Norfolk, The Midlands, Bristol and Scotland (mainly the Edinburgh and far North of England clubs) with individual community and university clubs throughout the rest of Britain. The National League consists of teams from all of these major leagues plus teams from Oxford and NE Surrey.

To see the game in action check out www.korfball.tv for highlights from the 2007 World Championships