Home      News & Fixtures      Forums      Photos      Contact us!        So what's Korfball about then...   Korfball (in Dutch korfbal, which literally means basketball) is a mixed team sport. Evented in the Netherlands, Korfball is now played in over 40 countries Worldwide and is a sport recognised by the International Olympic Committee. Korfball differs from other team sports in that the rules of Korfball encourage controlled physical contact and gender equality between players. The main components of Korfball are oral skills and co-operative play, with players marking an opponent of the same gender. Korfball is played indoors in the winter and outdoors on astroturf or grass in the summer seasons, and is becoming increasingly popular on the beach too!     Check out the Korfball video now, otherwise, keep reading for a breif synopsis of Korfball         How to play Korfball is played indoors or outdoors on a court divided into two halves called zones. In the middle of each zone there is a post (3.5m, shorter for the young) with a basket in the top. The ball is similar to the one used for football. There are two teams, each consisting of eight players: two men and two women of each team in each zone (attack and defence). Scoring is done by throwing the ball through the other team's basket. After two goals the teams change zones: the defenders become attackers and attackers defenders. At half-time the teams swap halves of the court.   History It has been surmised that Korfball is a descendant of basketball through an intermediate Swedish sport called Ringboll. The story goes that at the beginning of the 20th century a Dutch school teacher called Nico Broekhuysen (right) was looking for a game that both the boys and the girls in his class could play. In 1902 he played a game called Ringboll whilst in Sweden. Back in the Netherlands he devised the rules for Korfball.   Philosophy of Korfball As long as you keep its philosophy in mind, all rules turn out to be straightforward. What, then, is its philosophy? First and foremost, Korfball is a team sport. Individual class is essential but there is no room for individual play. Belonging to a team means teamwork; running with the ball or dribbling is not allowed. A player that receives the ball while running must pass the ball to another player in one flowing movement, but is still aloud to continue running, keeping the game flowing. Korfball is a mixed sport. Men and women play side by side. But while women and men are equal in the tactics of the game, they mark players of their own sex. Third, Korfball is a tactical game. Each party tries to win by scoring more goals using tactical skills of the team as a whole. The rules follow this principle and prevent physical strength from dominating the game. That means that physical contact is undesired. Blocking, tackling and holding your opponent are not allowed in Korfball. Scoring in korfball is dependent on teamwork. By passing the ball, and changing pace, you gain space away from your defender, to create scoring opurtunities   International Korfball Originally, korfball was mostly played in Belgium and the Netherlands . It was a demonstration sport during the Olympic Games of 1920 and 1928 (which were held in Antwerp and Amsterdam). The foundation of the International Korfball Federation in 1993 and the existence of tens of national federations seem to imply an international popularity for the game, which has been played in the World Games since 1985. World Championships have been held every four years since 1978.   External links A wealth of information in the form of guides, lesson plans and the philosophy of Korfball http://www.korfball.org.nz/archive.php A lame web page, but does have an up-to-date listing of national fixtures and the latest rule updates http://www.korfball.co.uk/ The home of World Korfball with fixtures and results from the international community http://www.korfball.com/ If your seraching for an international photo gallery then this is probably the best place to start http://www.korfballworld.com/

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