Korfball

Lore & Background

In 1901, Dutch schoolteacher Nico Broekhuysen traveled to the Swedish town of Nääs for an educational course on teaching gymnastics. There, he was introduced to ringboll, a Swedish game where players scored by throwing a ball through a ring on a 3-meter pole, with men and women playing together in three zones. Upon returning to Amsterdam, Broekhuysen modified the game for his young students, replacing the ring with a basket to make scoring easier to see, and simplified the rules. The name korfball derives from the Dutch word 'korf', meaning 'basket'.

The sport was featured as a demonstration sport in the Summer Olympics of 1920 and 1928, and has been included in the World Games since 1985. The International Korfball Federation (IKF) was founded in 1933 in Antwerp, Belgium. The oldest korfball club still in existence, HKC ALO in The Hague, was founded on 1 February 1906. As of 2022, the Netherlands has approximately 500 clubs and more than 90,000 players.

Reader's Guide

Korfball's significance lies in its pioneering mixed-gender team structure, requiring four women and four men per team, a feature rare in team sports. The sport emphasizes tactical teamwork over physical strength, with rules prohibiting dribbling, walking with the ball, and defending an opponent of the opposite gender. This design, rooted in Broekhuysen's educational background, encourages fast movement and cooperation. The IKF World Korfball Championships have been held every four years since 1978, with the Netherlands, Belgium, and Taiwan being the most successful countries. The sport's global reach extends to 69 countries on every populated continent. In 2022, the IKF banned the Russian Korfball Federation from international competition due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Beach korfball, a variant with slightly different rules, has its own world championship, with Poland winning the 2022 edition. The sport has also appeared in popular culture, including a song by Half Man Half Biscuit and an episode of the FOX television series Going Dutch.

Did You Know?

• Korfball was created by Dutch schoolteacher Nico Broekhuysen in 1902 after he saw a Swedish game called ringboll.
• The oldest korfball club still in existence is HKC ALO in The Hague, founded on 1 February 1906.
• Korfball was a demonstration sport at the 1920 and 1928 Summer Olympics.
• In March 2022, the IKF banned the Russian Korfball Federation from international competition due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.