 Outdoor korfball match in theNetherlands | |
| Highestgoverning 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 in1920 and1928 |
| World Games | 1985–present |
Korfball (Dutch:korfbal[ˈkɔr(ə)vbɑl]) is aball sport with similarities tonetball,basketball, andringball. 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 theNetherlands in 1902 by schoolteacherNico Broekhuysen, and has since spread globally.
In 1901, Dutch schoolteacher Nico Broekhuysen travelled to theSwedish town of Nääs to take an educational course on teaching gymnastics to children. While there, he was introduced toringboll. 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 toAmsterdam, he began to teach his students a modified version ofringboll. 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 namekorfball derives fromkorf, a Dutch word meaning 'basket'.[citation needed][3]
Korfball was featured as ademonstration sport in the Summer Olympics of1920 and1928.[4] It has beenincluded in the World Games since 1985.
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TheInternational Korfball Federation (IKF) was founded in 1933 inAntwerp, 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, andTaiwan. The IKF announced in March 2022 that due toRussia'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, isHKC ALO inThe Hague, having been founded on 1 February 1906.[9][10][11][better source needed]
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 calledzones. 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 inassociation 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.
A korfball team consists of eight players: four female and four male.[12]
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.
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IIDetails | 1985 | United Kingdom |  Netherlands |  Belgium |  West Germany |
| IIIDetails | 1989 | West Germany | Netherlands | Belgium | West Germany |
| IVDetails | 1993 | Netherlands | Netherlands | Belgium | Germany |
| VDetails | 1997 | Finland | Netherlands | Belgium |  Chinese Taipei |
| VIDetails | 2001 | Japan | Netherlands | Belgium | Chinese Taipei |
| VIIDetails | 2005 | Germany | Netherlands | Belgium |  Czech Republic |
| VIIIDetails | 2009 | Taiwan | Netherlands | Belgium | Chinese Taipei |
| VIIIDetails | 2013 | Colombia | Netherlands | Belgium | Chinese Taipei |
| IXDetails | 2017 | Poland | Netherlands | Chinese Taipei | Belgium |
| XDetails | 2022 | United States | Netherlands | Belgium | Chinese Taipei |
| XIDetails | 2025 | China | Netherlands | Belgium | Chinese Taipei |
The national teams competition organized by theInternational Korfball Federation has been played roughly every four years since 1978.
| Year | Host | Champion | Second place | Third place | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IDetails | 1978 | Netherlands | Netherlands | Belgium | West Germany |
| IIDetails | 1984 | Belgium | Netherlands | Belgium | West Germany |
| IIIDetails | 1987 | Netherlands | Netherlands | Belgium |  Great Britain |
| IVDetails | 1991 | Belgium | Belgium | Netherlands | Chinese Taipei |
| VDetails | 1995 | India | Netherlands | Belgium |  Portugal |
| VIDetails | 1999 | Australia | Netherlands | Belgium | Great Britain |
| VIIDetails | 2003 | Netherlands | Netherlands | Belgium | Czech Republic |
| VIIIDetails | 2007 | Czech Republic | Netherlands | Belgium | Czech Republic |
| IXDetails | 2011 | China | Netherlands | Belgium | Chinese Taipei |
| XDetails | 2015 | Belgium | Netherlands | Belgium | Chinese Taipei |
| XIDetails | 2019 | South Africa | Netherlands | Belgium | Chinese Taipei |
| XIIDetails | 2023 | Chinese Taipei | Netherlands | Chinese Taipei | Belgium |
IKF promotes four continental championships:European Korfball Championship,All-Africa Korfball Championship,Pan-American Korfball Championship andAsia-Oceania Korfball Championship.
TheIKF used to organize theEuropa 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 fromPapendrecht, 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 theIKF Europe Korfball Champions League meant as a replacement for the IKF Europa Cup andIKF Europa Shield competitions.[13] The first edition of the competition was the 2022/2023 edition.
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 isPoland, who won the World Beach Korfball Championship inNador,Morocco in 2022. 13 teams were represented withPortugal taking silver andBelgium bronze.[15]
| Year | Host | Champion | Second place | Third place | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IDetails | 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 |
| VII | 2024[20] | Europe | Temse, Belgium | Netherlands | Poland | Belgium |
| VIII | 2024[21] | Asia | Bangkok, Thailand | Chinese Taipei | Czech Republic | Poland |
| IX | 2025[22] | Europe | Stockholm, Sweden | Netherlands | Czech Republic | Hungary |
| Artistic and dance sports | |
|---|---|
| Ball sports | |
| Martial arts | |
| Precision sports | |
| Strength sports | |
| Trend sports | |
| Past official sports | |
| Invitational sports (never made official) | |
