Korfball
Korfball (Dutch: Korfbal) is a mixed gender team ball game, similar to mixed netball and basketball. It is played in 57 countries. The sport is popular in the Netherlands, Belgium and Taiwan, among others. A team consists of four men and four women.
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Rules
Korfball is played indoors or outdoors on a court divided into halves called zones. In each zone is a post [3.5m (11.5 ft), shorter for children] with a basket at the top. This is positioned two thirds of the distance between the center line and the back of the zone. The ball is similar in size to that used in football (soccer), but with more grip and bounce. Players score by throwing the ball through the other team's basket. After two goals, the teams change zones: defenders become attackers and attackers become defenders. At half-time teams swap halves.
Men and women play side-by-side, but duels are man to man and woman to woman. One man may guard one man and one woman may guard one woman. A woman may not defend against a man nor vice-versa.
Each team tries to score using tactics. The rules prevent physical strength dominating the game. Blocking, tackling and holding are not allowed, nor are kicking or punching the ball. A player may not attempt to score when defended, which occurs when the defender is closer to the basket and facing his opponent, and is at arm's length and attempting to block the ball.
History
Korfball is derived from netball, which is in turn a variation of basketball.
Nico Broekhuysen, a Dutch school teacher, learned a game called ringboll in Sweden in 1902. Ringboll was the Swedish name for netball, called that because they used a simple ring rather than a net.[1] Points are scored in ringboll by throwing the ball through a ring attached to a 3m post. Broekhuysen replaced the ring with a basket (for which the Dutch word is "korf" or "mand") and simplified the rules. They included letting men and women play at the same time.[2]
International korfball
Korfball is played in 57 countries including England, Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Australia, New Zealand, Czech Republic, Poland, Greece, Serbia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, India, Netherlands, Belgium, Russia, Germany, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Portugal, Pakistan, Sweden, Philippines, Italy, France and Romania. It was a demonstration sport in the Olympic Games of 1920 and 1928, held in Antwerp and Amsterdam.
The International Korfball Federation was founded in 1933. Korfball has been played in the World Games since 1985. IKF World Championships have been held every four years since 1978. The leading nations are the Netherlands and Belgium. The oldest un-merged and still existing korfball club in the world is a Dutch korfball-club H.K.C. ALO located in The Hague, Netherlands; this is the oldest club that was never merged. H.K.C. ALO was founded on February 1, 1906.
Hong Kong hosted its first international tournament, the Asia Oceania Championship in 2006. New Zealand hosted the Asia Oceania Youth Championships in 2007.
Beach play
Rules for the game differ slightly from those of indoor play. Each team has 4 starters and 4 substitutes, only a single basket is used, matches consist of 5 minute halves with 3 minutes rest between, and if any team has only two players remaining (1 man and 1 woman) because of injury or other reason during the match, the referee will stop and terminate early.[3]
World Championship
The national teams competition organized by the International Korfball Federation has been played every four years since 1978.
| Year | Host | Champion | Second place | Third place | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I Details | 1978 | Netherlands |  Netherlands |
.svg.png){kind=small} 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 |
IKF U23 World Championship
- 2008 Kaohsiung, Taiwan - Netherlands
Coverage via www.korfball.tv
Continental championships
IKF promotes two continental championships: European Korfball Championship and Asia-Oceania Korfball Championship.
Europa Cup for Clubs
Every year the IKF organise the European Cup for clubs. The winner in 2009 was Koog Zaandijk from Zaanstad (NED). The winner in 2007 and 2008 was DOS '46 from Drenthe in the Netherlands. DOS'46 won their first European Cup in 1982. Ons Eibernest from The Hague in the Netherlands won the first championship in 1967. PKC from the Netherlands, have won the championship the most times, recording 10 wins in all. The Europa Cup is the only official international competition for clubs. The only club from Great Britain to reach the final, was Mitcham Korfball Club from London. Mitcham lost the final against Catbavrienden from Belgium in 1998.
See also
- Korfball World Championship
- European Korfball Championship
- Korfball European Bowl
- Asia-Oceania Korfball Championship
- Commonwealth Korfball Championships
- British Student Korfball Nationals
- International Korfball Federation
- Korfball European Cup
- Korfball Europa Shield
References
- ↑ Hickock Sports.com
- ↑ Koninklijk Nederlands Korfbalverbond (Royal Dutch Korfball Association). "Historie (History)" (in Dutch). http://www.knkv.nl/web/show/id=43251. Retrieved 2006-08-30.
- ↑ The rule of Beach korfball International Korfball Federation
External links
- International Korfball Federation (IKF) includes rules, all national associations and event results.
- Polish Korfball Federation (PFK) news, includes rules, Polish clubs and competition results
- Belgian Korfball Federation (KBKB) includes rules, Belgian clubs and competition results.
- British Korfball Association (BKA) - notice board for UK clubs
- Catalan Korfball Federation All about Catalan Korfball - News, results, fixudes, interview and more.
- Czech Korfball Association - news, results, information, links and much more...
- Dutch Korfball Federation (KNKV) includes rules, Dutch clubs and competition results.
- English Korfball Association (EKA) - News, league tables from around the UK and full club listings to find your nearest club]
- Hungarian Korfball Association Homepage of the Hungarian Korfball Association - breaking news, articles, images about Hungarian korfball events.
- Italian Federation of Korfball (FIK)
- Korfball New Zealand (KNZ) includes Spectator Guides, beginners training and introductions.
- Portuguese Korfball Federation (FPC) includes rules, Portuguese clubs and competition results.
- Swedish Korfball Federation includes competition results.
- Welsh Korfball Association (WKA) The home of Welsh korfball
- West Midlands Korfball Association (WMKA)- news, results, information, links, events and development
- East Midlands Korfball Association (EMKA)- Nottingham, Leicester, Derby, News, Results, Information, Links, Events and Development
- Staffordshire and Cheshire Korfball Association (SaCKA)- Castle, Keele University and CaNKorf
- Glasgow Korfball Club- Glasgow Korfball Club - senior team competing in the Scottish National League.
- KV Adler Rauxel- KV Adler Rauxel - German Korfball Club.
- Korfball Referee Test (KNZ) includes on-line exam test questions for Players and Referees.
- İTU Club - news, EUCK's information, links and much more...
- Hong Kong China Korfball Association (A member agency of Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China) - official national korfball association in Hong Kong. (Chinese)
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