thumb|Outdoor Korfball
Korfball ( ) is a ball sport with similarities to netball, basketball, and ringball. The objective is to throw a ball into a netless basket that is mounted on a pole. Each team is composed of four female players and four male players. The sport was created in the Netherlands in 1902 by schoolteacher Nico Broekhuysen, and has since spread globally.
History
thumb|Korfball match at the [[1928 Summer Olympics in the Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam]]
In 1901, Dutch schoolteacher Nico Broekhuysen travelled to the Swedish town of Nääs to take an educational course on teaching gymnastics to children. While there, he was introduced to ringboll. The objective of this Swedish game was to score points by throwing a ball through a ring attached to a pole that was 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 to Amsterdam, he began to teach his students a modified version of ringboll. 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.
The name korfball derives from , a Dutch word meaning 'basket'.
Korfball was featured as a demonstration sport in the Summer Olympics of 1920 and 1928. It has been included in the World Games since 1985.
thumb|Members of the [[International Korfball Federation]]
The International Korfball Federation (IKF) was founded in 1933 in Antwerp, Belgium. IKF World Korfball Championships have been held every four years since 1978. The most successful countries at these competitions have been the Netherlands, Belgium, and Taiwan. The IKF announced in March 2022 that due to Russia'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.
As of 2022, korfball is played in 69 countries and on every populated continent. In the Netherlands, there are approximately 500 clubs and more than 90,000 players.
The oldest korfball club that is still in existence, and has never merged with another, is HKC ALO in The Hague, having been founded on 1 February 1906.
Rules and regulations
Equipment
Korfball is played inside in winter and outdoors in spring, summer and autumn.
The size of the indoor court is , as are most outdoor courts. The court is divided into halves called zones. In each zone is a 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.
Match
thumb|Korfball match in the Netherlands
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. The first edition of the competition was the 2022/2023 edition.
Beach korfball
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.
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 is Poland, who won the World Beach Korfball Championship in Nador, Morocco in 2022. 13 teams were represented with Portugal taking silver and Belgium bronze.
IKF World Beach Korfball Championship 2022
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! || Year || Host || Champion|| Second place|| Third place
|-
| align="right" | I <small>Details</small>
| 2022
| Nador, Morocco
|
|
|
|-
|}
IKF Beach Korfball World Cup (Regional)
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!
!Year
!Region
!Host
!Champion
!Second place
!Third place
|-
|I
|2017
|Europe
|The Hague, Netherlands
|Netherlands
|Portugal
|Belgium
|-
|II
|2018
|Europe
|Blankenberge, Belgium
|Belgium
|Portugal
|Poland
|-
|III
|2019
|Asia
|Hong Kong
|Chinese Taipei
|China
|Hong Kong
|-
|IV
|2019
|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
|Europe
|Temse, Belgium
|Netherlands
|Poland
|Belgium
|-
|VIII
|2024
|Asia
|Bangkok, Thailand
|Chinese Taipei
|Czech Republic
|Poland
|-
|IX
|2025
|Europe
|Stockholm, Sweden
|Netherlands
|Czech Republic
|Hungary
|}
Cultural references
- Korfball is the theme of the song "Joy in Leeuwarden (We Are Ready)" on the album 90 Bisodol (Crimond) by Half Man Half Biscuit.
- "Korfball", the fourth episode of the FOX television series Going Dutch, centres around a korfball match between American soldiers and Dutch villagers.
See also
- British Student Korfball Nationals
- Commonwealth Korfball Championships
- Korfball Europa Shield
- Korfball European Bowl
- Korfbal League
References
External links
- International Korfball Federation (IKF) includes rules, all national associations and event results.
- US Korfball Federation (USKF)
- Extensive description and explanation of rules and requirements in competition korfball.
- Infographic about what korfball is
- PNW Beach Korfball (US)