Korfball

Lore & Background

In 1901, Dutch schoolteacher Nico Broekhuysen traveled to Nääs, Sweden, for a course on teaching gymnastics. There he encountered ringboll, a Swedish game where players threw a ball through a ring on a 3-meter pole, with men and women playing together in assigned zones. Upon returning to Amsterdam, Broekhuysen adapted the game for his young students, replacing the ring with a basket to make scoring easier to see, and simplifying the rules. He named the sport korfball, from the Dutch word 'korf' meaning 'basket'.

The sport grew quickly in the Netherlands. The oldest still-existing korfball club, HKC ALO in The Hague, was founded on 1 February 1906 and has never merged. Korfball was featured as a demonstration sport at the Summer Olympics of 1920 and 1928. The International Korfball Federation was founded in 1933 in the Netherlands, and the first IKF World Korfball Championships were held in 1978, with the Netherlands, Belgium, and Taiwan being the most successful nations.

In March 2022, the IKF banned the Russian Korfball Federation from international competitions and hosting events due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. As of 2022, korfball is played in 69 countries on every populated continent, with about 500 clubs and over 90,000 players in the Netherlands alone.

Reader's Guide

Korfball's significance lies in its pioneering mixed-gender team structure, which was unusual for team sports at its inception in 1902. The sport's rules deliberately limit physical dominance—blocking, tackling, holding, and dribbling are prohibited—and players may only defend an opponent of the same gender. This design encourages tactical teamwork and fast ball movement over individual strength or height.

The sport has maintained a steady international presence. It was a demonstration sport at the 1920 and 1928 Olympics and has been part of the World Games since 1985. The IKF World Korfball Championship has been held every four years since 1978, with the Netherlands, Belgium, and Taiwan as dominant teams. The IKF also organizes continental championships and, as of 2022, introduced the IKF Europe Korfball Champions League to replace the Europa Cup.

Beach korfball, a variant with smaller teams and a smaller field, has its own world championship; Poland won the 2022 edition. Korfball has also entered popular culture, appearing in a song by Half Man Half Biscuit and in an episode of the FOX television series Going Dutch. The sport's continued growth—69 countries as of 2022—demonstrates its enduring appeal as a cooperative, gender-inclusive athletic activity.

Did You Know?

• Korfball was inspired by the Swedish game ringboll, which Nico Broekhuysen learned in 1901.
• The oldest korfball club still in existence, HKC ALO in The Hague, was founded on 1 February 1906.
• The IKF banned the Russian Korfball Federation from international competitions in March 2022 due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
• The ball used in korfball is similar to a netball or size 5 basketball, with a circumference of 68.0–70.5 cm.