Korfball Facts

Korfball is a team ball game, similar to netball, which is played indoors or outdoors on a court divided into two halves called zones. In each zone there is a post with a basket at the top.

Korfball differs from other team sports in that it is a mixed-gender game: a team consists of four men and four women.

Korfball is played either indoors or outdoors on a court divided into two halves called zones. In each zone there is a post (3.5m, shorter for the young) with a basket at the top.

Nico Broekhuysen, a Dutch school teacher, learnt a game called ringboll on a visit to Sweden in 1902. Points are scored in ringboll by throwing the ball through a ring attached to a 3 meter high post. After Broekhuysen returned to the Nederlands, he replaced the ring by a basket and simplified the rules.

This is positioned at two thirds of the distance between the centre line and the back of the zone. The ball is similar to the one used for association football. There are two teams, each consisting of eight players: two men and two women of each team in each zone (attack and defense). Players score by throwing the ball through the other team's basket.

After two goals the teams change zones: the defenders become attackers and attackers defenders. At half-time the teams swap halves of the court.

Korfball is a team sport. Individual class is essential but there is no room for individual play. Belonging to a team means teamwork; running with the ball or dribbling is not allowed. A player who receives the ball while running must stop and pass the ball to another.

World Championships have been held every four years since 1978. Most tournaments are won by the Netherlands or by Belgium.