Here in Leeds we are fortunate enough to live in a city that is rich in sporting events and opportunities; whether it be football, rugby, cricket and many more traditional sports. But, what about the sports that you may not hear of on a regular basis, if at all?
Korfball is a fantastic example of a non-traditional sport in the UK that is on the rise, but is relatively unheard of to most people.
It is a sport that originated in The Netherlands in 1902, and was invented by a Dutch school teacher. It holds close ties with basketball and netball, with points being scored by throwing the ball through the ‘korf,’ which is the yellow hoop at either end of the court that stands on top of a 3.5 metre high pole. The key difference being that it is a mix-gendered sport. Four males and four females make up each team.
Historically, this caused some controversy, as in the early 20th century some people were offended by the idea of having mixed gendered teams in sport. However, in the modern day and age it allows for a very inclusive and encouraging environment for the sport to played in.
Despite some opposition, korfball grew in popularity as time went by, and in 1920 and 1928, it was trialled as an Olympic sport as a demonstration sport, but unfortunately never became a regular event in the games, and has not appeared since.
In the modern day, the biggest title that you can win in korfball is is the IKF Korfball World Championship, which is hosted every four years across the world. It is run by the International Korfball Federation, who are the main governing body that oversees the sport. This tournament has been dominated by The Netherlands, who have won nearly all of the World Championships on record, with Belgium dominating the runners-up position. Great Britain have achieved two third place finishes, in 1987 and 1999.
Leeds is home to a number of korfball clubs, most notable of which being Leeds City Korfball Club, and the more recent Leeds Hurricanes Korfball Club, who were announced as England Korfball’s club of the year in 2022.
Alongside these clubs are the two major universities, as Leeds Beckett and the University of Leeds both offer korfball to their students as a sport to take part in throughout their studies in Leeds. This helps to provide the sport with fresh faces and a new generation of young people who enjoy korfball and can spread the word of the game.
Jake Thomas is the head coach of Leeds Beckett Korfball, and he helped to paint a clear picture of what korfball is all about, and what they try to do to make the team and the sport as enjoyable for everyone as possible.
‘It is all about giving everyone opportunities to work together,’ said Jake. ‘It’s much more welcoming when compared to other sports. There’s less pressure on playing the sport and it is all about enjoying it.’
‘It is a fast paced game, we try and stick as an attacking unit and a defensive unit, with each swapping after every two goals are scored so you have got to be able to defend and attack.’ It is clearly a physically demanding sport, despite it being classed as no contact. Players must remain constantly on the move in order to create space, and lose their markers in order to create the opportunity for a shot, and the same goes when defending, as players can’t afford to give their opposite number any space.
Liam Scannell, the male president of Leeds Beckett Korfball gave us a players’ perspective on the sport.
‘I went to my first taster session and I fell in love with it. I haven’t looked back since,’ he explained. ‘Nothing really surprised me, but before I joined there was that intriguement factor as to what it’s all about. Once you start to watch it more it’s much easier to understand the rules.’
As we know, sport is not just about what happens on the pitch or court, but it is also about the people you meet and fun you can have.
‘The social side is really good as well to meet new people,’ Liam said. ‘I mean it’s the only mixed gender sport out there, so in terms of equality it is really nice.’
If you are someone who is considering trying something new and want a new challenge, but do not want to face the intense atmosphere that you can find in many sports then take Liam’s words into account, who only picked up korfball at university.
‘It is my main sport now. I used to play football and cricket before, but since coming to university I have only played korfball, so when I go home I will see what clubs are around, as I would like to carry on playing now.’
He further stated, ‘I recommend it to all of my mates. Spreading the word to friends, family, housemates and they always seem to enjoy it. Being in this environment, this close-knit community brings everyone together.’
If you think that korfball is something that has caught your interest, Head Coach, Jake Thomas explained the best thing to do: ‘Reach out to your uni or a local club, you will find their details online or on social media. Most clubs offer free trial sessions, so get yourself down there, throw yourself into it and you never know, you may have found your new favourite sport.’
