Korfball?

What is korfball?
Korfball is a mixed-team sport invented in Holland in 1902. It was introduced to Britain in the 1940s, and there have been korfball clubs in the Oxfordshire region since 1983.  Korfball is played worldwide and the current World Champions are the Dutch.

A korfball team consists of four men and four women. There are no set positions and everyone has to be able to defend and attack. The game is set up so that there is no advantage to being male or female, tall or short, stocky or slim - all that matters is your ability to co-operate with your team mates to get through the opposition’s defence.

BBC Sport article about Korfball
More details

Korfball in Oxfordshire and the surrounding area
The first korfball played in the county was in 1983, when Oxford University Korfball Club was set up. We had to wait another nine years for the birth of Oxford City Korfball Club in 1992, and a further seven years before Abingdon Korfball Club was founded in 1999. Since then more clubs have arrived and at one point the Oxfordshire league comprised of 32 teams from 13 clubs: Abingdom Atoms, Basingstoke Bulls, Buckingham Royals, Didcot Dragons, Farnborough Jets, Guildford Thunder, Oxford City, Oxford Isis, Oxford University, Reading University, Reading Rooks, Southampton City Spartans and Southampton Uni.

In 2025 a new area association was spun off from the OKA, the Southern Counties Korfball Association (SCKA), leaving 5 clubs remaining in the OKA.
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Korfball at the 1920 Olympics
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The OKA is affiliated with the England Korfball governing body
How to play korfball
The rules of korfball are complicated (just like in any sport), but here are a few basic things to start you off...
  • The ball is similar to a football or a netball
  • You score a point by shooting the ball through a basket.
  • The basket is set on a post 3.5m off the floor
  • You can only shoot if you shake off your marker, but you can't run with the ball.
  • If you hit, hold, shove, kick, punch, spit at, or otherwise abuse your opponent (even a little bit) then the referee gets very angry, blows their whistle a lot, and gives you a stern talking to. And then gives a penalty.

​If you want to know more, then the easiest thing is to come along to one of our sessions and we’ll explain it all then.

Get Involved!
Abingdon Atoms
Training:  Thursday 1830-2030
Location: Larkmead School
Contact: [email protected]
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​Oxford City
Training: Thursday 1830-2000
Location: The Swan School, Oxford
Contact: [email protected]
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​Oxford University
Training: Monday 1930-2100 and Friday 1800-1930
Location: Iffley Road Sports Centre
Contact: [email protected]
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Didcot Dragons
Training: Tuesday 1900-2100
Location: Didcot Leisure Centre
Contact: [email protected]
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Oxford Isis
Training: Monday 1830-2030
Location: Rye St Antony School
Contact: [email protected]
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