What is Korfball?
Korfball was invented in 1902 by Dutch schoolteacher Nico Broekhuysen, who wanted a sport promoting gender equality.
Inspired by Swedish ringball, he adapted the rules to create a fast-paced, mixed-gender game focused on teamwork and skill. It quickly spread across Europe and beyond, becoming the only truly gender-integrated ball sport. To this day, it is still the only sport with boys and girls playing in the same team!
Today, korfball is played in over 50 countries, including England, where competitive leagues and clubs thrive!
Reading has embraced the sport with 2 clubs in the area: Reading Knights - affiliated to the University of Reading - and Reading Rooks, where we offer players of all levels a chance to experience korfball’s dynamic play and inclusive community.
Ready to get involved?
A brief introduction
The Team
A korfball team is made up of eight players—four men and four women—divided into Attack and Defense.
The attacking players work to score goals within their half of the court, while defenders aim to block their opponents from doing the same in the other half.
Each team can make a number of substitutions throughout the match.
The Court
An area of up to 40x20m, larger than a netball court but smaller than a basketball court. It is divided into two halves, with each team assigned an attacking and defending zone.
Unlike basketball’s hoop at the end of the court, or netball’s restricted shooting areas, korfball has two "korfs" mounted on 3.5m-tall poles with room at the back of the court, allowing for 360° play around the posts.
The Match
A korfball match at lower-league level typically lasts 60 mins, divided into two halves, but can be shorter in high-level matches. Managers of both teams can use a one-minute timeout per halve to reset strategies and rally the team.
This is comparable to basketball’s 48-minute game and netball’s 60-minute format, balancing endurance with fast-paced action.
The Lingo
Communication is key between players, so there is a lot of frantic shouting across the court during attacking and defensive play.
You'll hear things like "Boy feeding", "Walking the block", "Switching"*, but mostly lots of encouragement from our travelling supporters on the sidelines!
(*Don't worry, we'll teach you all what it means)
The Rules (or some of them)
Players cannot dribble. Instead, they must pass the ball, emphasizing teamwork over solo play—unlike basketball, where dribbling is key.
Defense is strictly regulated. Players can only mark opponents of the same gender, ensuring fair competition—whereas basketball and netball allow mixed marking.
Teams switch roles after every two goals. Attackers become defenders and vice versa, creating fluid, dynamic play—unlike netball, where positions are fixed.
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