What Korfball Is — and Why the Mixed Format Matters

Korfball is a fast, handball-style team sport played by two teams of eight: four men and four women on each side. It was invented in the Netherlands in 1902 and remains one of the very few genuinely mixed team sports played competitively at every level, from a Wednesday night league in Woking to the world championships. If you have ever watched it from the side of a sports hall and wondered what on earth the rules are, you are in good company — most people mistake it for netball with a taller post.

The essentials are simple. The court is around 40 metres by 20 metres, divided into two halves. At each end stands a korf: a bottomless basket on a pole, three and a half metres high, with no backboard. Because there is no backboard, every goal has to be earned with a clean, arcing shot. That single detail shapes everything else about how the game is played.

How a Team Lines Up

The eight players on each team are split into two divisions of four — two men and two women in each. One division attacks, the other defends, and the two are separated by the halfway line. You cannot simply wander up the court to join the attack; you play in the half you have been assigned.

This is where the mixed format really bites, and it is the rule that makes korfball so enjoyable for newcomers:

• You may only defend a player of the same gender. A woman marks a woman, a man marks a man. No exceptions.
• You may only be defended by a player of the same gender. A woman's shot can only be blocked or pressured by a woman, and a man's by a man.
• Every two goals, the divisions swap roles. Attackers become defenders and vice versa, so nobody spends the match stuck at one end.

The effect is that no single player — and no single gender — can dominate proceedings. A tall, powerful man cannot simply camp under the post and bully the game, because the player defending him is another man, and his shot can only be contested by another man. Meanwhile the women's game is not a sideshow; it carries exactly the same weight on the scoreboard.

Scoring, Shooting and the Running-In Shot

A goal is worth one point, and it is scored when the ball drops through the korf from above. You must shoot from inside your own attacking half, and you cannot score from the defensive division. Because the post is 3.5 metres high and there is no backboard, shooting technique matters far more than raw strength — a well-judged, high-arching shot beats a flat, hard one every time.

The signature attacking move is the running-in shot. A player receiving the ball while moving towards the post may shoot without stopping, which is one of the few moments in the game where momentum is on the attacker's side. Most goals at grassroots level come from a well-timed pass, a sharp change of direction, and a running-in shot from four or five metres out.

Once you have the ball, you may pivot on one foot but you may not walk, run or dribble with it. You have a few seconds to pass or shoot, so the ball moves around the court quickly. Expect a lot of switching, screening and quick hands.

What You Cannot Do: The Commonest Whistles

New players usually give away the same handful of decisions in their first few weeks. Knowing them in advance will save you a lot of puzzled glances at the referee:

• No running with the ball. Pivot, pass or shoot — that is it.
• No dribbling. Bouncing the ball is not permitted at any point.
• No physical contact. No tackling, holding, pushing or blocking a player with your body. You may block the ball, not the person.
• No shooting when defended. If a same-sex defender is within arm's length with an arm raised, you are "defended" and cannot shoot. Doing so gives away a free pass.
• No shooting from the wrong half. Shots must come from your attacking division.

Minor infringements restart with a free pass. More serious fouls inside the attacking half can give away a penalty, taken from about 2.5 metres in front of the post with only the goalkeeper and the shooter involved — a genuinely nervy moment.

Match Format and Substitutions

Adult league matches are normally played across two halves, with shorter formats common in junior and community sessions. Teams may use rolling substitutions, which means mixed-ability squads can rotate freely — a real bonus if you are new to the sport, or returning after a long break.

The two-goal rule about swapping divisions keeps everyone honest. You cannot hide a weaker player in a corner; sooner or later they will be attacking, and sooner or later they will be defending.

Getting Started on a Court in Woking

If you live in or around Woking, the easiest route in is a beginner or "come and try" session at a local sports hall. Wear indoor trainers with good grip, bring a water bottle, and expect to be playing a friendly small-sided game within the first hour. Sessions are almost always mixed, and because the rules require it, you will be passing to and receiving from players of both genders from the very first whistle.

Turn up with an open mind, ask the referee questions during breaks, and do not worry about getting the defended-shot rule right straight away — nobody does. Within a few weeks you will find yourself instinctively checking where the nearest same-sex defender is before you catch the ball, and that is the moment korfball clicks. It is a genuinely welcoming community sport, and Woking's courts are a fine place to learn it.