Going Dutch
When I think of Holland I think of windmills, wooden shoes and a stoic willingness to plug leaking dykes with fingers. They’re stereotypes, but the Dutch do have a lot to be proud of. Tasman was the first European to sight New Zealand and although you’ve never heard of it, korfball’s here too.
The Dutch are known for being liberal and inventive. It’s this mentality that led to the birth and rapid growth of this wacky sport that focuses on gender equality. Wellington has joined in with its very own korfball club.
A Dutch schoolteacher created korfball in 1903, a time when society dictated that only men should play sport, explains Wellington Korfball Club president Alice Carmody.
“It was a co-ed school and he wanted to create a sport based on fair play and cooperation so that anyone could have a go.”
A mixed-gender-only sport needs certain rules to keep males from dominating. Korfball’s rules reflect principles of fair play and on-court parity. The objective is the same as many ball sports - shoot into the ‘korf’ and prevent your opponent from doing so – but there are some differences. Each
team is made up of four men and four women and play takes place on a court divided into attacking and defending halves. Women mark women and men mark men, meaning there are no giant males marking smaller females.
“I’m five foot two and my boyfriend is six four and we play on court together,” says Carmody.
The aim is to create opportunities for teammates to shoot into the korf, unusually located at the top of a pole moved in from the baseline so it can be attacked from all angles. Everyone gets a chance to score, but you can only shoot if you are not being defended.
“It could be a different scorer each time. Everybody’s on an equal footing,” says Carmody.
Attackers and defenders switch halves after every two goals in the game, giving players the chance to move around and test their skills in different areas.
Korfball is great for fun and fitness. Have a look in Kilbirnie on August 27.
Is it time to go Dutch?
Korfball, ICSC Open Day, August 27









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