An Inside Look at the Korfball Club

As a bright eyed, bushy tailed fresher I was so excited for my university experience. I had even created and edited an extensive list of every society and sports club that I might have ever wanted to try (trust me – there was a lot).  Fast-forward 12 months, and after three months of summer spent contemplating all the stupid decisions I made in first year, I decided I would actually try in my second year to broaden my horizons, busy myself and not be drunk all the time. That was when I remembered a rather suspicious email I received the summer leading up to my first year…

I had somehow been receiving an email about pretty much every sport the university offers, and, as expected, on the list were basketball, football and rugby.  Alongside these staples of world sport however, was something rather more mysterious, enigmatic and downright baffling.  I can almost guarantee I had the same reaction as you did: a tilt of the neck and a furrow of the brow accompanied with the thought “errrr… what’s ‘korfball’?”A quick Google search later, I came across videos of a Dutch, mixed-gender sport which seemed extremely similar to netball.

For anybody who doesn’t know what netball is, it’s basically basketball but you’re not allowed to move with the ball and if you make any contact with another person then you may as well have punched their mother in the face. It is also known fondly within the St Andrew’s team as “the best alternative sport you will ever play.”

I feel most clubs will testify that they are the most fun club. As an outsider to korfball, having only played the sport for approximately six weeks, I can confirm that they are, at least, the most fun club I have ever had the joy to encounter. It isn’t often that you attend your first training session, are welcomed to a social that same night and somehow end up finding a group of people who believe duct taping three drunk people together and making them build a sandcastle is the definition of fun.

However, as much as the Korfball Club prides itself on its sociability, the sport itself is much more popular than you might be lead to believe. The Scottish Korfball League is comprised of St Andrews’ two teams, several teams based in Edinburgh and Dundee, and Edinburgh University’s three teams (and I suppose I shouldn’t forget ‘Northern Storm’ who hop over the border to play against us all). There’s even a Scottish National team that includes St Andrews’ very own Caspar Volker. But, if you feel that sport might not be your forté, then never fear. There are regular events aimed specifically for beginners in the sport, including a beach tournament held right here on our doorstep in St Andrews which I can testify is complete and utter chaos – in a good way.

If you are anything like I was at the beginning of this semester and you feel a need to satiate that burning intrigue you have towards korfball, then I have some bits of advice to help you through:

Come along to our training sessions: it’s pretty self-explanatory right? We train on Thursdays from 2-4:30pm and Saturdays from 9-10:30pm.

Join us at the pub: you can almost guarantee you will find us at Aikman’s every Saturday after training. We’ll be the ones stinking out the cellar bar with that infamous post-exercise/alcohol buzz.

Watch some korfball: You’re in luck because the European Korfball Championships are happening right now! You can find all the matches on Youtube on the International Korfball Federation channel. Alternatively there will be several home games throughout the year, and all support will be welcomed.

So feel free to snap out of your confusion and return to your normal self because you can now get on with your day knowing that you are slightly more informed on korfball – and that is something worth celebrating.

 Photo Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons