Good morning, and welcome to OUKoC!
Yes, that's right, we are a friendly bunch, we korfballers!
And we'd just love you to come along, experience just how good a sport korfball is and join us for a drink. Training is on Sunday mornings, from 11 till 12:30, and Wednesday nights, from 8:30 till 10:30, which is often followed by a trip to the pub!
Go on, you know you wanna!
This site is designed to tell you pretty much everything you need to know about the club, but there are email links to all the committee members in case you have any questions.
OUKoC?
Oxford University Korfball Club
Last season was fantastic for the club. The Firsts came 2nd in the league again and took silver in BUSA Nationals, after their bronze in the BSKA Southerns. The Seconds were Division 2 Champions and took silver in the Cup, losing only to Milton Keynes Bucks 1 (who had earlier eliminated the Firsts).
This season is also looking good for OUKoC. The Firsts reached the final of BUCS Southerns losing only to Cambridge Uni 1. The Seconds have made it four Varsity victories in a row with their recent defeat of Cambridge Uni 2. Both teams have made a strong showing in the league and look forward to BUCS Nationals in March.
Korfball?
So what is exactly is this sport...
Invented by Dutch schoolteacher Nico Broekhuysen in the early 20th century to allow all of his pupils to compete, korfball is now played internationally, particularly in Europe. In the UK, league korfball is currently spreading from its concentration in the Southeast; korfball is also played in 20 UK universities.
As featured in the Sunday Times student guide
Korfball was featured in the student guide of the Sunday Times on 10th September, in the item "Out of the box", which suggested interesting sports to try at university:
Here's sport as an elaborate excuse for socialising ... It's pacier than netball; so are the drinks afterwards.
Like basketball, like netball, but better!
- Players cannot run with the ball or dribble it: all ball movement is by passing. Therefore the emphasis is very much on team work and not just running alongside as an opponent (or teammate, for that matter!) scores from yet another solo effort.
- Players must evade their defender to shoot (this is helpful for the shorter members of the population, as being in the right place and trying to block the shot is all that matters, rather than actually being tall enough to make the interception), so attacking moves involve rapid movement of players and the ball to open up gaps in the defence, and shooting opportunities must be taken quickly... so you can't just pass the ball up for a leisurely shot from under the post.
- Oh and the "korf" (the Dutch word for basket) is 3.5m (11.5ft) off the ground, so shooting is pretty tricky from range and a slam dunk would be a miracle!
Mixed
Korfball is the only truly mixed sport in the world:
- Teams have to comprise 4 men and 4 women, in two "divisions": one in attack and one in defence, with 2 men and 2 women in each. Each division is limited to half the court, and players cannot cross the halfway line.
- The divisions swap over after every 2 goals are scored, so everyone must be capable of both attack and defence
- Men cannot mark women, nor women mark men, so no funny business!
Non-contact
If the roughness of other sports frustrates your silky ball skills, then korfball might be for you:
- Contact in all forms is avoided: so there is no holding, pushing or tackling. Defence is by way of restricting the movement of the ball rather than the players, and preventing shooting opportunities by means of the "defended" rule.
