Korfball in Wales

File:Wales Korfball Pel Korf Cymru.jpg

Wales Korfball

Korfball in Wales has been played since 1991 and is managed by the Welsh Korfball Association/Cymdeithas Bêl-Korf Cymru (WKA). The association was established in 2002 and the Welsh Korfball Squad was formed in 2005. In 2007, the International Korfball Federation admitted the WKA as a full member.

The association organised the inaugural Welsh Korfball League in 2007 but top clubs in Wales have traditionally also played in the English leagues against clubs from the South West of England. Welsh clubs have a greater chance of qualifying for European competitions through the Welsh competitions. There has never been a Welsh club in the top tier of English korfball.

The Welsh Korfball Squad has been relatively successful on the international stage, appearing at their first and only World Championship in 2011.

History

Korfball was invented by Dutch school teacher Nico Broekhuysen in 1902. The Netherlands is the birthplace of the sport and boasts near 580 clubs and over 100,000 players. The sport is increasingly popular in Belgium and Taiwan and is now played in over 60 countries. The British Korfball Association is the third oldest in the world, established in 1946, behind the Netherlands and Belgium. Korfball in Wales is currently confined to the Cardiff area though for brief periods there have been clubs in Newbridge and Swansea.

The first club in Wales was established in 1991 at Cardiff University by a group of Dutch students. Cardiff University is now one of the most established university clubs in the UK and won BUSA Gold at the BSKA National Championships in Cardiff, 2001. The following year, the Welsh Korfball Association was formed and, in 2003, Cardiff City was established by ex-Cardiff University students becoming the first non-university club in Wales. Cardiff City has gone on to be Wales' most successful club winning one Excalibur league title, four Welsh league titles, and three Western Regional league titles. The club has also competed at the IKF Europa Cup First Round in 2008, 2012, and 2013. In 2005, Cardiff Dragons was formed as a sister club of Cardiff City and started strongly winning divisions 1 and 2 of the EKL in their first two seasons. It took a few years until further clubs arrived but in 2012 Cardiff Raptors was created by students leaving Cardiff University. A year later the second university club was established at Cardiff Metropolitan University, previously University of Wales Institute Cardiff (UWIC).

From 2002 to 2007 the Welsh clubs competed in the Excalibur Korfball League (EKL) with teams from the South West of England. When this was disbanded, at the request of the South West Korfball Association, the Welsh Korfball League came into existence and was administered by the WKA. In 2009, the England Korfball Association (EKA) created a Regional League to promote high level competition between the areas of Wales, South West England, and the South of England.

There is limited youth korfball within Wales and it is mainly focused in three primary schools: Roath Park Primary, Moorland Primary, and Tyn-Y-Wern Primary. In 2012 the WKA organised the first Annual Welsh Primary Schools' Tournament. Youth korfball is slowly gaining popularity in the Cardiff area with many secondary schools running korfball taster sessions and Youth Korflite being offered during the summer. Currently there are no junior korfball clubs outside of the schools during the winter season.

League Competitions

During the winter season, korfball is played indoors and is formally organised. In the summer, friendly outdoor summer league takes place known as "Korflite", utilising half court matches between teams of four players, instead of the standard eight.

The Welsh Korfball League (WKL) was formed in 2007 after the Excalibur league was disbanded. It has been the main korfball competition in Wales ever since.

Title Winners:

• 4 Cardiff City: (2007-08, 2009-10, 2011-12, and 2012-13)
• 2 Cardiff University: (2008-09, and 2010-11)

The top Welsh clubs also compete in the Western Regional League, formed in 2009, against teams from the South and South West of England.

Title Winners:

• 3 Cardiff City: (2009-10, 2011-12, and 2012-13)

The Excalibur Korfball League was the main competition for clubs in South Wales and the South West of England prior to 2007.

Title Winners

• 2 Cardiff Dragons: (2005-06, and 2006-07)
• 1 Cardiff City: (2004-05)

Cup Competitions

The format for what is now known as the "Welsh Cup" has varied over the years. Previously the Welsh Korfball Association held a "Gala" event between the first teams of the then three Welsh clubs. A simple three way play-off determined the winner each year and this was previously used for one Welsh club to qualify for the IKF Europa Cup; this is the premier club competition in Europe. For the 2012-13 season the "Gala" was abolished and a place at Europa Cup was determined by league standings in the Welsh Korfball League. After this season a cup competition was reintroduced in the form of the "Welsh Cup" which allowed multiple teams from the same club to enter. Seeding for this competition is determined by a team's standing in the Welsh Korfball League but results do not affect the cup otherwise. The winner of the single day cup tournament qualifies for the IKF Europa Cup.

Welsh Cup Winners

• 2 Cardiff City (2010, and 2012)
• 2 Cardiff University (2009, and 2011)

Cardiff University compete in the British Universities and Colleges Sport Korfball National Championships and won gold in 2001.

Welsh Clubs

Welsh korfball clubs are:

• Cardiff University (Est. 1991)
• Cardiff City (Est. 2003)
• Cardiff Dragons (Est. 2005)
• Cardiff Raptors (Est. 2012)
• Cardiff Metropolitan University (Est. 2013)

National team

Wales - Korfball national team
Year	Championship	Host	Classification
2005	Home Nations Championship	England	3rd place
2006	Four Nations Tournament	Luxembourg	2nd place
2006	1st Korfball Commonwealth Championship	London, England	3rd place
2007	2nd European Bowl	Luxembourg	Champions (West)
2007	2007 Korfball European Bowl Final	Czech Republic	2nd place
2009	3rd European Bowl	Luxembourg	Champions (West)
2010	4th European Championships	Netherlands	11th place
2011	9th World Championship	Shaoxing, China	15th place
2013	4th European Bowl	Papendrecht, Netherlands	2nd place (East)
2014	Wales Open Tournament	Cardiff, Wales	3rd place

See also

• Korfball World Championship
• European Korfball Championship
• Korfball European Bowl

External links

• Korfball Association/Cymdeithas Bêl-Korf Cymru
• International Korfball Federation