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Kent and Medway Schools Korfball Tournament

By Rochester & Strood Conservatives on

Ward councillors undergoing vigorous Korfball training session
Ward councillors undergoing vigorous Korfball training session

Rochester South and Horsted ward councillors had the pleasure in attending the Kent and Medway Schools Korfball Tournament which was held recently at in the ward at The King’s Sports Centre (formerly Stirling Centre), Maidstone Road Rochester.
The investment by The King’s School into the outdoor courts at the centre has made the venue an attractive location to hold various sporting tournaments. We were all very new to korfball and it was a great experience to see over 100 children competing in this growing sport. We asked Stuart McLellan, the Kent Area Chairman, to explain the rules and origins of the sport.

“Korfball (Dutch: ‘Korfbal’) is a ball sport, with similarities to netball and basketball. It is played by two teams of eight players with four females and four males in each team. The objective is to throw a ball through a bottomless basket that is mounted on a 3.5 m (11.5 feet) high pole.
The sport was invented by Dutch school teacher Nico Broekhuysen in 1902. In the Netherlands, there are around 569 clubs and over 100,000 people playing korfball. The sport is also very popular in Belgium and Taiwan, and is played in many other countries. The sport is growing in the UK, and Kent alone has 5 clubs – Kingfisher, Tornadoes, KV, Bearsted and Bromley.
Learning the rules of korfball
Learning the rules of korfball

Korfball is a very sociable sport, mainly down to the fact that both males and females are required to participate in the same team. The clubs then have youth and senior teams, which very often results in families playing the game together.
Kent Korfball Association is responsible for the running of the Kent regional league and tournaments. We are constantly trying to promote and advertise the sport and get people involved in playing, helping and supporting. We have our annual Kent Summer Korfball Tournament coming up on the 22nd and 23rd July in Larkfield, so feel free to get I touch if you would like to have go! For more information please visit our website.”