Korfball was invented in 1901 by Niko Broekhuysen, an Amsterdam Schoolmaster who wanted a game his entire class could play together, both boys and girls. It is comparable to basketball and netball but with one major exception, it is a true mixed team sport where males and females compete on an equal footing. Korfball is played between two teams of 8 (4 men, 4 women) on a rectangular pitch of 40m x 20m (although smaller sizes are often used in the UK). The pitch is divided into two halves, and at each end a goalpost is positioned one third inside the court, suspending a basket 3.5m from the ground, The basket is 1.5 feet higher than a netball post and can be attacked from all angles. Action consists almost entirely of passing the ball by hand from person to person, and movement into space off the ball. Attackers use changes of speed and direction, combined with team tactics to try and lose their defending marker in order to create shooting chances. When the defender has his arm raised within touching distance of the attacker, and is closer to the post, a shot may not be taken 
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Kicking, punching and running with the ball are forbidden and almost no body contact is permitted. Players may only mark an opposition player of the same sex and will likely concede a penalty for infringing this rule. Other than being orgnaised into attack and defence there are no specific set positions meaning players need to have all round skills. Whenever two goals are scored in the match the players change zones meaning the attackers become defenders and vice versa for the next two goal phase. The ball is similarly sized to a soccer ball, although has a harder outer casing and is much lighter in weight. Traditionally the baskets have been made of wicker, but these are now being phased out in favour of plastic synthetic equivalents. Although Korfball continues to spread rapidly throughout Britain, the majority of top level clubs are situated in London and the South East of England,Also competing int he current BKA National League are entrants from Norwich, Cambridge and Nottingham, whilst teams from Oxford, Stoke, Sheffield, Manchester and Edinburgh have challenged at this level in recent years. Korfball is now played in over fifty countries worldwide, and in the mid to long term has aspirations to become a full Olympic sport. The game is especially popular within the Commonwealth countires, Southern and Eastern Europe and the Far East, and fourteen other countries including England will be looking to challenge the dominant Dutch and Belgian international teams at the upcoming 2007 World Championships in the Czech Republic. |