Korfball in Wales
| Sport | Korfball |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | WKA/CPC |
| Founded | 2002 |
| Affiliation | International Korfball Federation |
| Affiliation date | 2007 |
| Headquarters | Sport Wales National Centre, Cardiff |
| Chairperson | Kevin Allen |
| Secretary | James MacLeod |
| Coach | Tom Brady & Jess Davies |
| Official website | |
|
www | |
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Korfball in Wales has been played since 1991 and is managed by the Welsh Korfball Association/Cymdeithas Pêl-Corff Cymru. The association was established in 2002 and the Welsh Korfball Squad was formed in 2005. In 2007, the International Korfball Federation admitted Wales as an associate member.
Welsh clubs traditionally competed against English clubs from the South West of England and the inaugural Welsh National Korfball League was only founded in 2007, though the top teams in Wales continue to participate in the English league structure. Welsh clubs also compete in the IKF Europa Cup, Welsh Championships, and BUCS Competitions. There are currently 5 clubs with 9 teams playing in league competitions, and 4 universities with 6 teams competing in BUCS.
The Welsh Korfball Squad has been relatively successful on the international stage, appearing at their first and only World Championship in 2011 following the withdrawal of Hungary. Wales recently qualified for the European Championships in The Netherlands, 2018, and hosted its first ever official IKF event; Round 1 of the Europa Cup 2017 was held in Cardiff in September 2016.
History
Korfball in Wales is currently played in Aberystwyth, Cardiff, 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, both the Welsh Korfball Association and Cardiff City were established by ex-Cardiff University students. In 2005, Cardiff Dragons was formed as a sister club of Cardiff City and started strongly winning divisions 1 and 2 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 and in 2014 the first club outside of South Wales, Aberystwyth University, was established, followed by Swansea University in 2017.
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 and South West England.
There is limited youth korfball within Wales and it is mainly focused in primary schools. In 2012 the WKA organised the first Welsh Primary Schools Tournament. Korfball has been included in 5x60 events across Cardiff, including the Cardiff Games. Currently there are no junior korfball clubs outside of the schools but clubs welcome junior members and the WKA is working to develop a youth strategy.
League competitions
During the winter season, korfball is played indoors and is formally organised by the WKA. In the summer, a social outdoor summer league takes place known as "Korf-Lite", utilising half court matches between teams of four players, instead of the standard eight.
Welsh National Korfball League
The Welsh National Korfball League (WNKL) was formed in 2007 after the EKL was disbanded. It has been the regular competition in Wales ever since.
By year
| Welsh National Korfball League | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Teams | Winner | Runner-up |
| 2007-08 | 8 | Cardiff City | Cardiff Dragons |
| 2008-09 | 7 | Cardiff University | Cardiff City |
| 2009-10 | 7 | Cardiff City | Cardiff City |
| 2010-11 | 7 | Cardiff University | Cardiff City |
| 2011-12 | 8 | Cardiff City | Cardiff Dragons |
| 2012-13 | 8 | Cardiff City | Cardiff Dragons |
| 2013-14 | 7 | Cardiff University | Cardiff City |
| 2014-15 | 7 | Cardiff University | Cardiff Raptors |
| 2015-16 | 6 | Cardiff City | Cardiff Raptors |
| 2016-17 | 8 | Cardiff City | Cardiff University |
| 2017-18 | 7 | Cardiff City & Met | Cardiff University |
By league wins
| Team | Titles | Years | Runners-up | Years runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardiff City & Met | 7 | 2007-08, 2009–10, 2011–12, 2012-13, 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18 | 4 | 2008-09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2013–14 |
| Cardiff University | 4 | 2008-09, 2010–11, 2013–14, 2014-15 | 2 | 2016-17, 2017-18 |
| Cardiff Dragons | 0 | 3 | 2007-08, 2011–12, 2012-13 | |
| Cardiff Raptors | 0 | 2 | 2014-15, 2015-16 |
Western Regional League
The top Welsh teams compete in England Korfball's Western Regional League (WRL), against teams from the South and South West of England. For the 2018-19 season, Cardiff Raptors and Cardiff City & Met have retained their places in the league, with Cardiff City & Met securing a place in the Promo Division following the promotion of Bristol Thunder to the National League.
By year
| Western Regional League | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Teams | Winner | Runner-up |
| 2009-10 | 6 | |  |
| 2010-11 | 6 | | |
| 2011-12 | 7 | | |
| 2012-13 | 8 | | |
| 2013-14 | 9 | | |
| 2014-15 | 9 | | |
| 2015-16 | 9 | | |
| 2016-17 | 8 | | |
| 2017-18 | 9 | | |
By league wins
| Team | Titles | Years | Runners-up | Years runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
5 | 2013-14, 2014–15, 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18 | 0 | |
|
3 | 2009–10, 2011–12, 2012-13 | 1 | 2010–11 |
|
1 | 2010-11 | 2 | 2011–12, 2012–13 |
|
0 | 5 | 2013-14, 2014–15, 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18 | |
|
0 | 1 | 2009-10 |
Tournament events
Europa Cup
Wales' national champion is entitled to participate in the Europa Cup against other national champions from around Europe. No Welsh team has ever progressed past the first round of the competition.
Cardiff City competed in the first rounds in 2008, 2012, 2013, and 2017; Raptors participated in the First Round in 2016, which was also the first official IKF event ever hosted in Wales. Cardiff City & Met will compete in the first round again in 2018, hosted by Turkey.
Welsh Championship
The Welsh Championship takes the highest-ranked Welsh clubs, across all league competitions, to determine the national champion and entrant to the IKF Europa Cup.
| Team | Gold | Years | Silver | Years | Bronze | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
4 | 2010, 2012, 2017, 2018 | 2 | 2009, 2011 | ||
|
2 | 2009, 2014 | 0 | 5 | 2010, 2011, 2012, 2017, 2018 | |
|
1 | 2011 | 2 | 2010, 2012 | 2 | 2009, 2014 |
|
0 | 3 | 2014, 2017, 2018 | 0 |
BUCS competitions
Aberystwyth University, Cardiff University, Cardiff Metropolitan University, and Swansea University compete in the BUCS National Competitions. Cardiff University has achieved success at the Championship winning bronze in 1997 & 2015, and gold in 2001. An overhaul of the BUCS competitions introduced BUCS points for second and third tier competitions. Cardiff University's Second Team achieved a silver medal position at the BUCS Shield event, in 2015.
Inter-Area
Welsh regions compete in the annual EKA Inter-Area against counties in England. The two historic counties of Dyfed (Aberystwyth) and Morgannwg (Cardiff & Swansea) compete together.
Cardiff Freshers' Tournament
Cardiff University Korfball Club host the annual beginners' tournament at Talybont Sports Centre. This event is aimed primarily at other universities with requirements placed on team entries stipulating that 50% of the team must be new to the sport.
Cardiff Summer Tournament
Normally held in August, this annual outdoor event was first organised in 2006. A maiden beach korfball event is scheduled for May 2018.
Welsh clubs
Welsh korfball clubs are:
- Aberystwyth University (Est. 2014)
- Cardiff City & Met (Est. 2002)
- Cardiff Dragons (2005-2015)
- Cardiff Metropolitan University (Est. 2013)
- Cardiff Raptors (Est. 2012)
- Cardiff University (Est. 1991)
- Swansea University (Est. 2017)
Wales national team
The Welsh Korfball Squad (WKS) was formed in 2005 and competed at their first IKF competition in 2007. In 2011, Wales competed at the IKF World Championship. In 2014, the first ever Wales U21 squad competed against England u21s and a Wales U19 squad competed in the 2018 Beach Korfball World Cup. The current U19 Wales Coach is Alice Hunter who is also the Youth Development Officer. .