Who are we?

We are a group of korfball enthusiasts from all ages and with different experiences, united by one goal: to establish this great sport in Switzerland.

Over the last few years we have built a team made up of people who have no, limited, or many years of korfball experience, including expats and local Swiss people. We conduct many training sessions and tournaments across the country, we annually participate in the Olympic Week in Lausanne, and in October 2021 we traveled to Poland to represent Switzerland in the IKF European Korfball Championship 2021 and in October 2022 to Turkiye to join the qualifiers for the World Championship 2023! We continue to grow and develop with regular training sessions and plan to participate in further tournaments.

We also started a national championship korfball: the Swiss Alp League (indoor) and plan to start the Helvetii Cup this season (outdoor). We have established local clubs in Lausanne, Zürich, and Basel, and an independent club is also in sight in Bern. Be there, regardless of whether you’ve been playing for years or haven’t played in a long time that you’re afraid you’ve forgotten the rules, whether you grew up with korfball or whether you heard about it for the first time today: we look forward to seeing you to be seen at the next training session!

In the meantime, don’t hesitate to ask us your questions and send us an email: info[at]swisskorfball.ch

Looking forward to get in touch,

Geoff Pegler, President of Swiss Korfball

Contact:
Swiss Korfball Federation
P.O. box
1000 Lausanne
Switzerland
info[at]swisskorfball.ch

Our people

Volunteers of Swiss Korfball

Spring/Summer 2021 – Over the next few weeks, we will show portraits of some of the people who make korfball in Switzerland happen. These people are invaluable to us, so THANK YOU. Via Swiss Korfball or their local club, behind the scenes or in the spotlight, all these people make a big difference by doing what they do. Stay tuned and follow our social media (Facebook, Instagram) to be the first to get to know these heroes.

Meet our Social Media Manager

“I enjoy working with the team to build ideas, and creating the posts that will help us to grow korfball in Switzerland.”

Name: Lizzie
Position: Social Media Manager

How long have you been playing Korfball?
“I first heard about korfball around a year ago, and although I now play less and work on the social media channels more, I think it is an excellent sport.”

Tell us about your position and what you enjoy about it:
“I handle posting and creating the content for the Swiss Korfball social media accounts. I enjoy working with the team to build ideas, and creating the posts that will help us to grow korfball in Switzerland!”

Why do you LOVE Korfball?
“The community. Everyone is so friendly and here in Switzerland there are so many nationalities of people involved in the korfball world that you are always learning something and it’s a fun time!”

Meet a member of the Alp League Task Force

“I like socializing with players from different clubs and building strong bonds between all Korfball enthusiasts!”

Name: Vasilis
Position: Alp League Task Force Member
Club: Korfball Basel

How long have you been playing Korfball?
“Since 1.5 years”.

Tell us about your position and what you enjoy about it:
“As part of the Alp League organizing committee, I have the privilege to contribute to the first official Korfball League in Switzerland. As a newbie in Korfball, participating in the Alp League Task Force and contributing to the league rulebook creation gives me the opportunity to grow my understanding of the sport. In parallel, my position offers me the joy of socializing with players from different clubs thus building strong bonds between all Korfball enthusiasts!”

Why do you LOVE Korfball?
“It is a growing sport, and I love the reaction of people when I say that I am part of it! Most importantly though, the mixed-gender attribute of the sport promotes an elevated level of team spirit and respect among the club members that I really enjoy!”

Meet our Vice-President

“My goal is to help korfball becoming part of the Olympic Games.”

Name: Geert
Position: Vice-President
Club: KC Lausanne

How long have you been playing Korfball?
“I started when I was 8 years old, and I played on-and-off when I was in my 20s. Back with KC Lausanne, I have been playing for some years now.”

Tell us about your position and what you enjoy about it:
“Some key elements of my role:
– Focal person for International Korfball Federation (IKF), KNKV and Swiss Olympic
– Responsible for grants and lead the participation of Swiss Korfball in the IKF Erasmus project
– Primary contact for korfball in French-speaking Switzerland
– Deputy for SK president.
I enjoy developing partnerships with other entities that support the growth of korfball in Switzerland and in particular in the Olympic Capital Lausanne, as my big goal is to help korfball becoming part of the Olympic Games.”

Why do you LOVE Korfball?
“It is fast-paced (I love a good run), you can play it anywhere (even in the snow or Lake Geneva) and mixed (much more fun than single-gender sports).”

Meet the Secretary for Korfball Club Zürich

“I like the dynamics and speed of a mixed male/female team.”

Name: Fabienne
Position: KCZ Secretary
Club: Korfball Club Zürich

How long have you been playing Korfball?
“4 years.”

Tell us about your position and what you enjoy about it:
“For a bit more than 2 years I’ve been keeping track of KCZ’s members and made sure our communications work internally and externally. I’m also the lead for socials usually, but these were a bit rare recently. I like communicating and socialising with new members and trying to gain as many new Korfball enthusiasts as possible. Most of all I love the collaboration with the other board members and it’s great to see how the club has been growing over the years!”

Why do you LOVE Korfball?
“Korfball is a quick and fair sport with little contact. I love the strategies you can use to play around your opponents. And having played a female-only sports before, I like the dynamics and speed in a mixed team.”

Meet the Social Media and Website Manager for Korfball Club Zürich

“It is nice to spread the korfball love all over the world.”

Name: Silvia
Position: KCZ Social Media and Website Manager
Club: Korfball Club Zürich

How long have you been playing Korfball?
“Since June 2018.”

Tell us about your position and what you enjoy about it:
“It’s a cool job to take pictures at trainings or socials and make those memories and impressions of KCZ available to everyone. To keep people up to date on what we do is essential and it’s nice to spread the KCZ love all over the world.”

Why do you LOVE Korfball?
“The nice ball sport, the events and socials, the team spirit, everything really!”

Meet our Head of Funding Championships

“Anywhere in the world, I always find a fantastic group of people who love to play korfball!”

Name: Jet
Position: Head of Funding Championships

How long have you been playing Korfball?
“28 years.”

Tell us about your position and what you enjoy about it:
“The first European Championship we participate with the Swiss national team is about to happen in October. With the fantastic support during and after the first qualification event, we managed to deliver the outstanding performance to be qualified. Our teamplay, hard work, and determination payed off. Now, we are preparing ourselves and I feel honoured to contribute via this role to the success of our team.”

Why do you LOVE Korfball?
“Anywhere in the world (and I took an interesting sample) I always find a fantastic group of people who love to play korfball. Besides the mandatory collaboration to play successfully, the potential to win and tactics you need, the group of people is just fantastic. Long-lasting friendships with strong value.”

Meet our Coach

“I see people developing, growing – Helping people to take the next steps in their development is great fun.”

Name: Matthias
Position: Coach Swiss national team

How long have you been playing Korfball?
“For 20 years.”

Tell us about your position and what you enjoy about it:
“Being the Coach of the National Team of Switzerland is a great experience since you see people developing, growing and leaving their old habits behind. Helping people to adjust small things that enable them to take the next steps in their development is a great fun. There are a lot of people that are contributing to the success of the national team and I am very happy to be part of this team with the aim to push Korfball in Switzerland to a higher level.”

Why do you LOVE Korfball?
“Having intensive matches and enjoying a cold drink afterwards is the most lovely thing you can find at Korfball in Switzerland!”

Meet our President

“I really enjoy being in touch with so many people and inspiring them to take ownership and make something happen!”

Name: Geoff
Position: President
Club: Korfball Club Zürich

How long have you been playing Korfball?
“Since 1991, when I joined the Oxford University Korfball Club (O.U.Ko.C.) in the UK. I went on to become President of O.U.Ko.C., British Student Team Manager and Chair of the British Student Korfball Association, during which time student korfball in the UK was a rapidly growing sport.

Prior to korfball my main sport was basketball, where I played for University College London men’s team and co-founded and coached a women’s team. Comparing korfball to basketball, I much prefer the mixed aspect of korfball, which tends to make it a more social sport, as well as the rules that are inherently designed to promote equality which results in a much more team-centric sport with a strong emphasis on team-oriented tactics. Being a strong individual player is all very well, but to be successful in korfball you really need to function well as a team – and I really like that challenge.

Tell us about your position and what you enjoy about it:
“Since Aug 2022 – I am the president of Swiss Korfball, as which, my main responsibility is to oversee the development of korfball in Switzerland which involves both supporting the existing clubs as well as looking for opportunities to expand into new areas (e.g. by geography or demographics). Thanks to the SK board and various task forces as well as other enthusiastic korfballers within Switzerland, my role is somewhat behind the scenes, aiming to ensure that everything runs smoothly both on and off court. 

My main role is knowing what needs doing and finding the right volunteers to make it happen. Under the previous Board, presided over by Afke Schouten, Swiss Korfball has experienced a number of years of solid growth at both club and national squad level. I look to consolidate that position going forward whilst seeking new opportunities to expand the footprint of korfball in Switzerland.

Why do you LOVE Korfball?
“I enjoy the combined sporting and social aspects of korfball. I’ve always been involved in a number of sports but korfball holds a special place for me when it comes to combining both sports and social life. I guess I noticed this most during my korfball wilderness years (15 years in the USA and Switzerland when I was hundreds of km from the nearest korfball club). Korfball is a great sport – but outside of a few countries it is still very much a grass roots sport where development (even survival) can be challenging. Where shoots take root it tends to attract an enthusiastic and loyal following – and leads to life-long friendships. Korfball has been good to me over the years – becoming President of Swiss Korfball enables me to give something more back to the sport.