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IKF CEO departure announcement

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IKF CEO Tilbert La Haye announced his departure from the IKF, effective mid January. La Haye: “After almost 7 years working for the IKF, it is time to discover new grounds and take on a different professional challenge. It has been a huge pleasure to work in an unique sports environment, enjoying the many warm an passionate contacts all around the world. I would like to make use of this opportunity to thank everyone for the support and pleasant cooperation over the years and would like to wish the IKF and all its partners the best for the future.”

The IKF EXCO would like to make use of the opportunity to thank Mr La Haye for his efforts over the years. IKF President, Jan Fransoo: “Having joined the IKF as our first CEO in 2016, La Haye has shaped the CEO role in our organization. Our office has become more central in much of our operations, allowing us to better leverage the efforts of our many volunteers. Of the many initiatives that he has initiated, I would like to highlight two in particular.  First, we have made major steps in further formalizing and digitizing the processes around our events, which has allowed us to considerably grow our event calendar. Second, together with the IKF Beach Korfball Committee, La Haye has played a critical role in what has become our second discipline; beach korfball has grown up from a summer pastime to a full-fledged korfball discipline. It has been a privilege working with Tilbert over the past 7 years, both from a professional and a personal perspective. We wish him every success in his future endeavours”.

 

Image: @actiefotografie

Job Opening: IKF CEO

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The International Korfball Federation (IKF) is looking to recruit a new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for its organization and encourages all those that are interested and capable to apply.

IKF has been the governing body for korfball in the world since 1933. Korfball is the only fully gender-balanced team sport in the world, started over 120 years ago in the Netherlands and is played on all five continents in the world. Korfball is played in over 70 countries worldwide. Many exciting new strategic initiatives are in process of development including the creation of new event and match formats, digital fan engagement strategies and brand positioning, and the deployment of an online learning academy.

IKF is an International Federation recognised by the International Olympic Committee and by SportAccord, and is a member of ARISF and IWGA. Our anti-doping rules are in compliance with the World Anti Doping Code, and further complies with appropriate standards for ethics, integrity, athlete representation, and athlete safeguarding.

IKF is a largely volunteer driven organisation, supported by a small administrative staff. The office, currently in Utrecht, the Netherlands, is the centre of many daily activities to support Competitions, Refereeing, Development and Education, Marketing and Digital, Anti-Doping, Planning and Control, Administration and Media.

The IKF General Meeting is the highest authority in the IKF, and elects the IKF Council and IKF Executive Committee. The IKF is managed on a daily base by the IKF CEO, who reports to the IKF Executive Committee. Many volunteers work in committees and events to realize elite competitions, courses and development activities, and promote healthy, fair, and inclusive sport.

The current IKF Office consists of the CEO position, an Administrative and Project Officer and a Financial Administrator.

Position:

Following the upcoming departure of the current CEO, the IKF has opened a search for a candidate to fill this position to continue professionalizing our key activities. We are seeking a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) who will enhance the strategic profile of our international federation and our activities.

The CEO will report to the Executive Committee with a direct reporting line to the President and/or Senior Vice-President. S/he will be responsible for providing strategic direction as well as directing the policy, operations and development of the Federation for the achievement of both long- and short-term global objectives of the sport of korfball.

In addition, s/he will be expected to provide general and specific direction for the day-to-day management of the Federation through, but not limited to event management, administrative management, financial management, marketing, and development. S/he will directly manage one Administrative and Project Officer and provide hands-on operational support to multiple committees and volunteers.

The CEO takes final responsibility for all administrative processes, such as the processes around official IKF events, development grants, general meetings, congresses, and meetings of the Council and Executive Committee, and official rules and regulations. It is obvious that this requires an excellent oral and written command of the English language.

IKF has its legal seat in the Netherlands and the position is based in our current Headquarter Office in Utrecht, Netherlands. We are open for candidates who are based outside the Netherlands. In case of a non-Dutch resident being appointed as CEO who is unable or not willing to relocate, we would expect her/him to be able to commute to the Netherlands at least once a month, while working remotely for the remainder of the time. Residency would be expected within the European Union.

The CEO is responsible for:

  • Converting the strategic plan of the IKF into a multi-year operational plan of activities that cover all aspects, such as events, education, development, marketing and funding. Assist the Treasurer in developing a budget that meets the requirements of the operational plans.
  • Lead the implementation of the operational plan in close collaboration with a large set of volunteer administrators that are spread across the world
  • Monitor progress and further enhance quality of IKF’s key activities: events and development. Every year, the IKF is responsible for the organization of 10-15 Elite level competition events across all age categories, and dozens of development activities.
  • Ensure high-quality communication across the IKF organization, and reach out to the entire global korfball community, with formal, informal, and social communication and media operations. Ensure the IKF Council, the IKF Committees, and the National Korfball Federations remain fully informed.
  • Support the IKF Executive Committee and the continental confederations in the execution of their activities.
  • Take new initiatives for events, development, funding, media, and acquisition.
  • Leading and management of the IKF staff.
  • Closely collaborate and coordinate with the IKF Secretary General regarding the implementation of decisions of the IKF Council and Executive Committee.

Candidate:

The successful candidate should exhibit strong management, leadership, strategic thinking and communication skills with a sound record of project management and achieving results, ideally in the sports management industry.

The candidate should possess a college or graduate degree in (sports) management / Sports Science, or a different degree with demonstrable experience in sports development and sports management. We expect the following experience:

  • At least five years’ experience in senior management roles, with direct line responsibility, ideally within the sports industry
  • Demonstrated experience in coordinating events, and liaison with national and/or international sport organisations, sponsors and Government bodies
  • A commercial mindset to create winning value propositions for sponsors in relation to their involvement in the international korfball community

You must be fluent (oral and written) in English, and at least one other global language, ideally Spanish and/or Chinese. Sports must be a proven substantial part of your education and working experience. Korfball must be more than just familiar to you, for instance by having been an elite athlete, having had administrative positions at club or national level, organized international events, or having taught in development activities. You must be a self-starter, proactive, a strong communicator with various levels of people in different cultural environments. Working hours are not strict to obey and regular out of normal office hours participation is required. You are prepared to travel and are used to managing organizations and events on a tight budget. You are familiar with the common software packages, should be social media savvy, and take initiatives to make use of new (online) technologies to increase productivity. You have the ability to be a serious counterpart for the members of the Executive Committee. Our external partners will experience you as a natural representative of korfball.

Salary and benefits

The salary is in accordance with the Dutch collective labour agreement in the sport industry, and is foreseen to be placed for an annual gross salary in scale 13, amounting to a minimum of EUR 57,108 and a maximum of EUR 79,320 annually, including benefits. Eventual salary will depend on qualification and experience.

For possible candidates who are non-Dutch residents, we are open to structuring the agreement in such a manner which is tax compliant for both IKF and the chosen candidate. Salary level will be based on assessment of the above indication with a possible adjustment based on local salary benchmarking of similar position and cost of living index.

Application:

We want to receive your application, motivation and CV electronically. Your application in English should be directed before 24 January, 2023 to the IKF Chair of the Executive Committee, Mr Gabi Kool at gabi.kool@ikf.org, and sent in copy to the IKF Senior Vice President, Mrs Danielle Ruts, at danielle.ruts@ikf.org.

An assessment might be part of the selection process.

Open Call – IKF RFP live stream & social media platform

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The International Korfball Federation is setting out an Open Call for Requests For Proposal (RFP) to select a strategic partner for our ambition to create and operate our own global live streaming/social media platform. The IKF solicits feedback and proposals from interested parties. For detailed information about the RFP click here.

The IKF is actively driving global awareness of korfball as a spectator, mixed gender, media oriented and innovative team sport. The IKF currently broadcasts its live streams of various competitions and korfball material via the IKF YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/user/ikfchannel. Over the past years these videos have attracted already more than 50 million views, with some of the videos reaching close to half a million viewers. IKF has the ambition to become a leader among international sports federation when it comes to digital marketing initiatives in order to help grow our sport, international reach and popularity among players, fans and sponsors and in support of national federations and event organising committees.

Gabi Kool joins IKF Executive Committee, soon to take over leadership

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The Council of the International Korfball Federation has appointed Mr Gabi Kool as a Member of the IKF Executive Committee with immediate effect. As per January 22 2022, Mr Kool has been appointed as Executive Vice President of the IKF. In this new role, he will be responsible for the committees of Digital & Marketing, Olympic Format and be leading the IKF strategy with immediate effect. Mr Kool will take over the position of chair of the IKF Executive Committee as of June 1 2022. President Jan Fransoo will remain President of the Council of the IKF until the completion of his current term in 2023, which he has announced will be his last. As of June 1 2022, he will step down from the Executive Committee.

Mr Kool, a native of the Netherlands and residing in Switzerland, has been an elite korfball athlete in the 1990s, before starting a highly successful professional career as entrepreneur and business leader in the loyalty marketing industry and he is currently leading the commercial organization of one of the world’s leading marketing services firms headquartered in Switzerland. He has lived in multiple locations across Europe and Asia, and has been named the loyalty marketing personality of the year. He brings extensive commercial, digital marketing and fan engagement experience to the IKF, that will help the world’s leading mixed-gender team sport to further develop its global and commercial potential.

Gabi Kool: ”It is my great pleasure to join the Executive Committee and support the IKF’s global ambition to grow our sport across the world and connect the korfball community of athletes, fans, national federations, sponsors and organizing committees via the latest digital strategies and solutions. Building on our heritage and great work done under Jan’s leadership over the past decades, developing new and exciting formats with appeal to also the younger generation and the Olympic movement, I am looking forward to contribute to such goals and help lead the IKF in this journey.

Jan Fransoo: “The IKF is extremely fortunate to have been able to secure the leadership, experience of Gabi to lead the global korfball community towards its next phase of development. Combined with his passion for our sport, and his ability to connect personally to our member federation, large and small alike, he is the best possible leader to help realize our ambitions.”

The Royal Netherlands Korfball Association, with the support of multiple other member associations, has announced its intention to formally nominate Mr Kool as candidate for the IKF Presidency as per the next General Meeting of the IKF, which is due to be held in October 2023 in Taipei during the IKF World Korfball Championship.

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Photo: Gertrude de Vries | korfbalfoto.nl

Updates IKF Events 2022

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The developments of the Covid-19 pandemic continue to influence the IKF Competition Calendar. All updates about the IKF events of 2022 can be found on this page, which will be updated regularly.

IKF Europa Cup Final Round – Cancelled

UPDATE 16/03/2022 – The IKF EXCO has decided to cancel the IKF Europa Cup 2022. In January, the IKF EXCO decided to look for alternative dates for the IKF Europa Cup, due to the corona developments at that time. An alternative date was found, but it was not possible to organise the event on those dates at the original location. Despite the best efforts of the participants and the IKF to find an alternative host, we have not been able to secure enough teams for a viable event.

IKF Europa Shield 2022 (28-30 January, Czech Republic) – Cancelled

UPDATE 04/01/2022 – The IKF, in close collaboration with the Local Organising Committee (LOC) and the participants of the IKF Europa Shield, has taken the painful decision to cancel the event. The current Covid-19 situation in Europe with the increasing number of positive cases and the uncertainty about the effects of the new omicron variant on possible extra (travel) restrictions has been the key of this decision.

The IKF would like to thank the Czech Korfball Association for their willingness to take on the organisation in these uncertain times, and for their constant flexibility to adjust to changing circumstances.

 

IKF Europa Cup First Round (7-9 January, Poland) – Cancelled

UPDATE 03/12/2021 – The IKF, in close collaboration with the Local Organising Committee (LOC) and the participants of the IKF Europa Cup First Round, has taken the painful decision to cancel the event. The current Covid-19 situation in Europe with the increasing number of positive cases and the uncertainty about the effects of the new omicron variant on possible extra (travel) restrictions has been the key of this decision. The IKF will now appoint the final participant of the IKF Europa Cup Final Round based on the IKF Europa Cup results over the last 5 years.

The IKF would like to thank the Polish Korfball Federation and specially the LOC for all their efforts to prepare the hosting of this event.

IKF World Korfball Awards 2021 to Argentina, Belgium, Hong Kong China, Poland and Switzerland

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The International Korfball Federation has presented its biannual World Korfball Awards at its General Meeting in Antwerp, Belgium. The awards were instated in 2019 following a suggestion of the Sri Lanka Korfball Association to recognise national organisations for excellence in korfball.

The World Korfball Award for Grassroots Development was presented to the Argentinean Korfball Association for a project to start producing low cost korfball equipment for countries across Latin America. Getting affordable equipment from the main production locations in Europe and Asia to Latin America is costly. Over the past two years, the AKA has worked very hard to produce a low-cost korf and associated equipment at roughly one third of the international cost. This should help support the rapid growth of korfball on the continent.

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The World Korfball Award for governance was awarded to Swiss Korfball. With only 7 years in existence, the Swiss federation has been developing steadily, under excellent governance. With about 70% of their members taking an active part in running activities for the federation, and according to a structured five-year plan with accountability, the federation is a prime example for a volunteer-based national organisation under good governance.

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The World Korfball Award for Innovation was awarded to the Hong Kong Korfball Association for their continued efforts in leveraging associations with famous consumer brands and TV and movie personalities to promote korfball. This has created extensive free and positive publicity about korfball in Hong Kong over many years, helping the federation to grow.

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Finally, the World Korfball Award for best event with jointly awarded to Belgium and Poland, for hosting the first two major post-covid events, namely the European Championships A and B division, respectively.

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Photos by Gertrude the Vries

IKF distinguishes long serving volunteers with Badge of Honour

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The IKF has granted the IKF Badge of Honour to four retiring individuals. Mr Leo Heere served for many years a chair of the IKF Medical Committee and IKF Therapeutic Exemptions Committee. Mr Walter Eijsink and Mr Gerrit van der Beek had an extensive service as International Referee, and subsequently were a member of the IKF Referees committee and served as Referee educator and assessor. Finally, Mr Jan Sjardijn was recognized for his service as member of the IKf Playing Rules Committee, the IKF Competitions Committee, and for serving at many events as jury member, jury chair, and coordinating officer.

The distinctions were presented at the IKF General Meeting in Antwerp, Belgium. Mr. Leo Heere was not able to attend the General Meeting and therefore is also missing in the picture.

Photos by Gertrude the Vries

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Joana Faria (POR) re-elected as IKF Secretary General

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IKF Secretary General Joana Faria (POR) has been re-elected as a member of the IKF Council and will continue to serve the Federation as Secretary General for a second four-year term. Faria received unanimous support of the General Meeting of the IKF, which was held in Antwerp, Belgium, on the occasion of the centenary of the Royal Belgian Korfball Federation.

Faria, a physical education professional and former player of the Portuguese national team, was praised for her service during her first term, including further elevating good governance practices in the IKF, enhancing communication with member national organisations, and helping to better structure the growing regulatory and competitions portfolio of the federation.

At the meeting, Mr Bjorn Elewaut (BEL) was also re-elected for a second term in the IKF Council. Mr Jorge Alves (POR) was elected for the first time. Alves will carry responsibility  for the Federation’s critical development portfolio. Due to the rapid growth of korfball in many countries, the need for support, and in particular education has grown substantially. Earlier in the week, Mr Alves had presented the newly develop IKF Korfball Academy as the Federations novel online and hybrid learning platform.

 

Joana Faria

Joana Faria (POR) – IKF Secretary General

Photo by Gertrude de Vries

IKF World Korfball Awards 2021 – call for nominations

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Following a suggestion made by Korfball Sri Lanka in 2019, the IKF EXCO decided to start highlighting excellence in korfball by awarding IKF World Korfball Awards. The IKF would like to ask all interested parties (organisations and individuals)  to nominate candidates for the 2021 edition of these awards, which will be awarded during the IKF General Meeting 2021. Only IKF National Federations can receive an award.

Organisational achievements, projects, and events nominated for the IKF World Korfball Awards 2021 should have taken place within the period of August 2019 and August 2021.

The IKF encourages all to send in nominations for the following categories:

  1. Best Grassroots Development

The World Korfball Award for Best Grassroots Development focuses on a project or a series of projects that has resulted in a great development of grassroots korfball participation, which can be seen by the increase of korfball activities and participation in the targeted country or region.

C, D and E countries are especially encouraged to nominate, but this category is open for A and B countries too.

  1. Excellence in Governance

The Word Korfball Award for Excellence in Governance focuses on clear leadership structure, good governance, good communication and cooperation with the IKF, and a well-hosted event. The award may also be granted to a National Federation that has had a major achievement.

  1. Best Event

The World Korfball Award for Best Event is for events that stood out, taking into account the quality of the venues, accommodations, overall experience for the teams and officials, marketing/communication, experience as a spectator/fan, side activities, innovation, and legacy.

  1. Innovation

The World Korfball Award for Innovation is for any projects, initiative,s or action that is not covered by the other categories and is innovative to the sport. The nominated subject should be quite unique and unusual and can cover any area relevant to the sport.

The IKF asks to submit nominations for the IKF World Korfball Awards to the IKF Office before 16 September, using this nomination form.

IKF World Korfball Congress and IKF General Meeting 2021

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The IKF World Korfball Congress and IKF General Meeting 2021 will be be organised from 28-30 October in Antwerp (Belgium), during the IKF European Korfball Championship A-Division. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the related travel restrictions, the Congress and AGM will be organised in a hybrid format. Online attendance options will be made available for those unable to travel to Antwerp. All invitees are required to register upfront.

This year’s Congress is named ‘Reinventing korfball; unite for the future’. There will be particular emphasis on the development of korfball along three dimensions:

– IKF & National Federations; a joint path towards the future;

– Learning Management Platform; needs & experiences;

– Korfball4; moving closer to the Olympics.

The general program is as follows:

– Thursday 28 October 13:00 – 17:00 hrs CET: IKF World Korfball Congress

– Friday 29 October      09:00 – 13:00 hrs CET: IKF World Korfball Congress

– Saturday 30 October  09:00 – 12:00 hrs CET: IKF General Meeting

Both the Congress and the General Meeting will take place in Boeckenberg Sport and Business, Grensstraat 9, 2100 Antwerp.