The little-known Dutch sport growing in popularity in Wales

Nation.Cymru Staff

A little-known Dutch sport combining elements of netball and basketball is gaining ground in south Wales, with a newly formed club preparing to enter two teams into national competition.

Korfball, which is played mostly indoors and allows men and women to participate together, is steadily growing in popularity across the UK. The sport puts the emphasis on improving fitness, and all ages and abilities can play.

For people living in south Wales, Korfball remains largely unknown, but several teams in Swansea, Cardiff and Newport are working to grow its profile among new audiences and communities.

RCT Comets is the latest club to join the ranks of the Welsh leagues, and the team is now aiming to get more members of their local community into the sport in 2026.

Based in Pontypridd, RCT Comets was founded in March 2025 by three friends, Nic Allison, Tommy Freeman and Alice McLaren Brown, who launched their own club after gaining several years experience playing the sport together.

Alice explained: “I started playing Korfball as a teenager and I’ve stuck with it because it’s such a great way to meet people, get fit and make friends, and I would 100% recommend it to anyone not confident in their athletic ability to give Korfball a try and become part of such an inclusive community.”

Current figures suggest that 42% of people in Rhondda-Cynon-Taf (RCT) live in areas which are classed as having higher levels of health and social deprivation.

Many residents in these areas face significant barriers to physical activity and wellbeing opportunities, as well as a lower healthy life expectancy when compared to wealthier areas of South Wales.

More than 23% of the population in RCT also lives in income poverty, which is higher than the Welsh national average.

To combat some of the barriers to participation in the area, RCT Comets is working to build its presence among local communities by delivering an exercise and wellbeing offer which keeps fees as low as possible for members.

Thanks to funding support from Sport RCT, the club now has more than 16 full-time members taking part on a weekly basis.

Ethan Vaughan, Community Sport and Physical Activity Leader at Sport RCT Rhondda Cynon Taf CBC, said: “We’re delighted to have supported RCT Comets from the very beginning.

“The club offers something a little different for our communities to get active and has created a welcoming, inclusive environment that makes this exciting new sport accessible to everyone.”

The Comets’ plans for 2026 include the launch of two squads to compete in the Welsh national divisions, with a competition squad made up of experienced players and a development squad to train new members.

More information about how to get involved with RCT Comets is available here. You can follow the team on social media here.

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