University supports student to fulfil his Korfball ambitions

Korball was first played in 1902 and since its introduction the sport has grown from strength to strength.

One of its rising stars is second year University of Brighton sports management student Blake Palfreyman who made his debut for the England korfball team in 2014. At the end of 2015 Blake attended the Senior Korfball World Championships in Belgium; his trip was part-funded by the university’s Sport Brighton funding scheme.

Blake was part of a team of 16, eight female and eight male, ranging in ages from 17 to in their 30s. Competing against teams including Portugal, China and South Africa in the group stages they came top and progressed to compete against teams such as Holland before meeting Belgium in the semi-final.

Not reaching the final they were in the third and fourth place playoff against Chinese Taipei which took place in the Amex Stadium Belgium, in front of a crowd of over 5,000 supporters. England didn’t quite find their footing quick enough in the early part of the game, resulting in Taipei taking a quick lead.

The game was dominated by the Taipei team but the English side continued to compete ending the game with several goals in the ending minutes of the game; unfortunately not enough for them to win.

Blake said of the World Championships: “Although the championships didn’t go the way the team had hoped, the experience and process which got us to this moment was amazing. The atmosphere around the stadium and the teams we have come up against is what the sport is all about, and makes playing the game interesting and worthwhile.

“I want to thank the University of Brighton who sponsored part of my trip cost, it really helped me financially and hopefully means that I will be able to partake in more competitions such as this in the coming years.”

You can see an interview with Blake in this short film: