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FREE Korfball Beginner Session

Edinburgh City Korfball are hosting a FREE Beginner Session to introduce new players to korfball.
Korfball is a mixed sex ball sport, designed to be more cooperative than basketball and faster paced than netball. It’s Dutch in origin, which is where the name comes from: ‘korf’ is the Dutch word for basket.

There are two sections, an attack and defence. Every two goals that are scored players swap between the sections so you aren’t stuck doing one role for the whole match.

You can view a great breakdown of the rules here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUtJB5jBOis

There will be a prize draw for beginners attending the event and the winner will receive free membership to the club for the season!

 

You can keep up to date with announcements by signing up to the Facebook event which can be found here!

Edinburgh City 1s and 3s both pick up points this weekend!

Edinburgh City 3 had the short trip to Oriam on Sunday where they faced off against Glasgow 2 who will surely be in the mix for the title this year, and a fresh faced Edinburgh University 3 side full of new players. Laura Kitchen was making her debut and Rich Allan was pulling on the red and black again for the first time since 2014.

 

Edinburgh City 3 (6) v Glasgow 2 (12)

In the first match against Glasgow 2, City managed to stay with the visiting side for the first half. Going goal for goal, making it difficult for the opposition to get the ball into their attack and Rebecca Cheape was dominating the rebound for the hosts.

The 3s couldn’t quite sustain the pressure in the second half though, and despite a couple of great goals from Lee Goossens, the home side just couldn’t keep up with Glasgow, with the full time score not quite reflecting how hard City had pushed the visitors.

Especially tough one to take, as ex-Citizen Nina Murdoch led all scorers with 5 goals against her former team!

Goals: Lee Goossens (2), Matthew Cook (1), Vivek Santayana (1), Alex Johnston (1), Emma Steel (1)

MVP: Emma Steel

 

Edinburgh City 3 (13) v Edinburgh University 3 (6)

The second match saw Edinburgh City put in a more complete performance. They started a little slowly but the experiences heads of Rich Allan and Lee Goosens soon got City ticking with a couple of goals each.

Coach Kashif Irshad was quick to praise Alex Foster for his hard work in the rebound which allowed City to have multiple possessions in attack and it paid dividends with Vivek Santayana also grabbing a brace.

The game saw some stellar attacking from Alex Johnston who got a couple of goals too, plus an incredible long range shot from Jeremy Lau, but the defence were also showing their strength with Laura Kitchen impressing, as she managed to win interceptions and cause the Edinburgh University team problems.

City have now played 4 games and have picked up wins in half of those, an incredible effort for a team that has featured four brand new players making their competitive debuts over the past week!

Goals: Vivek Santayana (2), Alex Johnston (2), Rich Allan (2), Lee Goossens (2), Rebecca Cheape (1), Matthew Cook (1), Lauren Halkerton (1), Jeremy Lau (1), Emma Steel (1)

MVP: Alex Johnston

 

As the final whistle blew at Oriam, the 1s were warming up in Saint Andrews ready to take on Edinburgh Mavericks 2. It’s always a tough game to prepare for as there could be many strong players from Mavericks dropping down. The side were also taking on Saint Andrews University 1s and we’re pleased to say that our Citizens managed to bring home all of the points in two comfortable wins!

 

Edinburgh City 1 (18) v Edinburgh Mavericks 2 (9)

The first match was a good test for the 1s, playing against a number of Mavericks who will surely feature for their 1st team when the title rivals go head to head in December. The first of 5 goals from top-scorer Laura de Nooij got our Citizens off to a great start, but despite scoring again, we were pegged back to 2-2 shortly afterwards.

Some patient play meant that Edinburgh City were slowly able to grind their way to a lead at halftime, heading into the break up 6-3.

The second half saw a greater confidence from City and numerous interceptions meant that our attack had more time on the ball and made it pay, with Laura continuing to score freely and Clive Minshull and Dan Pratt bagging hat-tricks too.

Every player for City worked fantastically together to make sure defensively we were causing many issues for Mavericks and the confidence in attack grew as the match went on. A good start to the season and the first hurdle was passed.

Goals: Laura de Nooij (5), Clive Minshull (3), Dan Pratt (3), Heather Mackintosh (2), Rob Stone (2), Ella Paul (1), Michael Garbutt (1), Andrea Kinver (1)

MVP: Dan Pratt

 

Edinburgh City 1 (26) v Saint Andrews University 1 (4)

The final match of the day saw City take on Saints and it was a really slow start for the Citizens. It took 4 minutes before the first goal went on the scoreboard but once the drought ended, the goals really started to flow.

The defence on show was superb from City, really frustrating the home side and it carried over into out attack. Christie Smillie, Michael Garbutt and Ella Paul all finished the game with 4 goals each and with a couple of minutes to go, Rob Stone managed to score a couple of great goals to ensure that all of the travelling Citizens ended up on the scoresheet in this match.

It really was a complete team performance, both on and off the pitch, as the victorious City team stuck together for some ice cream and some of Anstruther’s famous fish and chips after the games!

Goals: Michael Garbutt (4), Ella Paul (4), Christie Smillie (4), Clive Minshull (3), Dan Pratt (3), Andrea Kinver (2), Rob Stone (2), Laura de Nooij (2), Jacky Mo (1), Heather Mackintosh (1)

MVP: Michael Garbutt

Edinburgh City 3 kick off the 2019/20 season with a win!

Edinburgh City got their season underway at the weekend, with our 3rd team taking on teams from Dundee and Edinburgh University.

The weekend’s matches saw competitive debuts for 3 of our new recruits with Dimitris Kalentakis, Emma Steel and Matthew Cook all featuring in the league for the first time!

 

Dundee Dolphins (5) v Edinburgh City 3 (8)

The first of two matches was against Dundee, who lined up with a mix of young and old and put up a feisty effort. Our Citizens got off to a great start with Emma scoring the first goal of the game and in the opening stages it was a tight matchup with the scores 2-2 after 10 minutes gone.

Approaching the break City were able to squeeze into a lead at 5-3 going into half time, with an important goal from Craig Salkeld pushing the team on during a pivotal period of the match.

After half-time City were a little more relaxed and were able to score at the right moments whilst making sure their defensive work remained strong. Lauren Kelly in particular was effective at both ends of the court, scoring and getting some defended calls and interceptions.

The team managed to cruise to a victory in the end and it was a great start to the season, both for the team and for everyone getting their first games of the new campaign under their belt.

Scorers: Craig Salkeld (2), Emma Steel (1), Lauren Kelly (1), Graham Robertson (1), Sam Stevenson (1), Alex Johnston (1)

 

Edinburgh City 3 (5) v Edinburgh University 2 (7)

The second match of the day was against a university side featuring lots of fresh recruits who were full of energy! Comparatively, City got off to a bit of a slow start and found themselves 4-1 down quite quickly.

They soon started to click though, with Alex Johnston and Sam Stevenson providing a strong rebounding presence and debutant Dimitris was very effective in the assist role. This provided Lauren Halkerston with the chance to attack against her defender and she looked in confident mood, eventually scoring to get the scoreboard ticking for City.

Laura Powell helped out with a goal and Lauren Kelly scored her 2nd in two matches before Dimitris scored his first goal! The team was building into the game nicely but unfortunately time was against them, a couple of missed penalties may have changed the game but it was a solid effort across both matches and the team can be rightfully proud of a great start to the new season!

Scorers: Lauren Kelly (1), Laura Powell (1), Lauren Halkerston (1), Alex Johnston (1), Dimitris Kalentakis (1)

Dimitrios becomes the latest Citizen!

After hosting our Beginner Session at the start of the month, we have had some new members joining the ranks and we will be catching up with them over the coming weeks to introduce them!

 

Our first new member is Dimitrios Kalentakis who has dived right in to korfball and, having turned up to his first training session last week, has already played in his first korfball matches!

Dimitrios has settled right in to the club already and brings a great deal of enthusiasm with him to training sessions.

 

We caught up with him this week to find out how he was finding things and how he found his way to korfball…

 

Hi Dimitrios, thanks for taking the time to answer some questions for us. Our readers are always keen to find out more from our Citizens! Firstly, how did you find out about korfball and what tempted you to give it a try?

“I was looking for an activity to keep me fit and I was basically really bored with going to the gym. So one day I decided to have a look on the web to see what kind of sports activities you can do in Edinburgh.

I found a taster session for Korfball at Eventbrite and that’s how everything began. I have to admit that I had to Google it to find out what Korfball is! I found Korfball on YouTube and from watching some videos I was really excited about the sport.

I really enjoyed the fact that is mixed gender and that it has many similarities with basketball (one of my favourite sports). Unfortunately I couldn’t make the taster session but Dan (Head Coach of Edinburgh City) got in touch with me and let me know about the training sessions and I wanted to give it a go.”

 

Well we are delighted you managed to find us! You mentioned that basketball is one of your favourite sports, have you tried out many other sports before?

“I used to play football and basketball with my friends when I was back in Greece but that was many years ago.”

 

What have your first impressions of korfball and of Edinburgh City been?

Everyone in the club is very welcome, supportive and helpful. Edinburgh City is a very organised korfball club and one of the favourites to win the Scottish league. (We promise we didn’t prompt this answer!)

From the few training sessions I have attended so far, I see the team has a lot of quality players and experienced coaches and it’s always a pleasure for me to train alongside these people.

(Clearly Dimitrios knows that flattery will get you everywhere!)

 

It’s great to hear that your first impressions were so positive. Is there anything in particular that got you coming back to training?

I’m very competitive as a person and I want to improve my korfball skills, take part in league games and help the team to achieve our goals for this season.

 

Well we certainly can’t wait for the season to start either! Is there anything that you are looking forward to as an individual this year?

I’m definitely looking forward to our first matches. I had the chance to take part in the Mavericks tournament at the weekend and I really enjoyed it. Getting fitter is always the plan but I think I would definitely achieve that as I already see a lot of progress from the few training sessions I had so far.

 

Well thank you very much for your time Dimitrios, we’ll let you get off and look forward to seeing you at training again tomorrow!

 

If you would like to join Dimitrios in trying out korfball with Edinburgh City we are always happy to welcome new players throughout the season and you can find all the information on our training schedule here!

25th Anniversary Celebration

Edinburgh City Korfball Club will be turning 25 years old and to celebrate, we are inviting all players past and present to a weekend extravaganza. There will be a range of activities throughout the weekend, from drinks to dancing and fun in the sun!

 

So save the date! The celebrations will be held from Friday 17th to Sunday 19th July 2020!

 

If you would like to join us for any of the events, please do let us know by any of the following methods:

Email: eckc.development@gmail.com

Whatsapp: 07471 894 650

Facebook: Edinburgh City Korfball

Twitter: @EdinburghCityKC

 

Schedule of Events:

Friday 17th July 2020

20:00 onwards — Drinks reception at Indigo Yard. We will have the mezzanine area reserved so there will be a nice area for old and new Citizens to mingle and catch up!

Saturday 18th July 2020

10:00 – 13:00 – Friendly matches for all attendees, we can mix teams up or play former players vs current players. The format may change, but we can guarantee fun!

19:30 onwards – We will be having a 3 course meal at Tigerlily which you will need to book your tickets for! We have a limited number of places available so please do make sure you book to avoid disappointment!

Afterwards, for those who want to work off their meal, we will head out into town and dance the night away!

Sunday 19th July 2020

11:00 onwards – A family-friendly day on the meadows. We will have a BBQ cooking up some food for everyone to enjoy. We will have a host of games to play, from football to frisbee and plenty in between, we’ll make sure there’s fun for adults and children alike!

City confirm new signing: Christie Smillie

Edinburgh City is delighted to confirm the transfer of Christie Smillie. The deal was confirmed today and the club are ecstatic to have got this one through before the season gets underway.

 

Christie joins from Edinburgh University but has already had some experience at City having assisted with the coaching here last season. When asked how she feels about the move, Christie had this to say:

“I’m really excited to be playing for Edinburgh City this year- it feels like my time at University was the warm up and now we’re getting serious. I’ve been around a lot at City matches and trainings with coaching but it’ll be nice to wear City’s red and black for the season. Really, I’m just glad the kit isn’t neon.”

 

Having played for the last three seasons with Edinburgh University, Christie has really started making huge strides and in the 2018/19 season secured a 1st team place at the club and representing the team at BUCS Nationals where the Edinburgh side finished 11th in the country.

On top of that, Christie represented Scotland at the Interarea tournament alongside fellow Citizens David Ewing and Laura de Nooij and also at the Tri-Nations tournament which saw Scotland take on Wales and Ireland.

 

With preseason just around the corner, Christie joins at the perfect time to get going but the club is more than just hard work and dedication. Looking ahead to regular Friday nights, Christie added:

“I’m also really excited for the first socials! I’ve heard such great things about this year’s social secretaries….”

 

With the transfer window still open, the club are still hoping to bring in one or two more experienced recruits as well as filling their academy with new players so watch this space for more transfer news!

Congratulations New 2019/20 Committee Members

This weekend saw Edinburgh City’s AGM and the election of a new committee. The club thanks those who saw the club through a record 2018/19 season and welcomes a new group who will hopefully be continuing the great work already put in.

Continuing as President after an incredibly successful year is Katrina Caldwell, having overseen the growth of the club to record membership and playing numbers.

Balancing the books once again is Rob Stone, who did a great job as treasurer over the last year having purchased two brand new kits for the club.

Stepping up from (extra)Ordinary Member to Secretary is Andrew Goode, having filled in last season where needed. He’s sure to stay on top of things as he brings his usual energy and enthusiasm to the committee!

After just a few months at the club, Adam Hardy is already settled and a valuable member and now wants to help out even more by taking on the Match Secretary position. Helping to organise players, referees and to ensure that kit is in the right place at the right time, he’s bound to do a great job.

The AGM saw two positions (Recruitment/Fundraising) combine and create a new role ‘Club Development’. This will be taken on by Dan Pratt who continues the work done last season.

Dave Ewing will once again be in charge of Publicity and have his hands full with redesign of the website over the summer. Let’s hope he doesn’t get side-tracked as he’s well known for laughing his way through the world wide web.

Another new position for the 2019/20 season is ‘Refereeing/Coaching Development’ and this will be taken on by Ella Paul. Ella is responsible for recognising and developing talent as a coach and will now extend that to include referees and coaches, which will be more important with the future implementation of shotclocks to the Scotland Korfball League.

We’ve appointed two Social Secretaries again this season, with Christie Smillie and Laura de Nooij taking on the not so little task of keeping all of our members entertained off-court! We’re certain that these two socialites will take it all in their stride.

Finally, another new post created this season is the Safeguarding and Welfare position which will be filled by Vivek Santayana who has some great experience looking after vulnerable members and will help the club stay on the right path.

International Women’s Day – Christie Smillie

International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women – while also marking a call to action for accelerating gender-balance.

To celebrate the day, as well as raise awareness of the importance of gender-balance and the #BetterforBalance campaign, we will be talking to a number of women from the club and finding out what the day means for them, how korfball can help gender-balance, hearing their experiences and seeing if there are any lessons we can take forward.

 

ChristieChristie is pictured here at the Processions Walk in June 2018, which celebrated 100 years of women being able to vote where hundreds of women and girls walked around Edinburgh in suffragette colours as a ‘mass participation artwork’.

Christie is studying geology at Edinburgh University, where she is also playing korfball and coaching the beginner teams. Alongside this, Christie is also the assistant coach at Edinburgh City Korfball Club where she has made a drastic impact on the club, with members being incredibly grateful for her help and guidance.

 

What does International Women’s Day and the #BalanceforBetter campaign mean to you?

International Women’s Day highlights achievements of women around the world and promotes equality.

Everyone receives the same treatment, chances and respect as their peers. It means that we’re actively campaigning and developing as a society into a world where people can expect fair and equal treatment irrespective of their sex or gender.

Just because we are women should not mean that we experience discrimination.

 

What are your experiences of gender-balance in your everyday life?

Gender balance is how we find a way to have equal representation as a man or a woman across every aspect of society.

I’ve experienced a range of negative balances where I have felt a lack of respect, intimidated, inferior and unimportant by a masculinity fuelled situation.

From being told I’m bossy for having an opinion; being told that I run like a girl; that I’m wearing too much make-up. I’ve heard men in cars shout and whistle at women in the street. It is not safe to walk around at night because I am female.

Women often do not receive the same opportunities as men in male-dominated work places. I’m likely to get paid less than my male counterpart when I graduate because I am a woman.

There’s a long history of toxic forced gender roles that are outdated, damaging and not representative of modern society. This is gender imbalance.

We have a lack of recognition for female scientists, artists, athletes (past and present) because we’ve been conditioned to think that men are superior. This then controls the negative gender balance of female role models for young girls to inspire the next generation of “This Girl Can”.

However, my experience of positive gender-balance has shown me that change can happen and have an incredible impact. I’ve experienced fair and equal treatment as a woman at university, work and in sport. In class discussions, I feel that my opinions are valued because what we are given equal opportunities to contribute to discussion.

I have male and female lecturers. I am encouraged to be myself and share my ideas, as is everyone else.

I’ve been challenged, accepted and encouraged by my peers, supervisors and colleagues to achieve my goals- because I am an equal.

 

Does korfball help to promote a gender-balance, and do you think there are lessons that can be learnt for the wider community from our sport?

Each division requires an equal split of men and women. For me, this highlights the importance of being able to work together towards a common goal (or goals!). Also, unlike other sports with fixed positions, korfball allows a more dynamic approach to problem solving strategies, where each player is presented with the same opportunity to contribute to the team.

Both of these aspects are important to the work-place, home environments and wider community.

 

Do you think the club is a positive influence on gender-balance and are there any areas that the club excels in or could do better?

As a fairly new addition to the coaching team I’ve found that the warm welcome encourages all players to come along and try korfball.

I’ve been supported by the head coach and have been part of discussions that influence the team. I feel that my feedback and ideas are respected and valued. Edinburgh City has created an excellent environment to help develop my own coaching skills, ask questions and be able to be a contributor to each training session.

Female coaches are much less common across all sports but we’re out there!  I think it’s also important to know that there is equal representation across the team and committee.  I think Edinburgh City is very successful at achieving a fair gender balance.

I think we need to keep pushing for equality and celebrating the diversity within mixed gender sports.

I’d be very interested in looking towards supporting a women’s charity in Edinburgh.