| Country | England |
|---|---|
| Number of clubs | 10 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | Regional Leagues |
| International cup(s) | IKF Champions League |
| Current champions | Bec |
| Website |
The England Korfball League (EKL) (also commonly referred to as the National League) is the highest echelon of korfball in England. In its current format, the EKL is comprised of 10 teams, each playing every other team in a home and an away fixture (total 18 matches per year). The top four teams in the league at the end of the regular season progress to semi-finals and either the Grand Final or bronze medal match to determine the final standings. These are played as standalone matches, with the teams ranked 1st and 2nd at the end of the regular season earning the right to host their semi-final at their home venue [1] [2] [3] .
The EKL typically runs from September/October - April annually, with breaks for international competitions, the National Youth Inter-Area Competition, Inter-University Championships (BUCS Korfball) and public holidays (Christmas and Easter). The English Korfball Association is the administrator of the league. The playoffs take place in May, with two weeks between the semi-final and grand finals. The promotional playoff final takes place at the same event as the grand final and bronze medal match [4] .
In the 2025-2026 season, the following clubs are competing in the EKL.
| Club | Area Association | Year Promoted to EKL |
|---|---|---|
| Bearsted Korfball Club | Kent | 2025* |
| Bec Korfball Club | London | Prior to current format/records [5] |
| Bristol Thunder Korfball Club | South West | 2018 |
| Bromley Korfball Club | London | 2024 |
| Cambridge Tigers Korfball Club | Cambridgeshire | 2017 |
| Kingfisher Korfball Club | Kent | |
| Nomads Korfball Club | London | Prior to current format/records [6] |
| Norwich Knights Korfball Club | Norfolk | |
| Tornadoes Korfball Club & Academy | Kent | |
| Trojans Korfball Club | London | Prior to current format/records [7] |
* indicates a team who have previously competed in the EKL, and this date represents their most recent promotion.
Existing clubs who have previously competed in the national league in its current format include:
| Season | Champions [9] [10] | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|
| 1986-87 | Mitcham | |
| 1987-88 | Mitcham | |
| 1988-89 | Mitcham | |
| 1989-90 | Vultrix | |
| 1990-91 | Mitcham | |
| 1991-92 | Nomads | |
| 1992-93 | Vultrix | |
| 1993-94 | Mitcham | |
| 1994-95 | Mitcham | |
| 1995-96 | Croydon | |
| 1996-97 | Mitcham | |
| 1997-98 | Mitcham | |
| 1998–99 | Mitcham | |
| 1999–00 | Mitcham | |
| 2000–01 | Mitcham | |
| 2001–02 | Invicta | |
| 2001–02 | Invicta | |
| 2002–03 | Invicta | |
| 2003–04 | Mitcham | |
| 2004–05 | Invicta | |
| 2005–06 | Mitcham | |
| 2006–07 | Mitcham | Kwiek |
| 2007–08 | Trojans | Mitcham |
| 2008–09 | Trojans | Kwiek |
| 2009–10 | Trojans | Nottingham |
| 2010–11 | Trojans | Nottingham |
| 2011–12 | Trojans | Nottingham |
| 2012–13 | Trojans | Kingfisher |
| 2013–14 | Trojans | Bec Korfball Club |
| 2014–15 | Trojans | Bec Korfball Club [11] |
| 2015–16 | Trojans | Bec Korfball Club [12] |
| 2016-17 | Trojans | Norwich Knights [13] |
| 2017–18 | Trojans | Bec Korfball Club |
| 2018-19 | Trojans | Bec Korfball Club |
| 2019-20 | Trojans | Bec Korfball Club |
| 2020-21 | Playoffs cancelled due to COVID-19 | |
| 2021-22 | Trojans | Tornadoes Korfball Club [14] |
| 2022–23 | Bec Korfball Club | Trojans [15] |
| 2023-24 | Bec Korfball Club | Trojans [16] |
| 2024-25 | Bec Korfball Club | Bristol Thunder Korfball Club [17] |
| Team | Titles |
|---|---|
| Mitcham | 14 |
| Trojans | 14 |
| Invicta | 4 |
| Bec | 3 |
| Vultrix | 2 |
The team ranked 10th relegates directly. Previously the number 9 ranked team would play to remain in the top division by ending up in the top two of promotion/relegation play-off. Each year, a team is promoted to the EKL by winning the England Korfball Promotional Division Final [18] . The teams competing in this final are determined by semi-finals the two top-placed teams in each of the two promotional leagues (North & West and South & East with Promo matches played in addition to regional league fixtures). The format of these is that 1st place from each league plays 2nd place from the other, and mirrors the EKL semi-finals, where the higher ranked team has a home semi-final [19] .
To qualify to compete in the Promotional League, teams must place high enough (1st place, with some regions also having 2nd place qualify) in their respective regional league. Only 1st teams can qualify for the Promotional League, and therefore the EKL, and qualifying clubs must also have a total of at least three teams in order to be eligible [2] .
Previous editions of the EKL have had varying numbers of competing teams - the 2017-18 season was the most recent time the league size was altered, increasing the size from 8 to 10 teams [20] .
Prior to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the promotional and EKA playoffs took place on consecutive weekend days (semi-finals on Saturday, and finals on Sunday). Prior to 2018, the promotional playoffs took a round-robin format.
Prior to 2017, the EKL playoffs were hosted at Whitgift School, London, for several years. In 2017, the EKA hosted the finals at the K2 Arena, Crawley. The 2018 and 2019 playoff finals were hosted at the Copper Box Arena in London [21] [22] . The 2020 edition was also due to take place at the Copper Box, but was cancelled due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. Following the pandemic, the 2022-2024 finals were hosted at the University of East Anglia SportsPark [23] . The 2025 finals returned to the K2 arena [24] , and this venue is also booked for 2026.
| Year | Venue |
|---|---|
| 2017 | K2 |
| 2018 | Copper Box Arena |
| 2019 | Copper Box Arena |
| 2020 and 2021 | Cancelled due to Pandemic |
| 2022 | UEA SportsPark |
| 2023 | UEA SportsPark |
| 2024 | UEA SportsPark |
| 2025 | K2 |
| 2026 | K2 |
Historically, the winner of the ELK grand final would progress to the Europa Cup Competition the following season, and the runner up would progress to the Europa Shield Competition. Since the 2022-2023 season, the Korfball Champions League has replaced these competitions, with the teams finishing the EKL playoffs in places 1-3 usually qualifying for the different tiers of champions league competition [25] .