England Korfball League
The England Korfball League is the highest echelon of korfball in England. In its current format, the EKL comprises 10 teams, each playing every other team in a home and an away fixture. 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.
The EKL typically runs from September/October - April annually, with breaks for international competitions, the, Inter-University Championships and public holidays. 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.
Current Competing Teams
In the 2025–2026 season, the following clubs are competing in the EKL.| Club | Area Association | Year Promoted to EKL |
| 2025* | ||
| Bec Korfball Club | Prior to current format/records | |
| 2018 | ||
| London | 2024 | |
| 2017 | ||
| Kent | ||
| London | Prior to current format/records | |
| Kent | ||
| Trojans Korfball Club | London | Prior to current format/records |
Existing clubs who have previously competed in the national league in its current format include:
Promotion and Relegation
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. The teams competing in this final are determined by semi-finals the two top-placed teams in each of the two promotional leagues. 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.To qualify to compete in the Promotional League, teams must place high enough 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.
Changes to League Size
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.EKL and Promotional Final Format and Venues
Prior to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the promotional and EKA playoffs took place on consecutive weekend days. 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. 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. The 2025 finals returned to the K2 arena, 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 |