7 on field, 21 total on roster; 1 additional player who is not a member of either team Both teams can substitute playersfreely at any time behind their proper keeper zone.
Quidditch,[4] officially known as quadball since 2022, is a teamsport that was created in 2005 at Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont, United States, and was inspired by the fictional game of the same name in the Harry Potter books by the author J. K. Rowling.[5] Two teams of seven players each, astride broomsticks and opposing each other on a rectangular pitch, compete with the primary objective of passing a ball through the defenders' hoops, while preventing their opponents from passing it through their own hoops. The real-world sport is sometimes referred to as "muggle quidditch" to distinguish it from the fictional game of the books, which involves magical elements such as flying broomsticks and enchanted balls—a muggle in the Harry Potter series being a person without magical abilities. The sport is played around the world.
Rules of the sport are governed by the International Quadball Association (IQA), and events are sanctioned by either the IQA or that nation's governing body. A team consists of a minimum of seven (maximum 21) players, of which six are always on the pitch: three chasers, one keeper, and two beaters. The seventh position, known as a seeker, joins each team after a time period known as the "seeker floor" (17 minutes under IQA rules). The pitch is rectangular 60 by 36 yards (55 by 33m) with three hoops of varying heights at either end (this contrasts with the pitch of the fictional sport, which is oval-shaped).[6] Teams are required to be gender-balanced: each team may have a maximum of four players who identify as the same gender on the field at one time, making quidditch one of the few sports that not only offers a gender-integrated environment, but an open community to those who identify as nonbinary.[7]
To score points, chasers or keepers must get the quaffle—a slightly deflated volleyball—into any of the three opposing hoops, which scores the team 10 points.[8] To impede their opponents, beaters can use bludgers—dodgeballs—to hit opposing players and temporarily remove them from play. Once hit by an opposing bludger, that player must dismount their broom, drop any ball being held, and return to touch their own team's hoops before re-entering the game.[9]
The ultimate goal is to have more points than the other team by the time the snitch—a tennis ball inside a long sock hanging from the shorts of an impartial official dressed in yellow—is caught. After eighteen minutes of play, the snitch runner moves onto the pitch and tries to evade the two seekers. When one of the seekers catches the snitch, that team is awarded 30 points.[10] If this leads to the catching team having more points overall than their opponents, the game ends immediately with the catching team winning. In the event a team catches the snitch but still trails in points (or is tied for points) the game goes into an overtime period, with the target being the score achieved by the non-catching team plus 30 points. The first team to reach the target score wins the game; alternatively, either team may concede at any time during the overtime period. Matches or games often run about 30 to 40 minutes, but tend to vary in length due to the unpredictable nature of the snitch catch.
Rules vary from the IQA standard in domestic competitions, most notably in the US. In games sanctioned by Major League Quadball (MLQ) and US Quadball (USQ), catching the snitch results in 35 points, which help teams reach a set score, 60 (MLQ) or 70 (USQ) points above the leading team before the seeker floor. The first team to reach this set score wins the game. Additionally, the seeker floor is set at 20 minutes rather than 17.
History
Quidditch has its roots in the fictional Harry Potter sport of the same name. To denote the difference, the fictional sport uses the capitalized "Quidditch" whereas the sport played as per the IQA rules uses the uncapitalised "quidditch". In April 2017 Oxford Dictionaries recognized "quidditch" as a word.[11]
The sport was brought to life in 2005 at Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont, by Xander Manshel and Alex Benepe, who later became the first commissioner of quidditch.[12] It has grown into its own separate and distinct sport after ten[13] publications of rulebooks.[14]
After beginning in 2005, the sport grew to the point where, in 2007, the first Quidditch World Cup took place with Middlebury taking the place of the top team. Since then, yearly until 2014, there was a World Cup within the United States, where collegiate and community teams would compete to be the best team. While Canada often sent several Ontario or Quebec teams, and Australia, Mexico and France each sent a team once, the World Cup in its state never saw true international competition. In 2012, the IQA hosted the Summer Games, where five nations sent national teams. Two years later, the IQA hosted the Global Games, during which the United States defeated Australia for the gold medal.[15] There is now an IQA World Cup every two years, though the 2020 World Cup was cancelled and the 2022 World Cup has been delayed.
Since beginning at Middlebury College, the sport has grown through universities in the East and West Coast in the United States. It soon grew internationally, arriving in Canada through McGill University and Carleton University in 2009. In 2010, UCLA became the first major university to create a permanent Quidditch pitch, through the generosity of actor-alumnus Matthew Perry.[citation needed] Quidditch began to take shape around the world with teams beginning in Australia,[16] the UK,[17] and France.[18] It soon spread across Europe and the Americas, arriving in Italy, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Mexico, Argentina,[19] and Brazil. There are now active teams in Malaysia, China, Uganda, the Philippines, New Zealand and Vietnam.
In December 2021, it was reported that some leagues involved in the sport, US Quidditch and Major League Quidditch, were planning to change the name of the sport they engage in. The leagues had stated that this was in order to distance themselves from Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling's views on transgender people and related civil rights, that have been criticized by some people as transphobic, as well as avoiding a potential trademark dispute over studio Warner Bros.' ownership of "Quidditch".[20] Names suggested include "quidball", "quadball", "quickball", "quicker", "quidstrike" and "quadraball".[21] In July 2022, the new name of "quadball" was announced, which references the game's four balls and retains 'Q' as the first letter.[22]
Play
Each match begins with six of the starting players (excluding the seekers) along the starting line within their keeper zone with brooms on the ground and the four balls lined in the centre of the pitch. The head referee then calls "brooms up!" at which players run to gain possession of the balls.[23] The snitch goes on the field at 17 minutes, and the seekers are released at 18 minutes.[24]
Goals are worth ten points. Once a point is scored, the quaffle must be given to the other team's keeper, and almost immediately returns to the offensive[25] with the chasers returning to their keeper zone or proper side of the pitch;[26] beaters are not bound to return to their side of the pitch nor exit the opposing team's keeper zone at any point.[27] Games can last any length of time longer than 18 minutes, depending on the skill and endurance of the seekers and snitch.
The game ends after the snitch has been caught through what is called a clean catch by the Snitch Referee, The Head Referee, and the Snitch Runner. The team that caught the snitch is awarded 30 points, regardless if they are winning or losing the game.[28] The winner is determined not by the snitch catch, but by the number of points earned throughout the entirety of the game. Depending on the score teams will delay the snitch catch to better their chances of winning. Teams that are losing tend to defend the snitch by placing themselves between the Snitch Runner and the opposing seeker.
Positions
The players positions are shown by the colour of the headband they wear on pitch.[29][30]
Chasers (white headbands) are responsible for passing the quaffle and scoring points by throwing the quaffle through one of the opponent's goals for 10 points. Chasers may enter into physical contact with opposing chasers or keepers. There are three chasers on the field for each team.[30]
Keepers (green headband) function as chasers with extra priviledges. The keeper is invulnerable to bludgers as well as having indisputable possession of the quaffle when within their team's keeper zone, an area around the team's hoops. There is one keeper per team.[30]
Beaters (black headband) attempt to hit the opposing team's players with bludgers and attempt to block the bludgers from hitting their team's players. Beaters may catch a bludger to avoid being knocked out. As there are three bludgers for the four beaters on the pitch, the fourth, bludger-less beater puts pressure on the team in control of both bludgers (often called "bludger control" or "bludger supremacy"). If a beater is on a team that has no bludgers, they may raise a hand above their shoulder with their fist closed and claim "bludger immunity" to prevent being knocked out by live bludgers as they collect the third bludger. A team that has two bludgers may not prevent the other team from collecting the third bludger. Beaters may enter into physical contact only with other beaters.[30]
Seekers (yellow headband) attempt to catch the snitch. They may not contact the snitch but are permitted to contact the other seeker. The Snitch is released after 17 minutes, giving the Seekers a chance to watch the snitch before being released 1 minute later, after a total of 18 minutes of game time. There is one seeker on the field for each team.[30]
Equipment
The game is played with six standing hoops, three on each side of a square pitch. Each player must hold a broomstick between their legs. There are three different types of balls in play, and five in total: the quaffle, three bludgers, and the snitch.
One quaffle and three bludgers lined up for "brooms up" before a quidditch match
Broomstick
The broomstick serves the purpose of being a handicap such as one-handed dribbling in basketball or using only one's feet in association football.[31] The player must stay mounted on their broomstick continuously unless they have been hit with a bludger, in which case the player needs to dismount from their broom and return to their hoops.[32] To be mounted on the broomstick means that the player must hold the broom between their legs and not have it fully on the ground.[33]
Players can substitute a variety of objects for brooms depending on the level of seriousness. Many teams play on PVC pipes of about 3 feet or 1 meter in length; these are usually made, but can also be purchased from specialist quidditch suppliers.
Hoops
Three hoops are placed on either side of the pitch of differing heights (3ft or 0.91m, 4.5ft or 1.4m and 6ft or 1.8m), placed two broomsticks apart (92in or 2.3m).[34] Chasers and keepers can score by throwing the quaffle through any one of the hoops, from either front or back, gaining ten points for their team per score. Any player experiencing a knock-out effect from either dismounting their broomstick or getting hit with a bludger must touch with any part of their body excluding the broom any one of their hoops before returning to play.
Quaffle
The quaffle is a slightly deflated regulation volleyball that can only be manipulated by chasers or keepers. Used for scoring, it may pass through any hoop from either side. Regardless of which team caused the quaffle to pass through the hoop, as long as it is in play, a goal is scored against the team whose hoop was scored upon, which is counted to be 10 points.[35]
Bludgers
The bludger is a slightly deflated dodgeball that can only be manipulated by beaters. There are three bludgers. The bludgers are used to hit any other player on the field. Upon being hit by a bludger, a player must dismount their broom, drop any ball that they may have been carrying, and touch their team's hoops before resuming play. There also is no friendly fire, meaning that bludgers thrown by beaters cannot affect any of their teammates.[35]
Snitch (or flag)
Seeker (l) and Snitch (r) at King's Cup Quidditch Tournament, Syracuse University, April 2015
The snitch is a tennis ball placed at the bottom of a long yellow pouch that is attached to the back of the snitch runner's shorts like in tag rugby. The snitch-runner is allowed to be more physical than other players.[37]
Only seekers may make advances towards the snitch or the snitch runner, and no forceful contact with the snitch runner is allowed. If the snitch is not caught within a certain period of time, handicaps for the snitch runner come into play. Catching the snitch awards 30 points.[35]
As of the release of Rulebook 8, the snitch is relegated to playing only on the field in the same fashion as the other players. Previously, snitch runners left the pitch to be pursued by seekers returning to the field after a predetermined amount of time.
Rules
USQ (originally IQA) has released 15 iterations of the Rulebook, each building upon the last. The modern IQA has released 5 iterations of the Rulebook since it split from USQ.
Playing
Each match begins with six of the starting players (excluding the seekers) along the starting line within their keeper zone with brooms on the ground and the four balls lined in the centre of the pitch. The head referee then calls "brooms up!" at which players run to gain possession of the balls.[23] After brooms up is called, the seekers must not interfere with other positions, and wait near the pitch until the end of the seeker floor, usually 18 minutes. The snitch goes on the field at 17 minutes, and the seekers are released at 18 minutes.[38]
Play runs rapidly, with quick change-of-hands of the quaffle, because every goal (each being worth 10 points) scored against a team gives that team the ball. Once a point is scored, the quaffle must be given to the other team's keeper, and almost immediately returns to the offensive[25] with the chasers returning to their keeper zone or proper side of the pitch;[26] beaters are not bound to return to their side of the pitch nor exit the opposing team's keeper zone at any point.[27] Games can last any length of time longer than 18 minutes, depending on the skill and endurance of the seekers and snitch. Many tournaments introduce snitch handicaps, such as asking the snitch to use only one hand, no hands, or remain on the centre line, to ensure games fit within reasonable time slots.
The game is won only after the snitch has been caught cleanly, and the team that caught the snitch is awarded 30 points.[28] The winner is determined not by the snitch catch but by the number of points earned; thus it is not unknown for teams that are losing by a wide margin to try delaying a snitch catch so that they can narrow the opponents' lead, along with the reverse, with the winning team trying to extend their lead.
Fouls and illegal plays
Depending on the severity of the foul, a player found committing an illegal play will result in a back-to-hoops, or a blue, yellow, and/or a red card.[30] A back-to-hoops foul means the player must follow the same procedure as when hit with a bludger.[39] A blue card or yellow card mean the player must go the penalty box, for either one minute or until the next goal. Blue cards do not stack, but two yellow cards stack to a red card. If a player receives a red card, they are banned from the rest of the match.[39]
If a Keeper is sent to the penalty box, they must give their headband to another chaser on their team, as both teams are required to have a keeper on the pitch at all times.
Contact rules are similar to other contact sports. Tackles are legal between the knees and shoulders. Two-handed tackling is allowed. All tackles must be initiated from the front side of the opposing player. Any back tackles made will result in a yellow card, however, if the player turns their back into the tackle with no chance for adjustment, it is not considered illegal. Players can only tackle other players of their same position (with keepers considered chasers) if they have the ball. Pushes are allowed if the arm is held straight; it is illegal to push if the arm is bent and then extended when pushing another player.[40] Players are not allowed to dive for balls, slide into contact, trip opposing players, or initiate contact around the neck or over the shoulder. If a player is found making any of these offences it will result in a card depending on the severity of the offence.
After several various types of illegal play, after an injury, or after a snitch catch, the head referee will blow their whistle three times to indicate stoppage of play, in which every player must drop in place their broom.[41]
The snitch can no longer leave the pitch and is also subject to 'brooms down' (which is when play stops and no one can change location or headband), but can 'take a knee' by having any part of their body except their feet touch the floor. In this case, the seekers cannot advance towards the snitch at all until three seconds after the snitch is back up – if they do so, they will be sent back to hoops.
Pitch
The quidditch pitch is usually marked with cones or with painted lines,[42] and it is where all play occurs (a rectangle of 36 by 66 yards or 33m ×60m around the pitch).[43] Balls are not allowed to be kicked off the pitch under penalty, nor is play allowed in the spectator zones. Players are asked to return to the pitch when play continues out of bounds.
On the edge of the pitch is a penalty box where players who have committed fouls that warrant yellow cards are sent for one minute.[44]
Officials
Each official game requires having several referees present as well as an official snitch. The referees consist of:
Head referee, who enforces the rules, takes disciplinary action against players, and is the only official who may directly issue penalty cards;
Assistant referees, who assist the Head Referee in calling whether players are subject to the knockout effect, watching plays away from the quaffle and watching for balls and players going out of bounds;
Snitch referee, who watches plays around the snitch runner, including knockouts and potential catches, ruling whether the snitch runner is down, and enforcing snitch handicaps;
Goal referees, who watch the shots taken towards the goals and ruling whether the quaffle is out of bounds at their endline.[45]
The snitch runner, being a neutral player and assistant referee, may help the referees to determine whether or not the catch was clean.[45]
There is also usually a timekeeper and scorekeeper for each game.
Rules history
The rules of quidditch have changed significantly as the sport has developed over time. New rulebooks are released approximately every one or two years.
Rulebook 8
The release of Rulebook 8 coincided partially with the reformation of the IQA. As USQ released the rulebook, the IQA chose to adopt the eighth iteration as the de facto international standard where the proceeding rulebook will be released under the guise of the IQA. The changes from Rulebook 7 to Rulebook 8 were minimal except in two areas: blue cards and snitching.
A technical foul results in a blue card on a player where that player must substitute with another player of the same position. The substitution does not, however, result in a power play for the other team, and play is not stopped when this card is rendered. A play may accrue an unlimited number of technical fouls during a match.[46]
Snitching also changed in Rulebook 8 resulting in the deletion of off-pitch seeking. Where before, the snitch would be "released" before each match by running off the pitch during a set amount of time, now the snitch is released to the field, limited to the playing area, at 17 minutes (the seekers being released at 18 minutes). Many NGBs chose to continue playing under Rulebook 7 rules.[46]
Rulebook 9
The release of Rulebook 9 coincided partially with the reformation of the IQA. As USQ released the rulebook, the IQA chose to adopt the eighth iteration as the de facto international standard where the proceeding rulebook will be released under the guise of the IQA. The changes from Rulebook 8 to Rulebook 9 were minimal.
Rulebook 9 requires that if a chaser or keeper decides to reset the play by throwing the quaffle back to their side of the pitch, there must be a chaser and/or keeper to receive the quaffle. If there is no one to receive the ball, it will be considered a turnover and the offending team will lose possession of the quaffle.
Rulebook 10
The release of Rulebook 10 coincided partially with the reformation of the IQA. As USQ released the rulebook, the IQA chose to adopt the eighth iteration as the de facto international standard where the proceeding rulebook will be released under the guise of the IQA. The changes from the Rulebook 9 to 10 were minimal.
Rulebook 10 now requires that once an opposing team has scored, the keeper and or point chaser must keep the ball moving forward at all times. The rulebook has become more strict on tackling and cards are given at the discretion of the head referee. In addition, moving screens are illegal. This means that if a person wishes to screen for another player that has the quaffle, the person setting the screen must have their feet planted.
2020–2021 rulebook changes
The 2020–2021 IQA rulebook is notable for making significant changes to several aspects of the game. The most major changes are chaser positioning when restarting play (after third bludger interference and most penalty cards), two yellow cards no longer resulting in a red card, a new setup for the start of games and snitch catches when the catching team is behind no longer ending the game.[47]
The start setup was altered so players no longer line up on their starting line but instead enter the pitch from the side. One bludger starts in the middle of each team's keeper line, whereas the quaffle and third bludger are placed on the midline. One beater and one chaser from each team are chosen as designated runners who line up on the midline. The other players on the team all line up anywhere on the sideline on their half of the pitch, excluding one chaser who acts as the offensive zone chaser and starts on the sideline in the opponents' half.[48]
In the event a team catches the snitch but this results in them still trailing in points (or being in a tie for points), the game now goes into an overtime period where a target score of the non-catching team's score plus 30 points is set. The first team to reach the target score wins the game, however either team may concede at any time during this overtime period. Catches that result in the catching team leading in points still end the game immediately with the catching team winning.
2022 rulebook changes
The upcoming 2022 IQA rulebook will add in two-arm wrappings and tackling, allow initiating contact from behind if a player has come to a complete stop and extend the seeker floor from 17 to 20 minutes (bringing it in line with the current USQ/MLQ seeker floor). It also adds other minor rules such as required extra breaks during high heat or humidity, allowing plastic shin guards and metal cleats, penalizing beats thrown to the head from less than 5 meters away and new rules about specific scenarios with regard to resetting and stalled quaffles.[49]
One additional change was proposed but failed receive enough votes which was a "3 maximum" gender rule that would allow teams to only have up to a maximum of 3 players of the same gender on pitch before the seeker floor (compared to the current 4 maximum of the same gender on pitch at any time).[50]QuadballUK have decided to implement this rule change starting in 2023.[51]
World Map of quidditch activity. Dark blue indicates full member, light blue indicates associate member.
The International Quadball Association serves as the central governing body for quidditch worldwide and helps to coordinate with national associations around the world through the IQA Congress. Previously, The IQA held a World Cup for qualifying members of the association at the end of every season, the first being held in 2007, ending in 2014 with its restructuring.[52] Now, the IQA hosts World Cups featuring national teams, as well as Continental Games in the years between World Cups.
Each nation in which quidditch is played has or is in the process of developing a national organisation. The job of the national organisation is to organise quidditch within the country, create membership policies for teams, organize referees, snitches, and coaches and be the bridge between that nation's teams and the IQA.
Previously known as the Global Games and Summer Games, the World Cup is the IQA's tournament for national teams. It takes place every two years and any quidditch-playing nation is offered the chance at competing on the world level at this tournament. The next tournament will be held in Richmond, United States, in 2023.
The original World Cup was titled "Summer Games" to match the Olympics being held in London, United Kingdom. July 2012 saw five national teams from around the world compete in this first international tournament run by the IQA, taking place in University Parks, Oxford, England. The five teams were from the US, Canada, France, UK, and Australia.[53]
Similar to the World Cup, the European Games is an international tournament open to national teams. Inclusion within the European Games is limited to members of the European Committee (also known as Quidditch Europe or QEurope). The first European Games were held in Sarteano, Italy in July 2015.[54]
The European Quidditch Cup, also known as EQC and formerly known as the European Quidditch Championship,[55] is a yearly championship tournament for teams in Europe. EQC began first in France in Lesparre-Médoc on 13 October 2012 where a minimal number of teams attended due to the fact that quidditch was only recently introduced to Europe.[56] The tournament quickly grew however and during the 2015–2016 season, Gallipoli, Italy, hosted EQC IV on 16–17 April 2016, with 40 teams attending from 13 countries.[57] The next European Quidditch Cup will be held in Mechelen, Belgium, on 25–26 March 2017, and will see 32 attending teams from 15 countries.[58]
Asian Quidditch Cup
The inaugural Asian Quidditch Cup took place between the 30 and 31 July 2016 in Malaysia. It was held again in 2017 and held biennially to match the World Cup/Regional tournament alternations. The teams that competed at the inaugural Asian Quidditch Cup were the Australian National University Owls (ANU), Damansara Dementors, and Subang Chimaeras. The ANU Owls emerged champions.[59]
Regional or league tournaments
Canadian Nationals
Canadian Nationals is the national championship tournament for Quidditch Canada.[60] The 2014–2015 national championship was held in Burnaby, British Columbia on 28 March 2015. Its precursors, East and West Regionals, were held in Kingston, Ontario and Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan on 1 and 7 February 2015, respectively.[61]
Major League Quadball (MLQ) was founded in 2015. MLQ features standardized schedules, officiation, statistics, and live or previously recorded footage of all games. The league included eight teams across the United States and Canada for its inaugural season in the summer of 2015. The league expanded to 16 teams for the 2016 season with the slogan "#16for16". For its third season in 2017, the league introduced practice squads behind the 16 teams, as well as developed a policy to allow league official teams to play unaffiliated teams.[62][63]
QUAFL
Yearly, the Australian Quadball Association hosts QUAFL (Quadball united Australian federated league), an all-Australian championship that determines which Australian team is the best. The first tournament was held in December 2011 at UNSW, Sydney and won by the hosts. The second tournament was hosted by Macquarie University and was won again by the UNSW Snapes on a plane. The tournament in 2013 was held at the University of Western Sydney on 30 November and 1 December. The winning team was the Perth Phoenixes. Melbourne Manticores defeated UNSW Snapes On A Plane in the 2014 tournament final held at Macquarie University. The same teams would make the 2015 tournament final, held at Monash University, where the Manticores would once again emerge triumphant. Wrackspurts QC from Victoria took out the 2016 tournament held at the Australian Institute of Sport. Most recently in the 2017 tournament held at the same location as 2016, the Whomping Willows of Victoria (in their first year as a team) took out the QUAFL cup.
Beginning in 2017, the Quidditch Premier League (QPL) is a league in the United Kingdom[64] that, as of 2019, is split into four divisions and 17 teams.[65]
USQ Championships (US Quadball Cup)
The US Quadball Cup (previously known as the IQA World Cup, Quidditch World Cup, and US Quidditch Cup) is the national championship tournament for US Quidditch. The tournament is a continuation of the IQA's original "Quidditch World Cup", having changed names for the 2015–2016 season and US Quidditch Cup 9. The change came about as the IQA shifted to become solely an international governing body for the sport and USQ took over quidditch governance in the United States. Each year, teams from around the United States compete at their respective regional championships to qualify for the US Quadball Cup tournament held at the end of the college school year. In the 2017–2018 season, USQ introduced separate divisions for college and community/club teams.
The goal of the USQ Championships is to compete to see which team is the best in the United States. USQ membership policy dictates that any team outside the US will be eligible to compete in this and any other USQ tournament as long as they pay the membership fees in full, but, to date, only two teams outside the US have registered as such: University of British Columbia's A and B teams. This policy, however, has since been discontinued. The first US Quadball Cup champion, since the forming of a separate USQ nationals, was Quidditch Club Boston (QCB) in 2016.
US Quadball Cup Winners (Previously the Quidditch World Cup)
Year
Winner
Title (at the time)
Organizing Body
Location
2008
Middlebury College
World Cup 1
IQA
Middlebury, VT
2009
Middlebury College
World Cup 2
IQA
Middlebury, VT
2010
Middlebury College
World Cup 3
IQA
Middlebury, VT
2011
Middlebury College
World Cup 4
IQA
New York, NY
2012
Middlebury College
World Cup 5
IQA
New York, NY
2013
University of Texas
World Cup 6
IQA
Kissimmee, FL
2014
University of Texas
World Cup 7
IQA
North Myrtle Beach, SC
2015
University of Texas
World Cup 8
USQ
Rock Hill, SC
2016
Quidditch Club Boston (QCB)
US Quidditch Cup 9
USQ
Columbia, SC
2017
Texas Cavalry
US Quidditch Cup 10
USQ
Kissimmee, FL
2018
University of Rochester (College Division)
Texas Cavalry (Club Division)
US Quidditch Cup 11
USQ
Round Rock, TX
2019
University of Texas (College Division)
Texas Cavalry (Club Division)
US Quidditch Cup 12
USQ
Round Rock, TX
2022
University of Texas (College Division)
Texas Hill Country Heat (Club Division)
US Quidditch Cup 2022
USQ
Salt Lake City, UT
2023
University of Texas at San Antonio (College Division)
The Warriors (Club Division)
US Quadball Cup 2023
USQ
Conshohocken, PA
IQA World Cup (old)
The IQA World Cup is the former "world" championship of quidditch, which was held yearly in the United States. As it was maintained by the former IQA, it was almost a purely US-based tournament, seeing little turnout from teams outside of the country. This tournament was discontinued in 2014 when the IQA took on its new role as an international sports federation, choosing instead to host the then-Global Games now-World Cup as a world championship with individual teams relying on their national governing body for a culminating tournament.
The 2020 Tournament will be hosted at Shawnee Sports Complex in Dunbar WV. (67)
British Tournaments
The British Quadball Cup was first held in Oxford, England, on 9 and 10 November 2013, and was won by the Oxford University's first team, The Radcliffe Chimeras.[67] The BQC was repeated on the weekend of 7 March 2015 held in Wollaton Park, Nottingham. At this tournament, the defending Champions, The Radcliffe Chimeras, were defeated in the final by Southampton Quidditch Club 1, with Keele Squirrels coming third. In total 24 teams were registered to compete with 23 doing so.
Also significant in the UK are the two regional tournaments – Northern Cup and Southern Cup. Originally devised as independently organised tournaments by Keele University Quidditch Club in March 2014, and the Southampton Quidditch Club the following November, the inaugural tournaments were won by Bangor Broken Broomsticks and Radcliffe Chimeras. The tournaments were then taken over by QuadballUK, to ensure consistency between the two, as the tournaments are now used as qualification criteria for the European Quidditch Cup.[68] The second Northern Cup took place on the 31 October–1 November 2015, and was won by Nottingham Nightmares, who defeated Durhamstrang in the final.[69] The second Southern Cup took place on the 14–15 November and was won by the Radcliffe Chimeras, who defeated Warwick Quidditch Club in the final. The following year, the Velociraptors won Northern and Warwick Quidditch Club Southern.[70][71] The top three teams from each regional tournament (from Northern: the Velociraptors, Durhamstrang, and Tornadoes Quidditch Club and from Southern: Warwick Quidditch Club, Werewolves of London, and Brizzlebears) qualified for the European Quidditch Cup, which took place on the 25–26 March 2017.[72]
In 2017, the increasing number of teams led to the introduction of the Development Cup, or Dev Cup for short, where teams that did not qualify for BQC could play. The style is a round-robin tournament, leading to all teams playing eight games (in the first one) over two days. The first winners of this were the Liverpuddly Cannons, who won all of their games.
Other long-standing tournaments include the Annual Mercian Cup, a mercenary tournament hosted by Derby Union Quidditch, Highlander Cup hosted by the Edinburgh Holyrood Hippogriffs, Reading University's Whiteknights Tournament, and Oxford's unique Valentines Cup, a fantasy tournament where players signed up in pairs. Since awareness of quidditch in the UK is rising exponentially, every year new tournaments are being devised.
Gender or "four maximum" rule and the LGBT community
Since its inception, quidditch has sought gender equality on the pitch.[74] One of the most important requirements within the sport is its four maximum rule, which states:
A quidditch game allows each team to have a maximum of four players, not including the seeker, who identify as the same gender in active play on the field at the same time. The gender that a player identifies with is considered to be that player's gender, which may or may not correspond with that person's sex. This is commonly referred to as the "four maximum" rule. USQ accepts those who don't identify within the binary gender system and acknowledges that not all of our players identify as male or female. USQ welcomes people of all identities and genders into our league.
In 2013, US Quidditch created Title 9¾, a branch of the IQA that actively promotes advocacy and awareness as well as gender equality and inclusivity,[76] whose role moved on to the IQA under its "Initiatives".[74] The sport has also been illustrated to yield a positive experience for athletes of all genders, increased desires for inclusivity and stereotype reduction.[74] Testimonials include: "The gender rule makes playing safe for me. I'm trans and genderqueer, two reasons I never know which team to join ... so having a non-binary option means I don't have to choose."[77]
Variants
There are other variants of real-life Quidditch, notably played in Russia, Kazakhstan, and Hungary amongst other places. These variants often play with rules similar to the fictional sport within the Harry Potter universe but differ wildly from the IQA rules, including: playing without brooms, brooms serving a different purpose, referees throwing balls to act as snitches, differing bludger and beater roles, riding bicycles instead of brooms, etc.[78]
A version of "real life" quidditch is also portrayed in the film The Internship, however it strays wildly from quidditch's ruleset.[79]
Corrigan Quidditch
While Middlebury College certainly began the sporting craze for quidditch, an independent form of the sport originated in the early spring of 2007 on the campus of the University of North Georgia in Dahlonega, Georgia.[80] This version of the sport uses a Flying Disk as its quaffle, dodge balls as bludgers, and a golden-yellow 'super ball' for the snitch. This form of the game (known affectionately as 'Corrigan Quidditch' after its originator, an English professor at the university who taught a Harry Potter class that term and developed the game for tournament play as an outgrowth of that course) does not call for players to hold a broom between the legs. Additionally, all of the playing apparatus is located within the playing pitch (quaffle, bludgers, snitch, beater's bats, and keeper's brooms). The two brooms are used only to defend the goals, which rise five (1.5), ten (3), and fifteen feet (4.6m) above the pitch at each end of an elongated octagonal playing field approximately 200 feet (60m) long. 'Corrigan Quidditch', as does the Middlebury version, has its own official rule book but features whimsical offences including a 'Queensbury'—moving both feet whilst holding the quaffle—and an 'Impermissible'—which allows the offended chaser to run with the quaffle (without incurring a Queensbury offence) and make a 'try' at the goals, defended only by the opposing keeper. Play includes non-participating teams who stand around the pitch and take control of both 'bludgering' players as well as 'sending off' the snitch at irregular intervals during play to allow the seekers (who are kept secret during play) to attempt a game-winning catch. 'Corrigan Quidditch' was the form of play originally covered in the world press during that significant summer when the seventh Harry Potter book (and fifth Harry Potter movie) was released. Unlike the world-popular Middlebury version, 'Corrigan Quidditch' remains a local event still played on its originating campus.[81]
Kidditch
Modified rules with less contact have been used for younger (school age) players.[82] These rules include no tackling, modified hoops, and some leeway given to referees on the calls they make.
Mudbloods is a quidditch documentary on how quidditch began in the US.[83]
Fly The Movie: Journey To Frankfurt is a documentary following quidditch players on Team UK as they prepared for the Quidditch World Cup in Germany in 2016.[84][85]
Quidditch is a fictional sport invented by author J. K. Rowling for her fantasy book series Harry Potter. It first appeared in the novel Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (1997). In the series, Quidditch is portrayed as a dangerous but popular sport played by witches and wizards riding flying broomsticks.
Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup is a 2003 sports action video game that features the fictional sport of Quidditch from the Harry Potter franchise. The game was developed by two teams, EA UK and Magic Pockets, and was published by Electronic Arts. It was released for Game Boy Advance, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube. The game bears no relation to the abandoned Nintendo 64 project.
The International Quadball Association (IQA), previously known as the International Quidditch Association, is the governing body for the sport of quidditch. It was founded as the Intercollegiate Quidditch Association in 2009 following the very first intercollegiate quidditch match. In 2010, the IQA added the "international" term to its name, and 2016 saw its induction as an international sports federation with its creation of the Congress. It now comprises more than ten national associations governing quidditch in their respective nations.
QuadballUK is the official governing body of quadball in the United Kingdom and is affiliated with the International Quadball Association.
The US Quadball Cup, previously known as US Quidditch Cup and IQA World Cup, is a quadball tournament held in the United States and organized by US Quadball. The first US Quadball Cup was held in 2007 with only two teams participating, and now features around 60 collegiate and club teams from around the United States.
Oxford Universities Quidditch Club (OUQC) is the quidditch club of both the University of Oxford and Oxford Brookes University. It is composed of two teams: a first team, the Radcliffe Chimeras, and a reserve second team, the Quidlings. Both teams are official QuidditchUK (QUK) teams. QUK is the UK quidditch governing body, and is a constituent part of the International Quidditch Association (IQA).
The Belgium national quidditch team, also known as the Belgian Gryffins, is the national team of Belgium in quidditch. The team was founded in 2014 upon the announcement of the 2014 IQA Global Games, the International Quidditch Association's second international tournament featuring national teams.
Quidditch Canada is the governing body that oversees quidditch within Canada under its mother organization, the International Quidditch Association. In August 2022, QC announced plans to rebrand with the new name Quadball in 2023.
The United Kingdom National Quidditch Team, colloquially known as Team UK, was the official national Quidditch team of the United Kingdom. Team UK made its debut in 2012 at the IQA Summer Games in Oxford, UK where it placed 5th of 5 teams. The team then played in Canada at the 2014 IQA Global Games in Burnaby, BC on July 29, 2014 where it placed 4th of 7 teams and in the European Games in Sarteano, Italy in July 2015, placing 2nd of 12. Team UK gained its first medals at the IQA World Cup 2016 in Frankfurt on July 23–24, 2016, finishing 3rd out of 21 teams. In 2017 the team gained its first international trophy, winning the IQA European Games, beating France in the final. Team UK's final tournament appearance was a 3rd place medal at the 2019 IQA European Games in Bamberg.
US Quadball, formerly known as US Quidditch, is a non-profit organization that governs the sport of quadball in the United States of America. Quadball is a sport that combines elements of basketball, dodgeball, and rugby. The sport is played at more than 100 colleges and 50 independent clubs in the United States.
Quidditch, also known as Quadball, in Australia is played by a mixture of university and community teams. Due to the geographic demographics of the country, most major competitive tournaments are held in the eastern states. There are currently over 30 registered teams in the country.
The IQA World Cup is an international quidditch tournament contested by the national teams of the members of the International Quidditch Association, the sport's global governing organisation. The championship, which was named Summer Games and Global Games in its first two editions, has been awarded every two years since 2012. The current champions are the United States, who defeated Germany in 2023, after having also beaten Belgium back in 2018.
Quidditch is a growing team sport in Canada. Due to its relative youth within the sports scene of Canada, adoption is not as widespread as other sports such as rugby or ultimate. However, adoption is picking up with additional university and community teams each year. As a result of its inclusivity and its many niche styles of play, a wider spectrum of individuals are drawn to this sport than other mainstream sports. For the moment, the majority of teams are based in Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia and Alberta, but teams are rapidly starting up in Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia and Manitoba. Quidditch Canada is the governing body for the sport across the country; there are no associations within Quidditch Canada that govern provincially/territorially.
The IQA European Games (EG) are the biennial games for the sport of quidditch held in Europe where national governing bodies send national teams to compete. The European Games were created in response to the IQA World Cup, the biennial tournament wherein nations from around the world compete in a similar style to the FIFA World Cup. Both Games alternate years so in the off years regional tournaments such as the European Games or the Asian Quidditch Cup can occur. These games are the highest level of championships in quidditch aside from Global Games. The 2015 champions were Team France, narrowly beating Team UK.
The 2015 IQA European Games, also known simply as the European Games, was the inaugural European championship for the sport of quidditch organized jointly by Sarteano2015, Quidditch Europe and the International Quidditch Association. The tournament was held the weekend of the 24–26 July 2015 in the city of Sarteano, Italy. France took first against the United Kingdom with a final score of 90*–50, and Norway came in third winning 150*–80 against Belgium.
The Northern and Southern Cups are the two major regional quidditch tournaments of the United Kingdom. Organised by QuadballUK, the tournaments serve both as qualification prerequisites for other tournaments, such as the European Quidditch Cup and the British Quidditch Cup alongside being their own stand alone tournaments. Regionals are often considered the most important tournaments of the year after the British Quidditch Cup and they serve as qualifiers for the latter tournament. Those teams that fail to qualify for BQC each season compete in the Development Cup instead. From 2021 onwards the tournaments have been held as a series of one-day fixtures exclusively for university teams with the equivalent Community League tournament held for community teams.
Major League Quadball (MLQ), formerly Major League Quidditch, is an amateur quidditch league based in the United States and Canada. The league is composed of 16 city-based teams—14 in the U.S. and 2 in Canada. The MLQ season runs from June to August, with each team playing twelve games in the regular season. The playoffs includes the top 12 teams competing in the MLQ Championship in late August, culminating in the championship series. The winning team is awarded the Benepe Cup.
The United States national quadball team, previously known as US Quidditch, is the official quadball team of the United States. The team is regulated by US Quadball and is a national member of the International Quadball Association. The team has won the most IQA World Cup titles, winning the 2012, 2014, 2018, and 2023 titles. The USNT only competes in events once every two years; at the IQA World Cup, as it is geographically ineligible for the only other current international quadball event; the IQA European Games.
The English national quadball team is the official national quadball team of England. The team, which is organised by QuadballUK, was founded in 2021 after the splitting of Team UK into separate teams for each of the individual Home Nations. They made their debut at the 2022 IQA European Games in Limerick, winning the tournament.
The Scottish national quadball team is the official national quadball team of Scotland. The team, which is organised by QuadballUK, was founded in 2018 and made its tournament debut at the 2019 IQA European Games in Bamberg.
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