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. [1]
Quadball in Australia is governed by Quadball Australia (formerly Quidditch Australia and the Australian Quidditch Association), [2] a non-profit organisation founded in 2011 as a Facebook group intended to act as a network for quidditch teams and players within Australia to communicate with one another. It is managed by a board of seven directors on a rotating 2-year term system with further volunteer staff, and currently chaired by Luke Derrick. [3] [4] Quadball Australia is affiliated with the International Quadball Association. [5] Quadball Australia uses the IQA rulebook for official gameplay, with some minor exceptions.
Quadball Australia manages the membership and insurance of all players in the country, in addition to managing the country's most prolific tournaments such as the Australian Quadball Championships (previously QUAFL) and State Shield. Regular club seasons are managed by their respective state bodies: Quadball New South Wales (which also manages quidditch in the Australian Capital Territory), [6] Quadball Victoria, [7] [8] Queensland Association of Quadball, [9] South Australian Quadball Association[ citation needed ] and Western Australian Quadball Association. [10]
The Drop Bears are the Australian national team, named after the folklorian koala-like species. The Drop Bears competed at the inaugural 2012 IQA Cup (then called the Summer Games), the first world-wide quadball competition [11] where they came in third out of five teams. They defeated reigning champions The United States in 2016 with a score of 150*–130. [12] Despite being tipped to win the cup again in 2018, [13] the Australian National Team competed in Italy finishing 5th, defeated by the United States in the early stages of the semifinals.
| Competition | Position |
|---|---|
 2012 Summer Games | 3rd of 5 [14] |
 2014 Global Games | 2nd of 7 [15] |
 2016 World Cup | 1st of 21 [16] |
 2018 World Cup | 5th of 29 [17] |
 2022 European Games | 3rd of 20 |
 2023 World Cup † | 7th of 15 |
†The 2020 World Cup was initially postponed to 2021 due to COVID-19, [18] and further postponed to 2023. [19]
The Australian Quadball Championships, previously and sometimes still colloquially known as QUAFL is the biggest quadballtournament in Australia. [20] It is held annually in November/December, crowning the Australian national club champion for that year. The first official name for the tournament was the Oceania Regional Championships, but was more affectionately known as "QUAFL" [21] which was later given the backronym "Quidditch United Australian Federated League". The inaugural tournament was held in 2011 at the University of New South Wales, starting with just 5 teams. [22]
Clubs from across the country bid to host the tournament every year, and the tournament was hosted by Sydney-based clubs until 2015, when it was hosted by Melbourne's Monash Muggles. In 2016 and 2017, the tournament saw a move to the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra, hosting a record high of 25 teams in 2017. The championships were hosted in Queensland for the first time in 2018, and were last held at Kayess Park, Minto in 2019, before being cancelled both in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid-19 restrictions at the time. [23]
The structure of the tournament traditionally changes each year depending on the number of registered teams and choices of organisers. More recently, teams have been randomly split into pools based on their respective end of season state rankings, with top teams from each pool progressing to elimination bracket play.
The 2020 Championship due to be hosted in the Gold Coast or USC, and the 2021 Championship due to be hosted at La Trobe University, were cancelled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. [23] [24]
Note that an asterisk (*) signifies a snitch catch.
| Year | No. of teams | Location | National Champion | Runner-up | Grand Final score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 5 | Kensington, NSW | UNSW Snapes on a Plane | University of Western Sydney Thestrals | 90-60* |
| 2012 | 10 | Macquarie Park, NSW | University of New South Wales Snapes on a Plane | Newcastle Fireballs | 80*-30 |
| 2013 | 12 | Parramatta, NSW | Perth Phoenixes (WA) | Macquarie Marauders | 110*-70 |
| 2014 | 13 | Macquarie Park, NSW | Melbourne Manticores (VIC) | UNSW Snapes on a Plane | 110*-40 |
| 2015 | 19 | Clayton, VIC | Melbourne Manticores (VIC) | UNSW Snapes on a Plane | 100*-10 |
| 2016 | 23 | Australian Institute of Sport, ACT | Wrackspurts QC | Western Sydney Spartans | 120*-110 |
| 2017 | 25 | Australian Institute of Sport, ACT | Whomping Willows (VIC) | Wrackspurts QC (VIC) | 150*-100 |
| 2018 | 24 | Sippy Downs, QLD | Melbourne Manticores | University of Sydney Unspeakables | 120*-70 |
| 2019 | 20 | Minto, NSW | Monash Muggles | Melbourne Manticores (VIC) | 130*-120 |
| 2022 | 13 | Bundoora, VIC | North Sydney Nightmares | Sunshine Coast Scorpions | 150*-110 |
State Shield (previously Quidditch State of Origin after the football tournament of the same name [25] ), is an annual Australian quadball competition established in 2016 as part of a skills camp training exercise at the annual QuidCamp. [26] The tournament was created due to an increasing need for a state-based tournament, however as the majority of the players resided in Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria (due to Australian geographical demographics) these are the only states to currently compete in the tournament. [25]
Participating state teams include Victorian Leadbeaters (A), [27] Victorian Honeybeaters (B), [28] New South Wales Bluetongues (A), [29] New South Wales Bluebottles (B), [30] and the Queensland Thunderbirds. [31]
| Year | Winning Team | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Victorian Leadbeaters [25] | Berry |
| 2017 | Victorian Leadbeaters [25] | Brisbane |
| 2018 | New South Wales Bluetongues [32] | Newcastle |
| 2019 | New South Wales Bluetongues | Sandringham |
| 2022 | New South Wales Bluetongues | Maroochydore |
The 2020 and 2021 State Shields were cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic. [23]
Organised by Quidditch New South Wales, the NQL [33] (previously known as Triwiz) is the year long state championship in Sydney and surrounding cities, which started in 2011 and was formalised when the Quidditch NSW state body was created. The competition was split into 2 divisions in 2018, and currently contains 14 teams across Sydney, Wollongong, Newcastle and Canberra. [34]
| Year | Division 1 Winner | Division 2 Winner |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | University of New South Wales Snapes on a Plane | |
| 2015 | Western Sydney Spartans / UNSW Snapes on a Plane† | |
| 2016 | University of Sydney Unspeakables | |
| 2017 | Sydney City Serpents | |
| 2018 | University of Sydney Unspeakables | University of Sydney Unbreakables [35] |
| 2019 | Sydney City Serpents | UNSW Snapes on a Plane |
| 2020* | – | |
| 2021* | – | |
| 2022 | Darlinghurst Dragons |
† Due to inclement weather and injuries, both teams agreed not to play the Grand Final and share the 2015 state title.
* Due to COVID-19, tournament did not proceed and only friendly matches were played.
Organised by the Quadball Victoria, the Victoria Cup is the year long state championship in Melbourne. The inaugural cup in 2014 was won by the Monash Muggles, and followed on from other local tournaments. [36] [37]
| Year | Division 1 Winner | Division 2 Winner |
|---|---|---|
| 2013/14 | Monash Muggles | |
| 2015 | Melbourne Manticores | |
| 2016 | Melbourne Manticores | |
| 2017 | Whomping Willows | |
| 2018 | Whomping Willows | |
| 2019 | Monash Muggles | Monash Mudbloods |
| 2020* | – | |
| 2021* | – | |
| 2022 | Melbourne Manticores |
* Due to COVID-19, tournament did not proceed and only friendly matches were played.
The Midwinter cup is held annually in Newcastle featuring both teams from NSW and interstate. The 2014 winners were the UNSW Snapes on a Plane. [38] In 2015, the tournament was won by the hosts, the Newcastle Fireballs. In 2016, a vastly outnumbered Australian National University and University of the Sunshine Coast collaboration team, the ANUSC Dement-Owls, defeated the Newcastle Fireballs in the grand final to claim the Midwinter cup. In 2017, the winners were the newly formed Sydney City Serpents.
The Midwinter Cup was not held in the 2020 and 2021 seasons due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2022 Midwinter Cup was delayed due to weather, but returned in September of that year.
| Year | Winning Team |
|---|---|
| 2012 | Perth Phoenixes |
| 2013 | University of Western Sydney Thestrals |
| 2014 | University of New South Wales Snapes on a Plane |
| 2015 | University of Newcastle (Australia) Fireballs |
| 2016 | Australian National University and University of the Sunshine Coast ANUSC Dement-Owls |
| 2017 | Sydney City Serpents |
| 2018 | University of Sydney Unspeakables |
| 2019 | Sydney City Serpents |
| 2022 | North Sydney Nightmares |
| 2023 | Sydney Stir Fries |
The Melbourne Mudbash is held annually in the middle of the year in Melbourne. Local teams are joined by interstate teams and teams composed of mercenary players. In 2013, the Melbourne Manticores came out on top of the four local and two other teams competing, and in 2014 the Monash Muggles were the best of the six local and four other teams to compete. [39]
Held outside of the regular seasons, various fantasy tournaments across the country include Valkyries Fantasy (November), Victorian Fantasy (February), Sunshine Coast Fantasy (April), Macarthur Fantasy [40] (January), and Pink Up Campbelltown Charity Tournament [33] (October).
Wheelchair quadball was first introduced into regular quadball tournaments in 2012, and ran at the same time and venue as the regular championships. Due to the logistical difficulties and lack of interest, the competition has not run since 2016.
| Year | Winner | Runner-Up | Grand Final score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | ANU Nargles | JCU Galleons | 40* - 20 |
| 2013 | UWS Thestrals | Newcastle Chariots of Fire | 220* - 10 |
| 2014 | UWS Thestrals | Perth Phoenixes | 160* - 20 |
| 2015 | Western Sydney Spartans | UTS Opaleyes | 120* - 50 |
| 2016 | Western Sydney Spartans | UTS Opaleyes | 90* - 60 |
There are several teams/clubs registered with Quadball Australia across all states and territories except Northern Territory. As of May 28, 2023 there are 24 teams registered with Quadball Australia. [41]
| Club | Moniker | State | Home venue | Est. | State League | QUAFL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Championships | Most Recent | ||||||
| ANU Owls | Owls |  Australian Capital Territory | Fellows Oval, ANU | 2011 | NQL | 0 | — |
| Darlington Dragons | Dragons |  New South Wales | — | — | NQL | 0 | — |
| Eastern Sydney Universities | Dawnbreakers/ Nightbringers | New South Wales | Physics Lawn, UNSW & Rowland Park | 2020 | NQL | 2 | 2012 |
| Macarthur Weasleys | Weasleys | New South Wales | Thomas Acres Reserve, Ambarvale | 2013 | — | 0 | — |
| Macquarie Marauders | Marauders | New South Wales | Sports Fields, Macquarie University | 2012 | NQL | 0 | — |
| North Sydney Nightmares | Nightmares | New South Wales | — | 2019 | NQL | 1 | 2022 |
| South West Horntails | Horntails | New South Wales | Victoria Park, Minto | 2017 | NQL | 0 | — |
| Sydney City Stirfries | Stirfries | New South Wales | — | — | NQL | 0 | — |
| University of Newcastle | Fireballs | New South Wales | Oval 4 UoN, Callaghan | 2009 | NQL | 0 | — |
| University of Sydney | Unspeakables | New South Wales | Victoria Park, Camperdown | 2012 | NQL | 0 | - |
| Valkyries | Valkyries | New South Wales | Queen Elizabeth Park, Concord | 2019 | NQL | 0 | — |
| QUT | Lycans |  Queensland | Circle of Palms, City Botanic Gardens | 2011 | - | 0 | — |
| Sunshine Coast Scorpions | Scorpions | Queensland | Rugby Feild 2, USC | 2022 | QSL | 0 | — |
| University of Queensland Dumblebees | Dumblebees | Queensland | Guyatt Park, St Lucia | 2016 | QSL | 0 | - |
| UniSC Wraiths | Wraiths | Queensland | Sunshine Coast, Sunshine Coast | 2024 | QSL | 0 | — |
| Sunshine Coast Gorgons | Gorgons | Queensland | Sunshine Coast, Sunshine Coast | 2024 | QSL | 0 | — |
| Sunshine Coast Foxes | Foxes | Queensland | Sunshine Coast, Sunshine Coast | 2024 | QSL | 0 | — |
| Adelaide Augureys | Augureys |  South Australia | Bonython Park | 2015 | - | 0 | — |
| Melbourne Ravens | Ravens |  Victoria | — | 2018 | Vic Cup | 0 | — |
| Monash Muggles | Muggles | Victoria | Campus Park, Monash University, Clayton campus | 2012 | Vic Cup | 1 | 2019 |
| South Mebourne Centaurs | Centaurs | Victoria | Fawkner Park, South Yarra | 2014 | Vic Cup | 0 | — |
| Melbourne Manticores | Manticores | Victoria | — | 2011 | Vic Cup | 3 | 2018 |
| Curtin Chimeras | Chimeras |  Western Australia | Gochean Park, Bentley | 2012 | — | 0 | — |
| Murdoch Mandrakes | Mandrakes | Western Australia | Lower Bush Court, Murdoch University | 2012 | — | 0 | — |
| Perth Phoenixes | Pheonixes | Western Australia | Kenwick | 2011 | — | 1 | 2013 |
| UWA Undesirables | Undesirables | Western Australia | Oak Lawn, UWA | 2017 | — | 0 | — |
Previously other teams/clubs were registered with Quadball Australia, Listed here are the teams that are no longer registered. Clubs with teams that are no longer registered are also listed.
† Developing team, non-official, not currently competing or defunct
Quidditch, officially known as quadball since 2022, is a team sport 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. 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.
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 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 IQA World Cup III was the 2009 edition of the IQA World Cup, a quidditch club tournament then organized by the Intercollegiate Quidditch Association. It was held on Sunday, October 25, 2009, at Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont.
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).
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.
Quidditch Nederland, formerly known as Muggle Quidditch Nederland, is the official governing body of the sport quidditch in the Netherlands, and affiliated with the International Quidditch Association and its European Committee. Quidditch is a sport which combines elements of handball, dodgeball, and rugby, and is derived from the fictional sport of the same name from the Harry Potter series. Its current president is Marit Epskamp, and the vice-president is Jori Noordenbos. Quidditch Nederland, then Muggle Quidditch Nederland, was founded in 2014 by Jerona van der Gevel and Bram Vries as part of Quidditch Benelux.
Quidditch Benelux is the informal organization of quidditch within the Benelux, consisting of the three member organizations of Belgium Muggle Quidditch, Muggle Quidditch Nederland and the Luxembourgish Quidditch Federation. QBenelux represents these three organizations at the international level in the International Quidditch Association and is a liaison between the three organizations, acting as a bridge and central aide for all international events occurring within the region. Its founding was in 2014 at the creation of BMQ and MQN.
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.
The European Quidditch Cup, also known as EQC and formerly as the European Quidditch Championship, is the culminating championship tournament for the sport of quidditch in Europe. It began to be legitimised in 2014 when the International Quidditch Association became an international federation for quidditch. The first tournament took place in 2012 in France as quidditch began to develop across Europe. Today, the tournament is the highest level of championship in Europe besides the European Games with league-level tournaments being the qualifying competitions. In 2019, Division 1 of EQC was held in Harelbeke, Belgium, where the Paris Titans won the championship for the fourth time in their history.
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.
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 Australian national quidditch team is the official quidditch team of Australia. The team is regulated by Australian Quidditch Association and is a national member of the International Quidditch Association. Australia made its debut in 2012 at the IQA Summer Games in Oxford, UK.
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 2017 IQA European Games were the second European championship for the sport of quidditch. The tournament was held on 7–9 July 2017 in Oslo, Norway and was hosted by the Norges Rumpeldunkforbund and local club OSI Vikings. All European IQA member nations in good standing were allowed to compete. The winner of the tournament was the United Kingdom, who defeated the defending champion France 90*-70 in the final. France subsequently took the silver medal and Norway won the bronze, after defeating Belgium 140*-80. This tournament marked the United Kingdom's first international gold medal at quidditch.
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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