Quidditch is a fictional sport created by the author J.K. Rowling in the Harry Potter book series. “It is a combination of dodge ball, basketball, capture flag, and freeze tag” (Muggle Mania). Quidditch, also known as Muggle Quidditch or Ground Quidditch in the de facto world, is a very popular sport among students, especially Harry Potter fans. Muggle Quidditch has an interesting history, very fascinating equipment, and unique set of rules.
Quidditch is a high school/college worldwide sport. In 2005, the sport was established on informal intramural level by Xander Manshel, Middlebury Class of 2009. (International Quidditch Association). “In 2006, Alex Benepe took over as the Middlebury Commissioner and, in 2007, founded the Intercollegiate Quidditch Association following the first intercollegiate Quidditch match between Middlebury College and Vassar College on November 11, 2007.” (International Quidditch Association). In 2010, the Intercollegiate Quidditch Association changed its name to the International Quidditch Association (IQA) and became a registered nonprofit organization. In just five short years the International Quidditch Association compromised over 1,000 teams in more than 13 different countries. Although Canada and the United States have the most IQA organized teams, Mexico, New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom, South Korea, India, and France also have leagues. The IQA also organizes Cups for different leagues and sections of the world. The most famous one however, is the World Cup. The World Cup was won previously, every year, by Middlebury College. The World Cup takes place every year around November. The most recent one (2010) took place in New York City in DeWitt Clinton Park. This was the first time the World Cup took place in New York. Which is surprising considering the Headquarters of IQA is in New York City. However, there are other small competitions throughout the year for nationals, or other Cups. The IQA is mainly for high schools and colleges, but they also have community teams.
There are three balls in play altogether, one Quaffle and two Bludgers. The Quaffle is usually played with a soccer ball, volleyball, dodge ball, or a slightly deflated basketball. The Quaffle is the main ball and is used to score the goals by the chasers. A Bludger is usually played with a Nerf ball or Whiffle ball. The Bludgers are used to attack the chasers on the opposing teams. If a chaser is hit with a Bludger, then they must stop running and they have to pass the Quaffle to a fellow chaser immediately. At any time when the Quaffle is in the air, it may be intercepted by the other team. The beaters, the ones using the Bludgers, can also use a tennis racket to whack the ball at a chaser, instead of throwing.
The rules of playing Muggle Quidditch have many variations. However, these are some of the general rules and regulations. To set up the playing field it’s required to have three hoops levitated about 6 feet above the ground on both sides of the field (usually a hula-hoop attached to a sturdy pole or a tree brunch). Every player must always have a broom (with one hand on it at all times) in-between their legs, except the snitcher. There are seven players per team, three chasers, two beaters, one keeper, and one seeker. The chasers must pass the Quaffle and score by throwing the Quaffle into one of the three hoops on the opponent’s side. The beaters are supposed to hit the opposite team's chasers with Bludgers (by either throwing it or hitting it with a tennis racket) and try to block the Bludgers from hitting their own team's chasers. The keeper (similar to a goalie in soccer) guards the hoops and tries to block the chasers from scoring with the Quaffle. The tip-off, similar to basketball, is when two chasers (one from either side) come to the middle of the playing field. They then jump into the air when the Quaffle is released and try to tip it off to a fellow chaser. A score in the opposite team’s hoop with a Quaffle is ten points. The seeker that catches the snitcher receives fifty points for their team and it ends the game.
The seeker must try to catch the snitch. The snitch is played by a person called the snitcher, since magic is not allowed in Muggle Quidditch (normally it would be a flying golden ball). The snitcher is a designated person, usually chosen because they are the fastest runners, who runs away from the seekers. They are of neutral party and penalties or Bludgers do not take affect towards them. They can run outside of the boundaries in the field and are usually dressed in gold with a small ball in a gold sock (the Golden Snitch) is attached to their side (similar to flag football). Only the seeker can get the snitch. The snitcher is given a five minute head start to run away prior to the tip-off in the beginning of the game. The snitcher has been known in the past to be the jester of the game. “The snitch has arguably become the most humorous part of the game, making a point to taunt other players and pull off various hijinks come game day. Snitches have been known to tackle, do handstands, climb onto dormitory balconies, go on bagel runs (only to return to the field and peg players with the breakfast food) and even jump into nearby ponds in order to evade seekers…" (Paste Media Group).
In many cases, players wear capes or robes to distinguish teams apart. Colored headbands are also worn to further distinguish between the members. The chasers wear white headbands. The beaters wear black. The keepers wear green. The seeker wears yellow. (International Quidditch Association).
Muggle Quidditch is a minimal contact sport. There is no grabbing (of the cape/robe or body), attacking the Snitcher, ignoring a Bludger hit, or body tackling a player. Any violations of this will result in a penalty shot or a warning. A chosen chaser receives a free shot to score in one of the opponents’ hoops with only the keeper guarding it. To control the players and announce if when there are any violations, a referee is present, usually dressed in black. The keeper, like in soccer, has a zone where only they can be. Any other player in this area will get a foul, resulting in a penalty shot for the opposing team. Some contact is allowed, for instance to remove the ball from other players’ hands (except the keeper), push or shove other players, grab with one hand, shoulder or body check, slide tackling from any side, and/or trip another player. (Benepe).
Ground Quidditch is co-ed sport that can be very dangerous. The only protection is a pair of lacrosse goggles and players are running around with sharp-handled brooms. There have been incidents where players had bruised ribs, broken ankles, and skimmed knees. (Paste Media Group). Muggle Quidditch take the sport extremely seriously. One player even said, ‘“Remember, if you’re not muddy, you’re not playing hard enough.” (Paste Media Group)’.
Quidditch is a fast moving game. Mostly all of the players of Quidditch grew up with the Harry Potter series and love the game. There are many different variations of this game so that you can pretty much play any way you would like. The game is meant to be a community safe game, so that even small children or adults can play. Whether it is a team for school or for fun, the belief in magic will always be high.
