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Muggle Quidditch (Quadball)

When J.K Rowling invented the sport of Quidditch for her Harry Potter books, she would not have imagined that a few years later it would be played in leagues all around the world. In our world, muggles can join in this game involving a quaffle, broomsticks, hoops, bludgers and the coveted golden snitch.



Rules (fictional)

In the Harry Potter books, the quidditch players zoom around the pitch accomplishing various tasks including throwing a ball through hoops (scoring 10 points), preventing the other team from scoring by batting away balls, and capturing the elusive “snitch,” a small, flying golden ball (worth 150 points) which consequently ends the game. The team with the most points after the “snitch” is captured wins the match.

Muggle QuidditchMuggle Quidditch player and goals

Rules (actual)

Quidditch in the real world (called Muggle Quidditch or Quadball) is played by both males and females, with seven people on each team. There are three circular goals (often circular tubes on top of PVC pipes) placed on either end of the pitch. All players are required to carry a broom between their legs at all times. Volleyballs are used as the quaffle and dodgeballs as the bludgers. The Snitch is simply a tennis ball contained in a sock tucked in the waistband of the snitch runner.

The objective of the game is to score more points than the opposing team by the time the snitch is caught. To score points, the keepers or the chasers must pass the quaffle into one of the opposing team’s hoops. The teams can use bludgers to take out a player from the opposing team. Once a player is hit, the player must return any ball being held, touch the hoops, and go on and play. A match usually lasts around 30 to 40 minutes.

In 2022, the official name of the sport was changed from Muggle Quidditch or Quadball, partly to distance itself from the Harry Potter books and any copyright issues, but also to disassociate it from the perceived transphobic comments of the book's author J.K. Rowling.



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