Quidditch is a fictional sport developed by J. K. Rowling for the Harry Potter book series. It is described as an extremely rough but very popular semi-contact sport played by wizards and witches around the world. Matches are played between two teams of seven players riding flying broomsticks, using four balls and six elevated ring-shaped goals. In the Harry Potter universe, Quidditch holds a fervent following similar to football as a globally popular sport.

The play has been described as a cross between "cricket, Association football (American soccer) and hockey".^[1] The game features in every Harry Potter book but the seventh, as Harry Potter plays an important position for his house team at Hogwarts. (There was no Quidditch at Hogwarts in The Goblet of Fire due to a Triwizard Tournament, but there was a Quidditch World Cup, so technically there was Quidditch in that book.) Regional and international competitions are mentioned in the series.

Though in Deathly Hallows Harry is too busy fighting for his life to play Quiddich, on three key occasions in that book—getting hold of the Hufflepuff Cup and the Ravenclaw's Diadem, and during the final fight with Voldemort—the "unerring skill of the Seeker" is vitally useful to him in snatching an object out of the air.

Players and Equipment

Pitches

Quidditch matches are played on (or rather over) an oval-shaped pitch, 500 feet (150 m) long and 180 feet (55 m) wide, with a small central circle approximately 10 feet (3.0 m) in diameter. At each end stand three hooped goal posts each at a different height one at 30 ft (9.1 m)., one at 40 ft (12 m)., and one at 50 ft (15 m)., comprising the scoring area. There is also a line that shows mid-field, which is 180 ft (55 m). Sometimes on Quidditch fields, there are white shaded areas around the goalposts. These are on very few Quidditch fields. Since Quidditch is an aerial sport, Quidditch pitches are shown to feature spectator seating at high vantage points, either in towers (such as at Hogwarts) or in a fully-encircling platform. The British stadium that is shown for the 1994 Quidditch World Cup in the film version of Goblet of Fire is of this latter style, which appears similar to modern football or athletics stadia, albeit that the seating continues to curve upwards beyond the vertical, almost enclosing the pitch. Both the Hogwarts and World Cup pitches have been shown turfed with grass. The surface is used primarily for launching off at the beginning of the game, and on occasion for falling onto when players are dismounted from their brooms. Seekers, who sometimes fly close to the pitch surface, can be tricked into crashing into the surface occasionally at great speed.

Balls

The Quaffle and Bludgers as seen in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. The Snitch is held behind the Hogwarts crest in the centre of the lid.

The Quaffle

The Quaffle is spherical in shape (although it is shown with four large dimples in the films, appearing more as a tetrahedron), bright red in colour, and approximately 12 inches (300 mm) in diameter. It is explained in Quidditch Through the Ages that the Quaffle is enchanted to fall very slowly through the air when dropped to prevent players having to continuously dive to retrieve it. The backstory of Quidditch explains that the red colour was instituted to create a stronger contrast between the Quaffle and mud. The Quaffle is also enchanted to make it easy to grip with only one hand.

The Bludgers

The two Bludgers are spherical, approximately ten inches in diameter and are made of iron. They are described as being bewitched to fly without any visible means of propulsion, although they do retain inertia which makes them unable to change direction swiftly. Their purpose in the game is to fly around attempting to hit players indiscriminately, though it is possible to enchant them to seek out specific targets.

The Golden Snitch

The Golden Snitch, often referred to as simply the Snitch, is a small golden ball the approximate size of a walnut (roughly an inch (2.54 cm) in diameter). The winged Snitch is enchanted to hover and dart around the pitch, avoiding capture while remaining within the boundaries of the playing area. Each team has a designated Seeker, whose only task is to capture the Snitch. The team who catches the Snitch wins 150 points, and the capture of the Snitch ends the game. So it is of key importance to catch the Golden Snitch. Harry Potter once caught the Snitch in his mouth. It is also explained in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows that the Snitch has a "flesh memory", able to recall the first person who has touched it, and will only respond to the first person who caught it. This helps when there is a dispute about who caught the snitch first. Bowman Wright of Godric's Hollow is the first person to fashion a Golden Snitch, replacing the Golden Snidget Bird in the game, for humane reasons.

Players

Each team is made up of seven players, consisting of three Chasers, two Beaters, one Keeper and one Seeker.

The Chasers progress up and down the pitch passing the Quaffle by hand amongst themselves, in an attempt to score goals by throwing it through one of their opponent's three goal hoops. In this respect, the game is similar to rugby, or, as Harry suggests in the first book, "basketball on broomsticks with six hoops"^[HP1].

The Keeper is charged with protecting the three goal hoops, in much the same way as a goalkeeper in football.

The Beaters are armed with wooden clubs that are similar to, but shorter than, baseball bats. They are tasked with protecting their teammates from the Bludgers by knocking these balls off course or towards opponents.

Finally, the Seeker, usually the lightest member of the team and equipped with the fastest broom, is charged with searching the pitch for, chasing down and eventually capturing, the elusive Golden Snitch. Seekers are the only players permitted to touch the Snitch.

Each team includes a captain, who may play any of the four positions. The captain helps the team practice and chooses the team players after the tryouts.

Broomsticks

Magical flying broomsticks are one of the forms of transportation for wizards and witches, as well as for Quidditch. The Nimbus broomsticks are known to be one of the best broomsticks in the Wizarding world. A Firebolt is an advanced professional-level flying broomstick and the most expensive racing broom in existence. Comets and Cleansweeps are cheaper than the Nimbuses and are more common. A Shooting Star is another brand of broom, but it is considered to be slow and out of style. Another broomstick series called The Bluebottle was introduced in the advertisements at the Quidditch World Cup, it was described as a family broom. There is also another brand called Silver Arrows. As mentioned in Quidditch Through the Ages, along with the Tinderblast, Swiftstick, and Twigger 90, the broom Oakshaft 79 is the broom famed for its journey across the Atlantic and the Moontrimmer was popular due to the fact that it was still controllable at extremely high altitudes. During a Quidditch training session in the third book, Madam Hooch mentioned that it was a fine broom, but the company stopped selling them.

Game progression

The game starts with the referee releasing all four balls from the central circle. The Bludgers and the Snitch, having been bewitched, fly off on their own accord; the Snitch to hide itself quickly, and the Bludgers to attack the nearest players. The Quaffle is thrown into the air by the referee to signal the start of play.

Chasers score by sending the Quaffle through any of the three goal hoops. Each goal scored is worth ten points. After a goal is scored, the Keeper of the team scored upon throws the Quaffle back into play. Capturing the Snitch earns the Seeker's team 150 points, equivalent to 15 goals scored by Chasers. Since the game ends immediately after the Snitch is caught, the team capturing the Snitch is very likely to win the game.

All seven players must constantly avoid both being hit by the Bludgers (which attempt to attack them) and accidental contact with the Golden Snitch (which is a foul).

The length of a Quidditch game is variable, as play can only end with the capture of the Golden Snitch by one of the Seekers. The game length is therefore determined largely by the Seekers' abilities. The shortest game ever is described as lasting three and a half seconds^[HPQ]. Some games can go on for days, and even months, if the Snitch is not caught. The longest game recorded supposedly lasted three months^[HP1]. It is mentioned in Quidditch Through the Ages that a game can be halted or postponed without the capture of the Snitch with the mutual consent of both captains.

Rules

The official rules of Quidditch are partially described in Quidditch Through the Ages. They are said to have been laid down in 1750 by the Department of Magical Games and Sports. Some of the more common rules are as follows:

• Players must not stray over the boundary lines of the pitch, although they may fly as high as desired. The Quaffle must be surrendered to the opposition if any player leaves the boundary. (Quidditch matches in the Harry Potter films show players often deliberately flying over the boundary lines and even around the spectator towers.)
• Time out may be called at any time by a team Captain. It may be extended to two hours if a game has already lasted for more than twelve hours. Failure to return to the pitch afterward disqualifies the offending team.
• The referee can impose penalties. A single Chaser may take the penalty by flying from the central circle towards the scoring area. The opposing team's Keeper may attempt to stop the shot being scored, but no other player may interfere.
• Contact is allowed, but a player may not grasp another's broomstick or any part of his or her body. (Draco Malfoy breaks this rule in Prisoner of Azkaban by grabbing Harry's broomtail to stop him from seizing the Snitch.)
• No substitution of a player is allowed, even if one is too badly hurt to continue (rare exceptions may be made when the game continues for a great length of time, and players become too fatigued to continue).
• Players may take their wands onto the pitch, but they must not be used on or against any players, any players' broomsticks, the referee, any of the four balls, or the spectators. (The right to carry wands at all times was granted during the height of wizard and witch persecution by Muggles, according to Quidditch Through the Ages).

Fouls

Rowling writes that there are seven hundred Quidditch fouls listed in the Department of Magical Games and Sports records, but most of these fouls are not open to the public, owing to the Department's supposed fear the wizards/witches who read the fouls "might get ideas." In actuality, not listing all seven hundred fouls meant that she need only invent a handful for publication. It is claimed that all 700 occurred during the very first Quidditch World Cup. The most common of those fouls which are described are named below:

• Blagging: No player may seize any part of an opponent's broom to slow or hinder the player. (Draco Malfoy commits this foul in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, thus preventing Harry from seizing the snitch.)
• Blatching: No player may fly with the intent to collide. (Substitute Slytherin seeker Harper breaks this rule when he collides into Harry after insulting the latter's friend and Gryffindor Keeper Ronald Weasley. This occurs in the sixth book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.)
• Blurting: No player may lock broom handles with the intent to steer an opponent off course.
• Bumphing: Beaters must not hit Bludgers towards spectators (though Harry jokingly orders one of his Beaters to send one at Zacharias Smith in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince), or the Keeper unless the Quaffle is within the scoring area (in the first film, however, Marcus Flint, a Chaser, commits this foul with a Beater's bat, and Madam Hooch penalises him for it).
• Cobbing: Players must not use their elbows against opponents.
• Flacking: Keepers must not defend the posts from behind by punching Quaffles out of the hoops – goals must be defended from the front.
• Haversacking: Chasers must not still be in contact with the Quaffle as it passes through a hoop (the Quaffle must be thrown through).
• Quaffle-pocking: Chasers must not tamper with the Quaffle in any way.
• Snitchnip: No player other than the Seeker may touch or catch the Golden Snitch.
• Stooging: No more than one Chaser is allowed in the scoring area at any one time. (Game play in Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup and the fan-made Q3D permit this behaviour.)

History

The backstory of Quidditch is mentioned only in passing in the main Harry Potter books. The majority of information on the origins of the game comes from Quidditch Through the Ages.

Ancient games

Quidditch is explained to be derived from an amalgamation of several ancient games:

• Stichstock: Originating in Germany and consisting of a single wizard acting as a guardian or goalkeeper, trying to protect an inflated dragon bladder. A number of other players mounted on broomsticks would attempt to pierce the bladder, with the first who successfully did so being declared the winner.^[2]
• Aingingein: An Irish game which required broomstick-mounted players to fly through a number of burning barrels set in the air, whilst all the time clutching a ball with one hand. At the end of this fiery course was a goal into which the ball had to be hurled. The wizard who completed the course and scored a goal in the shortest time was the winner.^[2]
• Creaothceann: An exceptionally violent and often fatal game originating in Scotland. A large number of boulders were charmed to hover in the air and each player had a cauldron strapped to his/her head. A horn was sounded, the rocks were released, and the players would fly around on their broomsticks trying to catch as many rocks in their cauldron as possible. The winner was the player who caught the most rocks.^[2]
• Shuntbumps: A very simple form of broomstick-jousting where one flyer attempted to knock the other off his broom.^[2]
• Swivenhodge: Rather like tennis on a broom, this involved hitting an inflated pig's bladder back and forth across a hedge.^[2]

The evolution of Quidditch

The name "Quidditch" is supposedly derived from Queerditch Marsh, the location of the first recorded game. The first ball to be introduced was the Quaffle, then a leather ball quite similar to the modern Quaffle, and hence the only playing positions were Chaser and Keeper. Soon afterwards were included in the game flying boulders which had been enchanted to attack players – the first Bludgers.

At first, the boulders had no human opponents on the pitch: Beaters were introduced not long afterwards. As the heavy bats had the unfortunate tendency to shatter the boulders into flying gravel, the first metal Bludgers replaced them almost immediately. The final modification to the original "Kwidditch" was to set up three half-barrels at either end of the pitch as scoring targets (previously trees had been used for this purpose). The one missing element from this ancient game was the Golden Snitch.

The history of the Snitch

The Golden Snitch, as seen in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

The back-story of the Snitch is the most elaborate of all the Quidditch balls, and its introduction (so it is described in Quidditch Through the Ages) came as the direct result of a game played in 1269 in Kent. By this time, the game had attracted a cult large crowds regularly attended following and matches.

Barberus Bragge, the Chief of the Wizards’ Council, attended the 1269 game. As a nod to the sport of Snidget-hunting, which was also popular at the time, Bragge brought a Snidget to the game and released it from its cage. He told the players that 150 Galleons – then an enormous sum of money – would be awarded to the player who caught the bird. As the promise of such a large reward would suggest, the players thence totally ignored the game, and simply went off in pursuit of the Snidget, which was kept within the arena by the crowd using Repelling Charms.

A witch named Modesty Rabnott took pity on the Snidget and rescued it with a Summoning Charm, but the connection with Quidditch had been made, and soon a Snidget was being released at every game. Each team added an extra player – originally called the Hunter, later the Seeker – whose sole job was to catch and kill the Snidget, for which 150 points were awarded in memory of the 150 Galleons offered by Bragge in the original game. The popularity of Quidditch led to quickly declining Snidget numbers, and in the middle of the 14th century it was made a protected species by the Wizard's Council. This meant that the bird could no longer be used for Quidditch purposes. The game, however, could not continue without a substitute.

Whilst most people looked for a suitable alternative bird to chase, a metal-charmer called Bowman Wright from Godric's Hollow invented a fake Snidget which he called the Golden Snitch: a golden ball with silver wings, the same size and weight as a real Snidget, enchanted to accurately follow its flight patterns. An additional benefit was that the ball was also charmed to stay within the playing area. The Snitch was also given a "flesh memory", allowing it to remember who touched it first in order to leave no dispute as to who caught it. The Snitch quickly became the approved replacement for the Snidget, and the game of Quidditch has remained largely unchanged ever since.

The Quidditch pitch

The Quidditch World Cup stadium from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

At the time of the introduction of the Golden Snitch, a standard Quidditch pitch consisted of an elongated oval playing area 500 feet (150 m) long and 180 feet (55 m) wide. It had a small circle at the centre, approximately 2 feet (0.61 m) in diameter, from which all the balls were released at the start of the game. The early barrel-goals had been replaced by baskets on stilts, but whilst these were practical, they did carry an inherent problem: there was no size restriction on the baskets, which differed dramatically from pitch to pitch.

By 1620, scoring areas had been added at each end of the pitch, and an additional rule in the game dictated that only one Chaser was allowed in these areas at any given time. In addition, the size of the baskets themselves had reduced considerably, although there was still a certain amount of variation between pitches. Regulations were finally introduced in 1883, which replaced the baskets with hoops of a fixed size.

Quidditch in the films and video games

For the video game, please see Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup

There are some minor differences between how Quidditch is represented in Rowling's Quidditch Through the Ages and how it appears to be played in the films and video games.

Most notably in the films, the rule that players must not stray outside the pitch boundary is not evident, as players can be seen flying around the spectator towers at the Hogwarts Quidditch pitch, as well as the scene where the rogue Bludger chases Harry and Malfoy around the outside of the pitch boundaries in the film version of Chamber of Secrets. In Goblet of Fire, only the scenes around and before the Quidditch World Cup were seen. Quidditch was absent entirely from Order of The Phoenix.

In the 2003 video game Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup, the rule of only having a single Chaser in the scoring area is not enforced. Additionally, the game allows players to make special moves whereby several goals are scored in succession as multiple Chasers pass the Quaffle back and forwards through the hoops, whereas the rules dictate that after a goal is scored, possession passes to the Keeper.

Quidditch in Harry Potter

Quidditch Cup

Hogwarts teams

A major theme of five of the Harry Potter books is the competition between the four Hogwarts houses for the Quidditch Cup each school year.

The most notable inter house Quidditch tournament was in Harry Potter's third Year. Gryffindor House won the Quidditch Cup for the first time since the legendary Charlie Weasley captained the Gryffindor team, upsetting almost a decade of previous Slytherin House Quidditch dominance.

The winning Gryffindor Team of Harry Potter Year 3 consisted of:

The same lineup was used throughout Year 1 and Year 2.

The winning Gryffindor Team of Harry Potter Year 5 consisted of:

Harry and the Weasley twins were banned from playing Quidditch for life by Dolores Umbridge for being involved in a fight with Draco Malfoy after the Gryffindor-Slytherin game. Subsequently the seeker spot was taken over by Ginny Weasley, while Andrew Kirke and Jack Sloper became the new beaters. Following Umbridge's removal from the school, Harry's ban was lifted, so he could play in the next year again.

The winning Gryffindor Team of Harry Potter Year 6 consisted of:

Ron Weasley and Katie Bell both became unintended victims of Draco Malfoy's attempts to kill Dumbledore, and while they were unable to play, their spots in the team were taken over by Cormac McLaggen and Dean Thomas. After they were healed they both returned to the team. Harry was banned from the season's last game by Snape, therefore for that game Ginny Weasley played as a seeker, and her position as a chaser was taken over again by Dean Thomas.

Other Quidditch teams

The following teams are listed in Quidditch Through the Ages.

Irish National Team

The Irish National Quidditch team appears in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, in which they defeat Bulgaria in the Quidditch World Cup. The team consists of Chasers Troy, Mullet, and Moran, Keeper Barry Ryan, Beaters Quigley and Connolly, and Seeker Aidan Lynch. According to Rowling's website, several players were named after friends of hers as an inside joke.

Bulgarian National Team

The Bulgarian National Quidditch team appears in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, in which they are defeated by Ireland in the Quidditch World Cup. The team consists of Chasers Dimitrov, Ivanova, and Levski, Keeper Zograf, Beaters Volkov and Vulchanov, and superstar Seeker Viktor Krum.

Quodpot

Quodpot is a variant of Quidditch popular in the United States, the Western Hemisphere and, as a minority, Europe. Quodpot has never been mentioned in the novels, but it is described in Quidditch Through the Ages. There are eleven players on a side, who throw the Quod, a Quaffle modified to explode after a certain amount of time, from player to player, attempting to get it into the "pot" at the end of the pitch before it explodes. Any player in possession of the Quod when it explodes is disqualified. Once the Quod is in the "pot" (a cauldron containing a solution which prevents it from exploding), the scoring team is awarded a point and a new Quod is brought onto the pitch.

Nonfictional Quidditch

Quidditch Lane in Lower Cambourne

There have been computer games that simulate playing Quidditch. Major games include:

• Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup
• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

There have been small-scale attempts to adapt Quidditch to readily available technology, using bicycles, Unicycles, and motorcycles instead of broomsticks.

A street in Lower Cambourne, Cambridgeshire, England is named Quidditch Lane, supposedly after a type of nearby dry ditch called a Quidditch. Fans have been known to visit the area.^[3]

A Quidditch match on foot was played in Salem, Massachusetts in October, 2005. The real-life teams include the Betas Anonymous, Punctuation Pixies, and the Effortless Edibles Fizzing Whizbees^[4]

Online Quidditch

Many Harry Potter fansites have their own versions of the game of Quidditch. They range from simple question based games (where a correct answer gains the player possession of the Quaffle/Bludger), to fast-paced RPG games (like the one on Mugglenet Chat). Each implementation has its own playing form, but all follow the basic rules outlined in the Harry Potter books.

Many fan based games that are not text based have also sprung up, some even establishing three dimensional graphics (Quidditch 3D^[5]) and multiplayer online gaming (Brooms Online ^[6]).

Muggle Quidditch

A Ravenclaw/Slytherin Muggle Quidditch game.

Muggle Quidditch is a co-ed sport based on Quidditch. It is popular with fans of the novels, fantasy sports aficionados, and children.^[7] In Muggle Quidditch, as in Wizard Quidditch there are four positions on a team. Due to the non-existence of magical devices, Muggle Quidditch is played on the ground, with game play confined to a playing field comparable in size to a soccer field.^[8]

The equipment in Muggle Quidditch varies depending on venue. Often three hula hoops held up by PVC pipes are used as the goals on either side of the playing field. Volleyballs, basketballs and dodge balls are often used as Quaffles, with softer objects like Nerf balls or Wiffle Balls acting as Bludgers. Often, for more competitive leagues, Chasers will use a Frisbee as a Quaffle. This allows for a much more intense experience. ^[9]

Beaters may use tennis rackets to 'serve' the Bludgers. Beaters also may use dodge balls to simulate the Bludgers, while still allowing precise aim. Tennis rackets do not quite allow the precision spoken of in the Novels. In more extreme versions of the game, Bludgers are eliminated and the beaters are allowed to tackle the chasers and other players (seeker and keeper are generally off limits when tackling.)

While the Snitch is a magical object within the canon of the Harry Potter Novels, in Muggle Quidditch the Snitch is most often a human being. This human being usually dressed in all yellow. The Snitch, after release, is usually allowed to roam an area beyond the playing field. When played on a college campus the range is often the entire campus.

Positions in Muggle Quidditch:

• Chasers are responsible for passing the Quaffle and scoring points by throwing the Quaffle through one of the opponent's goals. Three or four chasers from a team may be in play at one time. When a Bludger hits a Chaser in possession of the Quaffle, he or she must throw the Quaffle into the air.

• Keepers are the goal protectors (similar to goalkeepers in football (soccer)) and must try to block attempts to score by the opposing team's Chasers. One keeper from a team may be in play at a time. In most versions of the game, the keeper is invulnerable to Bludgers when within a reasonable distance of his/her teams' hoops. In other versions, when the keeper is hit by a bludger from the opposing team while that team is in scoring range, the keeper must freeze for 2-3 seconds to simulate the recovery time in magical Quidditch.

• Beaters attempt to hit the opposing team's players with Bludgers and attempt to block the Bludgers from hitting their team's players. Two Beaters on a team may be in play at a time.

• Seekers attempt to catch the Golden Snitch, set into play during the game. (In some variations the snitch is released at halftime, in others at an undisclosed time.) Seekers may play as Chasers before the Snitch’s release.

Established Muggle Quidditch Games:

• Intercollegiate Quidditch Association - Founded on the campus of Middlebury College, in Vermont, the Intercollegiate Quidditch Association is the outgrowth of wildly popular on-campus tourneys. The Association currently encompasses 105 schools including Vassar College, Marlboro College, and Bucknell University, and is gaining momentum across the United States. The 2006 Middlebury Quidditch World Cup gained the attention of the Wall Street Journal, which subsequently profiled the phenomenon on its front page, [1] while the 2007 edition was featured as a cover story in the November 27, 2007 edition of USA Today's Life section. A portion of a Middlebury College - Amherst College match was shown live on the CBS morning show on March 28, 2008.
• Camp Wanocksett - At Camp Wanocksett in Dublin, New Hampshire, USA, Muggle Quidditch was played during the third week of July in 2007 between the three teams: The Gryffindor Lions (Troop 10 Townsend), The Fitchburg Finches (Troop 17 Fitchburg), and The Chudley Cannons.^[10]

Other variations

The webcomic Mac Hall created a game called Australian Indoor Rules Quidditch in the comic universe. The spelling of Quidditch was changed to avoid possible copyright infringement issues, and a single bouncy ball with flashing lights in it replaces all four Quidditch balls. Instead of broomsticks, each player is equipped with a baseball bat, to hit the ball at fellow players as hard as possible. The game is played in a dark hallway: the ball lights up when it bounces and players must follow its glow. ^[11]

See also

• Translations of Quidditch terms on Wiktionary
• List of fictional sports

References

External links