Real life game of quidditch

While the game can appear chaotic to the casual observer, once familiar with the basic rules, quidditch is an exciting sport to watch and even more exciting to play. On September 10, the gameplay department announced changes to Rulebook Learn more here.

The changes to the rulebook go into effect immediately. Updated referee and snitch runner tests will be available the week of September Three chasers score goals worth 10 points each with a volleyball called the quaffle. They advance the ball down the field by running with it, passing it to teammates, or kicking it. Each team has a keeper who defends the goal hoops. Any player hit by a bludger is out of play until they touch their own goals. Each team also has a seeker who tries to catch the snitch.

The snitch is a ball attached to the waistband of the snitch runner , a neutral athlete in a yellow uniform who uses any means to avoid capture, and who is released at the 20 minute mark. The snitch is worth 35 points. During play, players are forbidden from taking certain actions, or fouls. Players who commit fouls face different consequences depending on the severity of the offense.

A back to hoops foul indicates that a player must stop and return to their hoops, as though knocked out. A red card is automatically issued to a player if the latter receives three yellow cards during a game. Being sanctioned by a red card means that the player is barred from the rest of the game and must leave the pitch. When a player receives a red card, the team has to play one player down for two minutes.

A substitute for the ejected player is sent to the penalty box to serve two minutes. Once the two minutes are served, the substitute may enter the game. The gender maximum rule in quidditch states that a team can have a maximum of 4 players of the same gender playing on the field at all times. This number is increased to 5 once the seeker enters the game.

The main goal of the gender maximum rule in real-life quidditch is to promote gender equality and inclusivity. If a team ends up having an illegal set of players in play, a penalty is awarded to the speaking captain of that team and the game is stopped. The speaking captain has to perform the required substitutions before the game can resume. Players serving time in the penalty box are also regarded as being in play and therefore have to be accounted according to the gender maximum rule.

There is an unlimited number of substitutions that can be performed in quidditch. To perform a substitution, firstly the speaking captain of the team should inform one of the assistant referees. Only then can a player be substituted..

To be eligible for a substitution, a player must be active on the pitch and must exit the pitch through the substitution area. The exiting player should dismount after exiting the pitch. Only then, will the substitute be allowed to enter the game. Substitution may occur during the game and does not require the game to be stopped.

If a player is sent off, a substitute for the ejected player is sent directly to the penalty box. During a game, the head referee is allowed to stop play at any moment simply by blowing the whistle in paired short blasts. During stoppages, the timekeeper stops the game time and all timer clocks timers associated with fouls sanctioned by cards. Stoppages usually occur when players commit fouls or when the head referee needs to consult with the assistant referees.

During a stoppage, all players are required to stay in their initial position and are prohibited from moving. The head referee then blows one short whistle blast, after which play automatically resumes. The timekeeper also starts all timers upon hearing the whistle blast. There are 2 intermissions during a game, which occurs at the 10th minute and 20th minute respectively after each seeker floor period.

The first two periods of the game are referred to as the seeker floors. Each seeker floor lasts for 10 minutes and is followed by an intermission period. During this period, each team consists of only 6 players as there are no seekers in the game. Both teams must battle to score the maximum number of points. At the end of the second seeker floor, the team with the leading score will receive an additional 70 points.

The intermission is often regarded as a small break in real-life quidditch. During an intermission, all timers are stopped and all players are required to return to their respective keeper zones.

Players are allowed to dismount and may move freely. Players may also be substituted during the intermission period. The second intermission period is considered as a very important phase of the game because it involves some changes that can directly impact a game. During this period, firstly the head referee will consult with the assistant referees and will award 70 points to the current leading team. The seekers will then be asked to report to the timekeeper.

Also, during this period, the snitch player enters the player area. At the start of the snitch period, 10 seconds into the game, the seekers are released by the timekeeper and are allowed to leave the penalty box and join the game.

The snitch period ends when one of the seekers manages to catch the golden snitch or when either team reaches the point cap that was established during the second intermission.

Alex has led quidditch to grow from a group of friends at Middlebury College to over teams worldwide. Initially it was just a group of friends who gathered around with brooms and towels, which served as capes, and were willing to have some fun.

Eventually, more people at the college started growing interest in the game and the game gained popularity relatively quickly and started spreading to other college campuses. New college teams began to appear and began competing against each other..

In , the game finally got so much traction that the official organization at that time decided to host a first real-life quidditch world cup which was held between Middlebury and Vassar. At present times, real-life quidditch is not listed on the official list of sports. The main reason why the sport is not part of the ncaa is simply because it has not grown enough and is not regulated enough. Furthermore, real-life quidditch does not offer players any path towards a professional career.

To this day, although the sport consists of national leagues, tournaments and world cups, real-life quidditch remains in the category of recreational sports. In order for this to change, the sports need to grow exponentially across the nation and be heavily regulated.

The official quidditch organizations worldwide believe that the game will develop significantly over the next few years and we will probably see the first professional team by the end of this decade. Real-life quidditch is physically very demanding and definitely falls in the category of exercise.

The game has attracted a significant portion of the youth population, who were not involved in any sports or physical activities, and has encouraged them to become physically fit. The game requires a significant amount of stamina and endurance as it consists of quite a lot of running, jumping and dodging and burns quite a lot of calories. Compared to tournaments and competitions, a high level of fitness is not required to play the game among friends.

It has been observed that most new players usually come from non sports backgrounds and are able to adapt and play the game accordingly. In fact, a study conducted during a quidditch tournament in revealed that 68 percent of all players who took part in the competition, did not practice any sports prior to quidditch.

When asked about the reason why they got involved with the sport, most of them revealed that it was the Harry Potter aspect of the game that drew them to the sport, but, once they started playing, they found out that it was a lot more fun than they initially thought it would be.

A lot of players also stated that real-life quidditch changed their life in the sense that they were able to make more friends and feel more included. Currently there are over officially registered real-life quidditch teams worldwide. These teams compete regularly among each other according to several leagues. Unfortunately 75 percent of these teams are located on the Northern American continent only, where the sport remains the most popular.

The sport, however, continues to grow globally and is increasingly played on many other continents. There are a few pieces of equipment that are essential for playing quidditch. This category consists of items that are essential for the game.

Without these items, a game of quidditch cannot be played. Here is a list of items from the general equipment category:. There are 5 balls in total that are required to play quidditch.