From page to pitch: How Harry Potter’s Quidditch became a real-life sport

Nearly 20 years have passed since Quidditch’s transition from Harry Potter’s to real-life playing fields, filled with quaffles, bludgers, and the elusive golden snitch.

The sport, made famous by JK Rowling’s orphaned wizard, is now known as Quadball and believed to be the only mixed-gender, full-contact sport in the world.

Real-life players try to outwit their opponents astride PVC pipes, in contrast to Harry and Co, who would perform hair-raising stunts while flying through air on broomsticks.

“I don’t even like Harry Potter”, says Sheffield Quadball Club player Henry Patten.

Henry reluctantly enrolled in a 2021 training session to discover his passion for the sport.

“Sports I’ve been in before were all about competitiveness, trying to win at all cost”, the 22-year-old says.

Rowling’s Quidditch is portrayed as a dangerous game, where players frequently endure high-speed collisions and aggressive tactics.

The real-life adaptation, created by students in the United States in 2005, is equally fast-paced and sees so-called chasers trying to throw quaffles – semi-deflated volleyballs – through the opposition’s hoops.

While doing so, they have to avoid being knocked out by bludgers, rubber dodgeballs thrown by beaters.

The golden snitch, famously nearly swallowed by Harry Potter during his first-ever Quidditch match, is perhaps the most well-known aspect of the game.

Sarah Abramson, who plays for Bristol Quadball Club, says Quadball combines disciplines from well-known childhood favourites.

“It’s like if you play dodgeball, soccer and capture the flag all at the same time”, Sarah, who is from the US, says.

“It’s a really visually interesting sport to watch”.

Quadball teams usually comprise three chasers, two beaters, one keeper and one seeker, who play on a pitch roughly half the the size of football field.

Players in Diagon Alley can hold store-bought PVC pipes between their legs instead of purchasing a broomstick.

“It’s really fun but it’s also really silly”, Sarah, 25, says.

“You have to have the ability to laugh at yourself”.

Players say being asked questions like “oh, do you fly?” are strange because of its rules and roots. and ‘ is this even a real sport? ‘ is not uncommon.

People often underestimate how physically demanding the sport can be, according to Chloe Durkin, president of the Olympians Quadball Club in Leeds.

Many people who exercise for the sport claim to do high-intensity interval training (HIIT) to cope with it.

A gender rule, which restates the number of players of the same gender on the same pitch at once, has earned the sport a reputation for being trans-inclusive.

Chloe, who is also the international relations officer for governing body Quadball UK, says playing a mixed-gender, full-contact sport feels “empowering”.

“There is always this assumption that men are stronger than women, but in reality that’s not entirely true”, the 26-year-old says.

While Quadball’s links to the Harry Potter series are undeniable, the sport has taken active steps to move away from the franchise.

In 2022, the decision was made to rename Quidditch to Quadball, in part because of JK Rowling’s comments on gender identity but also due to trademark issues.

Quadball UK claimed at the time that the name change reflected “a firm stance with our trans players and members” and opened “greater opportunities for funding.”

Izzy Hecks, a member of the Sheffield Quadball Club, claims that recruiting is no longer a “marketing point” for the Harry Potter franchise.

For some players, like James Martin, Quadball presented an attractive alternative to other full-contact sports, like rugby.

The president and coach of the Warwick Quadball Club says, “It’s much more enjoyable because you get a lot more of the ball and freedom of movement.”

I actually gave up playing rugby because I became more interested in quads.

Michael Ansell, who used to play American Football, says he signed up to the Oxford Mammoths in 2013 as” almost like a joke”.

” Looking back, it’s the best joke that I ever went through with, “the 30-year-old says.

Recruitment has been difficult for both community and university teams since the coronavirus pandemic, with some clubs even going on vacation.

Sam, a member of the Oxford Mammoths, thinks better social interaction and a focus on non-students will help to support growth.

Sam, who was 12 years old, was a proud player himself at the 2012 British Quadball Championship.

Despite the current challenges, the 23-year-old is optimistic about the future of the sport.

He claims that while we are having trouble figuring out a sale strategy, it can be done.

I don’t want to believe that this whimsical sport is gaining popularity.