Quidditch: the game that enchanted the world

Quidditch is the sport invented by author J.K.Rowling for the Harry Potter books. But now it's a real international sports competition...


Quidditch at Hogwarts
In the Harry Potter books, pupils at Hogwarts School don't play traditional English sports like hockey or cricket. They play Quidditch! It is a rough contact sport played between two teams of seven players who fly around on broomsticks. Harry Potter plays an important position for his team: he is their Seeker and his job is to catch the Golden Snitch.

Quidditch World Cup
By 2007, Quidditch was so popular that a World Cup tournament was organised by the IQA, the International Quidditch Association. Every year, 80 of the world's 300 Quidditch teams compete in a two-day championship. You must be 13 to participate but most of the athletes are older. Just like in the books, girls and boys play together on the same team: Quidditch teams are always mixed.



Quidditch for Muggles
Harry Potter fans loved the game so much that in 2005 Quidditch became a real sport! It was created at Middlebury College in Vermont, USA. Players don't fly around the pitch - The game was adapted for play on the ground. But they do ride broomsticks which they hold between their legs as they run!

The snitch problem
In Muggle Quidditch, the Golden Snitch is not an enchanted ball that flies around the pitch! This role is played by a person who places a tennis ball inside a long sock! The "Snitch runner " attaches the sock onto the back of his or her shorts and has to run fast so that the Seeker cannot take the Snitch. It looks hilarious!

Quidditch fans
In 2014, the Quidditch World Cup was in Florida, USA. It's a fun event for all the family. Fans don't just come to watch the games, they come for the Harry Potter atmosphere. They can try the famous butterbeer and listen to music by the group Harry and the Potters. Some dress up as wizards and witches with cloaks, scarves and hats!

Did you know?
In 2001, J.K.Rowling worte a book about the rules and history of Quidditch. In the book, she says that Quidditch is a fictional sport for wizards only and that nobody really plays it. She never imagined that one day it would become a World Cup competition!