View source for Quidditch

{{short description|Fictional sport from Harry Potter}}
{{For|the real-life sport|Quidditch (real-life sport)}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2011}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{Infobox sport
| name       = Quidditch
| image      = Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Quidditch gear (5014156072).jpg
| alt        = 
| imagesize  = 250px
| caption    = Quidditch gear at [[The Wizarding World of Harry Potter (Universal Studios Hollywood)|The Wizarding World of Harry Potter]] in [[California]]
| union      = 
| nickname   = 
| first      = 
| firstlabel = 
| region     = 
| registered = 
| clubs      = 
| contact    = [[Contact sport#Full-contact|Full]]
| team       = 
| mgender    = Yes
| type       = 
| equipment  = {{Plainlist|
*Quaffle
*Bludgers
*Snitch
*Broomsticks
*Clubs
}}
| venue      = Quidditch pitch 
| glossary   = 
| world      = 
| obsolete   = 
}}
'''Quidditch''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|w|ɪ|d|ɪ|tʃ}}) is a fictional sport invented by author [[J. K. Rowling]] for her fantasy book series ''[[Harry Potter]]''. It first appeared in the novel ''[[Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone]]'' (1997). In the series, Quidditch is portrayed as a dangerous but popular sport played by witches and wizards riding flying broomsticks.

Matches are played on a large oval pitch with three ring-shaped goals of different heights on each side, between two opposing teams of seven players each: three Chasers, two Beaters, the [[Goalkeeper|Keeper]], and the Seeker. The Chasers and the Keeper respectively score with and defend the goals against the Quaffle; the two Beaters [[Bat-and-ball games|bat]] the Bludgers away from their teammates and towards their opponents; and the Seeker locates and catches the Golden Snitch, whose capture simultaneously wins the Seeker's team 150 points and ends the game. The team with the most points at the end wins.

[[Harry Potter (character)|Harry Potter]] plays as Seeker for [[Gryffindor|his house]] team at [[Hogwarts]]. Regional and international Quidditch competitions are mentioned throughout the series. Aspects of the sport's history are revealed in ''[[Quidditch Through the Ages]]'', published by Rowling on  12 March 2001 to benefit [[Comic Relief]].

A [[Quidditch (real-life sport)|real-life version of the game]] has been created, in which the players use brooms, but run instead of flying.

==Development==
Rowling came up with the sport in a Manchester hotel room after an argument with her then-boyfriend. She explained: "I had been pondering the things that hold a society together, cause it to congregate and signify its particular character and knew I needed a sport."<ref name="telegraph">{{cite web|last1=Furness|first1=Hannah|title=JK Rowling invented Quidditch after a row with her boyfriend|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/10065868/JK-Rowling-invented-Quidditch-after-a-row-with-her-boyfriend.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/10065868/JK-Rowling-invented-Quidditch-after-a-row-with-her-boyfriend.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|website=The Telegraph|date=18 May 2013 |access-date=7 May 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Rowling claims that the word "Quidditch" is not derived from any particular etymological root, but was the result of filling five pages of a notebook with different words beginning with "Q".<ref>{{cite web|title=J.K. Rowling on The Diane Rehm Show|url=http://wamu.org/story/16/12/29/j-k-rowling-rebroadcast/|website=WAMU|access-date=29 May 2017}}</ref>

Despite the sport's popularity with fans, Rowling grew to dislike describing the matches. She commented in an interview:

{{blockquote|To be honest with you, Quidditch matches have been the bane of my life in the ''Harry Potter'' books. They are necessary in that people expect Harry to play Quidditch, but there is a limit to how many ways you can have them play Quidditch together and for something new to happen.<ref name="leaky">{{cite web|title=The Leaky Cauldron and MN Interview J.K. Rowling|url=http://www.the-leaky-cauldron.org/2007/09/10/jkr2/|website=The Leaky Cauldron|access-date=29 May 2017|date=16 July 2005}}</ref>}}

The final Quidditch scene in the books appears in ''[[Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince]]''. Rowling experienced "fiendish glee" writing this scene, which features memorable commentary by [[Luna Lovegood]].<ref name="leaky"/>

Quidditch is introduced in ''[[Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone]]'', and is a regularly recurring feature throughout the first six books. It is depicted as being played by both professionals (as in tournaments like the Quidditch World Cup) and amateurs. A major motif of five of the ''Harry Potter'' books is the competition among the four [[Hogwarts houses]] for the Quidditch Cup each school year; in particular, the rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin.

In 2014, Rowling started publishing a series of match reports from the Quidditch World Cup on [[Pottermore]], culminating in a short story about the final featuring the return of Harry, [[Ron Weasley|Ron]], [[Hermione Granger|Hermione]] and their friends as adults. This generated interest from several media outlets, as it was the first new writing about the ''Harry Potter'' characters since the end of the series in 2007.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Tobar|first1=Hector|title=J.K. Rowling covers the '2014 Quidditch World Cup'|url=http://www.latimes.com/books/jacketcopy/la-et-jc-jk-rowling-covers-the-quidditch-world-cup-20140417-story.html|newspaper=LA Times|date=17 April 2014|access-date=7 May 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Flood|first1=Alison|title=Harry Potter makes first appearance for seven years as he turns 34|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/jul/08/harry-potter-gossip-column-34-jk-rowling-pottermore|website=The Guardian|date=8 July 2014|access-date=7 May 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Gibson|first1=Megan|title=J.K. Rowling Just Published a New Harry Potter Story|url=https://time.com/2965574/j-k-rowling-new-harry-potter-story/|magazine=Time|access-date=7 May 2017}}</ref>

Rowling published ''[[Quidditch Through the Ages]]'' in 2001 to benefit [[Comic Relief]]; ''Quidditch Through The Ages Illustrated Edition'' was published in 2020, with banners being presented to 11 towns in the UK and Ireland that in the books have Quidditch teams, including the Ballycastle Bats, Falmouth Falcons, Holyhead Harpies, Montrose Magpies, Pride of Portree and Wigtown Wanderers; two teams based in fictional places, the Chudley Cannons and Puddlemere United, were also celebrated.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.wionews.com/world/harry-potter-fans-can-now-visit-quidditch-towns-across-these-locations-332800 |title=Harry Potter fans can now visit 'Quidditch towns' across these locations |publisher=WION |date=6 October 2020 |access-date=3 July 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Jane |last=Cassidy |url=https://www.thenational.scot/news/18772214.three-scottish-locations-list-quidditch-towns-given-special-status/ |title=Three Scottish locations in list of 'Quidditch towns' given special status |newspaper=The National |date=5 October 2020 |access-date=3 July 2021 }}</ref>

===Game progression===
[[File:The Making of Harry Potter 29-05-2012 (Golden Snitch).jpg|thumb|right|250px|''The Golden Snitch'']]
* Quidditch matches are played over an oval-shaped pitch, with a scoring area at each end consisting of three hooped goal posts, each at a different height. Each team is made up of seven players, consisting of three '''Chasers''', two '''Beaters''', one '''Keeper''' and one '''Seeker'''. 
* The job of the Chasers is to keep possession of the scarlet '''Quaffle''', a leather ball passed between fellow chasers. They must attempt to score goals (worth 10 points) by throwing it through one of the opponents' three hoops. These hoops are defended by the opposing team's Keeper, who ideally tries to block their goals and throw the  "Quaffle" to fellow chasers. 
* Meanwhile, players of both teams are attacked indiscriminately by the two '''Bludgers'''. These are round, jet-black balls made of iron that fly around violently trying to knock players off their brooms. It is the Beaters' job to defend their teammates from the Bludgers; they carry short wooden clubs, which they use to knock the Bludgers away from their teammates and/or toward the opposing team. 
* Finally, the role of the Seeker is to catch the '''Golden Snitch'''. This is a small golden ball the approximate size of a walnut. The winged Snitch is enchanted to hover, dart, and fly around the pitch rapidly and indiscriminately, avoiding capture while remaining within the boundaries of the playing area. A Seeker catching the Snitch ends the game and scores the successful Seeker's team an additional 150 points (15 goals). As the team with the most points wins, this often guarantees victory for the successful Seeker's team. A notable exception is when Bulgaria Seeker [[Viktor Krum]] catches the Snitch for Bulgaria during the World Cup Final in ''[[Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire|Goblet of Fire]]'', while his team are still 160 points behind Ireland (their opponents), thus making his own team lose by only 10 points.

===Broomsticks===
[[File:The Making of Harry Potter 29-05-2012 (Broomsticks).jpg|thumb]]
[[Magical Objects in Harry Potter#Broomsticks|Broomsticks]] are one of the forms of transportation for wizards and witches, as well as being used for playing Quidditch. The three most prominent broomsticks in the books are the Nimbus 2000, Nimbus 2001, and the '''Firebolt''', all three of which have been produced as merchandise by [[Warner Bros.]]<ref>{{cite news|last1=MacDonald|first1=Brady|title=Let's go on a virtual shopping spree at Universal's new Wizarding World|url=http://www.latimes.com/travel/themeparks/la-trb-wizarding-world-shops-universal-studios-hollywood-20160324-story.html|newspaper=LA Times|access-date=29 May 2017|date=24 March 2016}}</ref>

The Nimbus is introduced as one of the best broomsticks in the wizarding world. Harry receives a Nimbus 2000 in ''[[Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone|Philosopher's Stone]]'' so that he can play for Gryffindor house. In ''[[Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets|Chamber of Secrets]]'', [[Lucius Malfoy]] buys a full set of the more advanced Nimbus 2001s for the [[Slytherin]] team as a bribe, so they would choose his son [[Draco Malfoy|Draco]] as Seeker that year.

The Firebolt later supersedes the Nimbus as the fastest and one of the most expensive racing brooms in existence. Harry receives a Firebolt model from his godfather, [[Sirius Black]], after his Nimbus 2000 is destroyed during a Quidditch match in ''[[Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban|Prisoner of Azkaban]]''. In ''[[Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire|Goblet of Fire]]'', Harry uses his Firebolt to escape the [[Hungarian Horntail]] during the Triwizard Tournament.

===Films and video games===
Quidditch appears in five of the eight ''Harry Potter'' films. Some Quidditch subplots, such as Ron's Keeper storyline in ''[[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix|Order of the Phoenix]]'', were cut to save time in the films.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Vineyard|first1=Jennifer|title=Harry Potter's First Date Flops, Quidditch Ditched: What 'Phoenix' Flick Leaves Out|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1564401/harry-potters-first-date-flops-quidditch-ditched-what-phoenix-flick-leaves-out/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141013030700/http://www.mtv.com/news/1564401/harry-potters-first-date-flops-quidditch-ditched-what-phoenix-flick-leaves-out/|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 October 2014|website=MTV|access-date=29 May 2017|date=10 July 2007}}</ref> Video games that feature Quidditch include:
* Main series' video game adaptions:
** ''[[Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (PlayStation video game)|Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone]]''
** ''[[Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)|Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets]]''
** ''[[Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (video game)|Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince]]''
* ''Harry Potter: Quidditch'' series
** ''[[Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup]]''
** ''[[Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions]]''
* ''[[Lego]] Harry Potter'' series
** ''[[Lego Harry Potter: Years 1–4]]''
** ''[[Lego Harry Potter: Years 5–7]]''

In the [[Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey]] attraction in the [[The Wizarding World of Harry Potter (Islands of Adventure)|Wizarding World of Harry Potter]] at the [[Islands of Adventure]] theme park, Quidditch is featured near the end where riders are flown through the Quidditch pitch. A storefront near Ollivanders Wand Shop is themed as a Quidditch supply with a Golden Snitch on the sign and a case containing animated Quaffle and Bludgers surrounded by Beaters' bats.<ref>{{cite news|title=Harry Potter's magic conjures success for theme park|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2011/TRAVEL/04/06/wizarding.harry.potter.orlando/?hpt=C2|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024065108/http://edition.cnn.com/2011/TRAVEL/04/06/wizarding.harry.potter.orlando/?hpt=C2|url-status=dead|archive-date=24 October 2012|newspaper=CNN International | date=6 April 2011}}</ref>

==Reception==
According to David K. Steege, the books "follow very closely the school story tradition of making games and sports central to the boarding school experience; some of the most vivid and popular scenes in the series take place on the playing field."<ref>{{cite book|last1=Steege|first1=David K.|editor1-last=Whited|editor1-first=Lana A.|title=The Ivory Tower and Harry Potter: Perspectives on a Literary Phenomenon|date=2004|publisher=University of Missouri Press|page=148|chapter=Harry Potter, Tom Brown, and the British School Story}}</ref>
However, some critics have claimed that Rowling's presentation of Quidditch reinforces gender inequality. For example, Heilman and Donaldson argue that the female players ultimately have little impact on the outcome of the game,<ref>{{cite book|last1=Heilman|first1=Elizabeth E.|last2=Donaldson|first2=Trevor|editor1-last=Heilman|editor1-first=Elizabeth E.|title=Critical Perspectives on Harry Potter|date=2009|publisher=Routledge|location=New York|page=142|edition=2nd|chapter=From Sexist to (sort-of) Feminist: Representations of Gender in the Harry Potter Series}}</ref> and it has also been noted that the female players on the Gryffindor Quidditch team have very few lines.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Doughty|first1=Terri|editor1-last=Whited|editor1-first=Lana A.|title=The Ivory Tower and Harry Potter: Perspectives on a Literary Phenomenon|date=2004|publisher=University of Missouri Press|page=243|chapter=Locating Harry Potter in the "Boys' Book" Market}}</ref> This view has been disputed by Mimi R. Gladstein, who points to the presence of female players on the victorious Irish team at the Quidditch World Cup. She argues: "The inclusion of female Quidditch players at the highest level of the sport is done without a trace of self-consciousness and their inclusion isn't an issue within the minds of the characters."<ref>{{cite book|last1=Gladstein|first1=Mimi R.|editor1-last=Baggett|editor1-first=David|editor2-last=Klein|editor2-first=Shawn|title=Harry Potter and Philosophy: If Aristotle Ran Hogwarts|url=https://archive.org/details/harrypotterphilo00bagg|url-access=registration|date=2004|publisher=Open Court Publishing|chapter=Feminism and Equal Opportunity: Hermione and the Women of Hogwarts.|isbn=9780812694550}}</ref> On the other hand, D. Bruno Starrs notes Quidditch's rarity as a sport in which males and females compete against each other, and describes it as "levelling" the genders.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Starrs|first1=D.Bruno|editor1-last=Mead|editor1-first=David|editor2-last=Frelik|editor2-first=Pawel|title=Playing the Universe: Games and Gaming in Science Fiction|date=2007|publisher=Maria Curie-Sklodowska University|pages=77–85|chapter=Quidditch: J. K. Rowling's Leveller}}</ref>

Quidditch has been criticised for its emphasis on catching the Snitch.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Manfred|first1=Tony|title=Sorry Harry Potter Fans, Quidditch Is The Dumbest Sport Ever|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/harry-potter-quidditch-2011-7?IR=T|website=Business Insider|access-date=10 September 2017}}</ref> Rowling claims that Quidditch is a sport that "infuriates" men in particular, who are bothered by the unrealistic scoring system.<ref name="telegraph"/> Because of the emphasis on the Snitch, legal scholar [[William Baude]] called Quidditch "a really stupid game".<ref>{{cite news |first=Will |last=Baude |author-link=William Baude |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2014/05/14/more-thoughts-on-the-rules-of-quidditch/ |title=The Volokh Conspiracy: More thoughts on the rules of Quidditch |newspaper=The Washington Post |type=Opinion |date=14 May 2014 |access-date=3 July 2021 }}</ref>

==Non-fictional Quidditch==
[[File:Quidditch Lane, Cambourne.jpg|thumb|200px|Quidditch Lane in Lower Cambourne]]
[[File:Quidditch plaque.jpg|thumb|Dedication plaque outside the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children]]

In the real world, the word "Quidditch", long predating ''Harry Potter'', occurs in some English placenames, and seems to come from [[Anglo-Saxon language|Anglo-Saxon]] ''cwǣð-dīc'' = "mud-ditch".

A street in [[Cambourne|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.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cambridgeshire/4675555.stm Village sign attracts Potter fans], BBC News</ref>

In November 2014, a plaque appeared outside the entrance of Bristol Children's Hospital attesting that the [[Bristol Royal Hospital for Children|famous hooped sculptures]] which stand in front of the paediatric institution are, in fact, not a {{convert|50|ft|m|adj=mid|-tall}} interactive installation inaugurated in 2001, but instead the goalposts used in the 1998 Quidditch World Cup.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-36488273 The story of the mysterious Harry Potter plaque], BBC</ref>

In 2017, "Quidditch" was defined by Oxford Dictionaries, following the inclusion of "[[Muggle]]" in the third (2003) edition of the ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]''. Oxford Dictionaries associate editor Charlotte Buxton explained that Quidditch had gained recognition beyond the books, pointing to its existence as a real-life sport.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Thelwell|first1=Emma|title=The next Harry Potter words to join the dictionary?|work=BBC News|date=13 April 2017|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-39586989|access-date=29 May 2017}}</ref>

===As a real-life sport===
{{Main|Quidditch (real-life sport)}}
In 2007 the United States Quidditch Association, back then named the Intercollegiate Quidditch Association (or I.Q.A.), was founded to regulate [[Quidditch (real-life sport)|quidditch]] in the United States and abroad, a very popular sport amongst college students. According to the [[International Quidditch Association]], the current international governing body of the sport, the original rules and regulation of the popular collegiate sport known as quidditch were formed "... on a sunny Sunday afternoon in 2005 by Xander Manshel and Alex Benepe, students at [[Middlebury College]] in Vermont, US". In contrast to the fictional sport, the game is played on foot while using one hand to hold a broom between the legs.

Since 2005, many American schools, such as [[University of California, Berkeley|UC Berkeley]], have added Quidditch to their list of team sports.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.dailycal.org/2014/10/21/basics-quidditch-cal/|title=The basics of Quidditch at Cal|newspaper=The Daily Californian|access-date=14 October 2014}}</ref> In the United States, college teams compete in their respective regions and compete in an annual national tournament, last year held in Texas and won by [[The University of Texas]] over runner-ups, [[The University of California, Berkeley]] (Cal Quidditch).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.usquidditch.org/news/2019/04/winners-of-us-quidditch-cup-12|title = Winners of US Quidditch Cup 12 &#124; US Quidditch}}</ref> The sport has since then spread across more than 25 countries and includes multiple international tournaments, including a World Cup.<ref>{{cite news|last=Carey|first=Alexis|title=From Harry Potter to Sydney schools, Quidditch has become a real competitive sport|url=http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/inner-west/from-harry-potter-to-sydney-schools-quidditch-has-become-a-real-competitive-sport/story-fngr8h4f-1226883558827|access-date=25 April 2014|newspaper=Daily Telegraph (Sydney)|date=15 April 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Flood|first=Alison|title=Quidditch leaves Harry Potter behind as (real) World Cup fever grows|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/jun/22/quidditch-leaves-harry-potter-behind-as-real-world-cup-fever-grows|newspaper=The Guardian|date=22 June 2016}}</ref> In 2012, the International Quidditch Association held the [[IQA World Cup]], then named the IQA Summer Games, as the torch was passing through Oxford, UK for the Summer Olympics.<ref>{{cite news|last=Black|first=Alan|title=London 2012: Olympic Quidditch Explo Tournament Preview|url=http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1249068-london-2012-olympic-quidditch-expo-tournament-preview|newspaper=Bleacher Report|date=6 July 2012|access-date=18 February 2016}}</ref>

Gameplay is based on the description in the books, films, and game adaptations, though the sport has been adapted to suit real-world constraints. Quidditch is still evolving to suit safe play for the members of the teams, male and female. Apart from joining teams registered with their national governing body, individuals are also able to become an official certified referee to officiate tournaments and games throughout the year as teams compete to take part in various national and international tournaments. As the oldest national governing body, USQ has hosted a grand total of ten US Quidditch Cups as of 2017.

In the [[United Kingdom]], the [[Quidditch Premier League]] is played between 10 teams, split between the North and South divisions. In 2017, West Midlands Revolution won the QPL.

In response to allegations of J. K. Rowling's [[Political views of J. K. Rowling#Transgender rights|anti-trans positions]], and [[Warner Bros.]]' ownership of the word "Quidditch", US Quidditch and Major League Quidditch announced in 2022 that they were renaming the sport "Quadball".<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2022/jul/20/quidditch-changes-name-to-quadball-after-jk-rowlings-trans-statements | title=Quidditch changes name to quadball after JK Rowling's trans statements | website=[[TheGuardian.com]] | date=20 July 2022 }}</ref>

==See also==

* [[List of fictional sports]]
* [[Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup]]

==References==

===Notes===
{{Reflist|30em}}

===Bibliography===
{{Refbegin}}
* {{HP1ref}}
* {{HP2ref}}
* {{HPQref}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{hpw|Quidditch|Dr Pickens YT=}}

{{Harry Potter|state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Quidditch| ]]
[[Category:Fictional elements introduced in 1997]]
[[Category:Fictional ball games]]
[[Category:Fictional universe of Harry Potter]]