Quidditch – a wizard’s game played by muggles

“Brooms up!” the referee cries, and two teams charge at each other through the mud.

Yes this is Quidditch. A new full contact, mixed gender sport based on the fictional game from J K Rowling’s Harry Potter novels. And it is taking the country by storm.

But what is its appeal?

Described as “brutal”, “unique” and “pretty awesome” by its players, quidditch has been steadily gaining popularity among universities worldwide.

So a few months ago, I decided to see what all the fuss was about.

I joined the Loughborough Longshots in the summer, but the East Midlands Tournament on Saturday was the first I’ve attended with any confidence.

Loughborough hosted the tournament on the campus Paddock Pitch, giving library-going students an interesting distraction from work.

The other contenders were the Nottingham Nightmares, Leicester Thestrals, Derby Union Quidditch and the Keele Squirrels.

It started early, with the first match taking off at 9am, and the last finishing at nearly 6pm.

Being full contact, there is always a risk of injury, and a team of first aiders and paramedics were present for the tournament.

Ben “The Tank” Hallam of the Longshots is one of the more physical players, and said he often has to explain to colleagues that “it’s not a funny ‘I’ve got a broom’ prancing around kind of game”.

Shortly afterwards he went careering down the pitch to cries of “You can’t stop the Tank!” from the sidelines.

The Longshots had a clear victory, winning all four of their matches with style. I was one of Loughborough’s seekers for the day, and I can say that it was tough.

Being repeatedly thrown into the cold mud takes some dedication.

The quidditch community is vibrant, welcoming and full of enthusiasm. Bill Orridge, the coach of the Longshots, said: “Just turn around, there are five teams intermingling, dancing to Hey Mickey in between matches.

“When it comes to inter-team relations, there is no sport like quidditch”.

Connor Simpson from Keele pointed out that the community is international.

He said: “It doesn’t matter who you are or where you are in the world, if you’re a quidditch player you can always find a place to stay.”

Sophie Farley, VP: Societies at Loughborough, told The Epinal: “I feel like we continue the sporting legend that is Loughborough through quidditch.”

Though based on J K Rowling’s creation the rules have long since diverged, and you don’t have to be a fan of the Boy Who Lived to enjoy this wild mix of rugby, dodgeball and wrestling.

A beginner’s guide

Brooms

Every player has one. Usually a decorated plastic tube, you are only in play if you have one between your legs. If you are “beat” or are knocked off, you must touch in at your hoops before remounting and joining play.

Chasing

three chasers and a keeper score by throwing the quaffle (a volleyball) through a set of three hoops. The keeper can’t be tackled or beat while in the zone around their goal hoops.

Beating

Each team has two beaters. There are 3 bludgers (dodgeballs) which they can “beat” players with to temporarily remove them from play.

Seeking

Each team has a seeker, and there is a neutral person playing the snitch. The snitch’s “tail” is the prize, giving the winning seeker’s team 30 points (not 150!) and ending the match.

The seekers cannot grab or tackle the snitch, but the snitch can use whatever means necessary to defend themselves.

The gender rule

Quidditch is a mixed gender sport, and teams must have a balance of males and females in play at all times. The gender rule has recently been adjusted to include players who don’t identify as male or female.

1st: Loughborough Longshots

2nd: Keele Squirrels

3rd: Derby Union Quidditch

4th: Leicester Thestrals

5th: Nottingham Nightmares