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Quidditch Premier League

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Quidditch , officially known as quadball since 2022, is a team sport that was created in 2005 at Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont , United States, and was inspired by the fictional game of the same name in the Harry Potter books by the author J. K. Rowling . Two teams of seven players each, astride broomsticks and opposing each other on a rectangular pitch, compete with the primary objective of passing a ball through the defenders' hoops, while preventing their opponents from passing it through their own hoops. The real-world sport is sometimes referred to as " muggle quidditch " to distinguish it from the fictional game of the books, which involves magical elements such as flying broomsticks and enchanted balls—a muggle in the Harry Potter series being a person without magical abilities. The sport is played around the world.

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72-746: The Quidditch Premier League (QPL) was an elite quidditch league that represents the sport in the United Kingdom , France , Belgium , The Netherlands , and Germany . The league was composed of seventeen teams - four in each of the UK North Division, the UK Central Division, and the UK South Division, and five in the European Division. The QPL season ran from June to August every year, with each team playing three divisional fixtures in

144-467: A power play for the other team, and play is not stopped when this card is rendered. A play may accrue an unlimited number of technical fouls during a match. Snitching also changed in Rulebook 8 resulting in the deletion of off-pitch seeking. Where before, the snitch would be "released" before each match by running off the pitch during a set amount of time, now the snitch is released to the field, limited to

216-453: A best-of-three series (similar to the regular season, with the exception that a third game is not played unless necessary to decide a winner), until a champion is crowned and wins the Benepe Cup. Starting in 2018, teams sometimes play "SuperSeries" during the regular season, which involve three teams playing at one location over two days, with each team playing a full three-game series against

288-416: A bludger must touch with any part of their body excluding the broom any one of their hoops before returning to play. The quaffle is a slightly deflated regulation volleyball that can only be manipulated by chasers or keepers. Used for scoring, it may pass through any hoop from either side. Regardless of which team caused the quaffle to pass through the hoop, as long as it is in play, a goal is scored against

360-522: A bludger, in which case the player needs to dismount from their broom and return to their hoops. To be mounted on the broomstick means that the player must hold the broom between their legs and not have it fully on the ground. Players can substitute a variety of objects for brooms depending on the level of seriousness. Many teams play on PVC pipes of about 3 feet or 1 meter in length; these are usually made, but can also be purchased from specialist quidditch suppliers. Three hoops are placed on either side of

432-453: A chaser or keeper decides to reset the play by throwing the quaffle back to their side of the pitch, there must be a chaser and/or keeper to receive the quaffle. If there is no one to receive the ball, it will be considered a turnover and the offending team will lose possession of the quaffle. The release of Rulebook 10 coincided partially with the reformation of the IQA. As USQ released the rulebook,

504-680: A final standing within their conference. Then, all six teams traveled to the North Division Championship. During that weekend, the North Divisional Champion was crowned and the division's four bids were handed out. In 2024, MLQ indefinitely paused operations for the Rochester Whiteout franchise, citing a lack of quadball infrastructure in the Rochester area, as well as trouble fielding full rosters in previous seasons, and

576-522: A keeper on the pitch at all times. Contact rules are similar to other contact sports. Tackles are legal between the knees and shoulders. Two-handed tackling is allowed. All tackles must be initiated from the front side of the opposing player. Any back tackles made will result in a yellow card, however, if the player turns their back into the tackle with no chance for adjustment, it is not considered illegal. Players can only tackle other players of their same position (with keepers considered chasers) if they have

648-719: A permanent Quidditch pitch, through the generosity of actor-alumnus Matthew Perry . Quidditch began to take shape around the world with teams beginning in Australia, the UK, and France. It soon spread across Europe and the Americas, arriving in Italy, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Mexico, Argentina, and Brazil. In December 2021, it was reported that some leagues involved in the sport, US Quidditch and Major League Quidditch , were planning to change

720-538: A player has come to a complete stop and extend the seeker floor from 17 to 20 minutes (bringing it in line with the current USQ/MLQ seeker floor). It also adds other minor rules such as required extra breaks during high heat or humidity, allowing plastic shin guards and metal cleats, penalizing beats thrown to the head from less than 5 meters away and new rules about specific scenarios with regard to resetting and stalled quaffles. Major League Quadball Major League Quadball ( MLQ ), formerly Major League Quidditch ,

792-403: A predetermined amount of time. USQ (originally IQA) has released 15 iterations of the Rulebook, each building upon the last. The modern IQA has released 5 iterations of the Rulebook since it split from USQ. Each match begins with six of the starting players (excluding the seekers) along the starting line within their keeper zone with brooms on the ground and the four balls lined in the centre of

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864-466: A red card, a new setup for the start of games and snitch catches when the catching team is behind no longer ending the game. The start setup was altered so players no longer line up on their starting line but instead enter the pitch from the side. One bludger starts in the middle of each team's keeper line, whereas the quaffle and third bludger are placed on the midline. One beater and one chaser from each team are chosen as designated runners who line up on

936-408: A snitch catch, the head referee will blow their whistle three times to indicate stoppage of play, in which every player must drop in place their broom. The snitch can no longer leave the pitch and is also subject to 'brooms down' (which is when play stops and no one can change location or headband), but can 'take a knee' by having any part of their body except their feet touch the floor. In this case,

1008-587: A word. There were already some unofficial, fun-driven tournaments that tried to recreate "Quidditch" in a real-life setting as early as 2001, e.g., in Germany where a tournament was even nicknamed "Junior World Championship". These events, however, were no serious attempt to establish a fixed rule set and to found a real-life sport yet. The sport was brought to life in 2005 at Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont , by Xander Manshel and Alex Benepe, who later became

1080-563: Is an amateur quidditch league based in the United States and Canada. The league is composed of 15 city-based teams—13 in the U.S. and 2 in Canada. The MLQ season runs from June to August, with each team playing twelve games in the regular season. The playoffs includes the top 12 teams competing in the MLQ Championship in late August, culminating in the championship series. The winning team

1152-536: Is awarded the Benepe Cup. Major League Quadball was founded in 2014 by Ethan Sturm, who joined with Amanda Dallas in hopes of elevating the sport of quidditch to higher levels of competition. Sturm and Dallas currently co-commission the league. In December 2021, US Quadball (USQ) and Major League Quadball (MLQ) announced their intention to change their names to distance themselves from Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling 's views on transgender people and to avoid potential legal battles with film studio Warner Bros. ,

1224-428: Is no friendly fire, meaning that bludgers thrown by beaters cannot affect any of their teammates. The snitch is a tennis ball placed at the bottom of a long yellow pouch that is attached to the back of the snitch runner's shorts like in tag rugby . The snitch-runner is allowed to be more physical than other players. Only seekers may make advances towards the snitch or the snitch runner, and no forceful contact with

1296-472: Is now an IQA World Cup every two years, though the 2020 World Cup was cancelled and the 2022 World Cup has been delayed. Since beginning at Middlebury College, the sport has grown through universities in the East and West Coast in the United States. It soon grew internationally, arriving in Canada through McGill University and Carleton University in 2009. In 2010, UCLA became the first major university to create

1368-445: Is play allowed in the spectator zones. Players are asked to return to the pitch when play continues out of bounds. On the edge of the pitch is a penalty box where players who have committed fouls that warrant yellow cards are sent for one minute. Each official game requires having several referees present as well as an official snitch. The referees consist of: The snitch runner, being a neutral player and assistant referee, may help

1440-490: Is played with six standing hoops, three on each side of a square pitch. Each player must hold a broomstick between their legs. There are three different types of balls in play, and five in total: the quaffle, three bludgers, and the snitch. The broomstick serves the purpose of being a handicap such as one-handed dribbling in basketball or using only one's feet in association football . The player must stay mounted on their broomstick continuously unless they have been hit with

1512-522: Is rectangular 60 by 36 yards (55 by 33 m) with three hoops of varying heights at either end (this contrasts with the pitch of the fictional sport, which is oval-shaped). Teams are required to be gender-balanced: each team may have a maximum of four players who identify as the same gender on the field at one time, making quidditch one of the few sports that not only offers a gender-integrated environment, but an open community to those who identify as nonbinary . To score points, chasers or keepers must get

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1584-627: The 2015 MLQ Championship in Toledo, Ohio. In the 2016 season, MLQ doubled the size of the league to 16 teams and geographically expanded it with the creation of the South and West Division. The new teams were located in Austin, Kansas City, League City, New Orleans, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, and San Francisco. The same sixteen teams competed in 2017. In 2018, the Phoenix Sol relocated to Boise, Idaho as

1656-570: The 2018 season commenced, it was announced that the Quidditch Premier League would be establishing a European Division with five teams for the 2019 season. The new teams are based in Paris , Lille , Brussels , Amsterdam , and Cologne . It has also subsequently been announced that a further two UK teams would be debuting in 2019, based in London and North West / North East England , which will see

1728-512: The Boise Grays. During the Boise Grays' first match of the 2018 season, a brawl broke out between the Grays and Salt Lake City Hive. MLQ immediately disbanded the Boise Grays for the remainder of the 2018 season as punishment for the brawl. In 2019, MLQ reorganized the league into 3 divisions with 5 franchises in each division. As part of this reorganization, three changes happened: (1) all franchises in

1800-425: The IQA chose to adopt the eighth iteration as the de facto international standard where the proceeding rulebook will be released under the guise of the IQA. The changes from the Rulebook 9 to 10 were minimal. Rulebook 10 now requires that once an opposing team has scored, the keeper and or point chaser must keep the ball moving forward at all times. The rulebook has become more strict on tackling and cards are given at

1872-526: The MLQ season. Franchise staff select the rosters for their own teams. Referees are hired on a series by series basis. The West Division was eliminated at the end of the 2018 season due to extensive travel time for the teams. In addition to the 3-team expansion in 2019, the Rochester Whiteout were moved from the North Division to the East. With the addition of Charlotte in 2021 (and their retention for 2022), and

1944-685: The Scottish Thistles, in the North Division. These represent the first national Scottish and Welsh quidditch teams. The 2018 League was once contested across 3 fixtures in each division, followed by a championship at Cardiff Arms Park . The winners were the London Monarchs, who swept the board with an unbeaten season; the Southeast Knights finished as runners-up, and the 2017 champions, the West Midlands Revolution, came third. Before

2016-805: The West Division were disbanded due to long inter-divisional travel times, (2) three new teams were added to the remaining divisions (the Minneapolis Monarchs and the Toronto Raiders joined the North Division, while the San Antonio Soldados joined the South Division), and (3) Rochester Whiteout moved from the North Division to the East Division. In 2021, Charlotte was added as an expansion franchise due to Ottawa and Toronto's inability to cross

2088-480: The ball. Pushes are allowed if the arm is held straight; it is illegal to push if the arm is bent and then extended when pushing another player. Players are not allowed to dive for balls, slide into contact, trip opposing players, or initiate contact around the neck or over the shoulder. If a player is found making any of these offences it will result in a card depending on the severity of the offence. After several various types of illegal play, after an injury, or after

2160-403: The balls. The snitch goes on the field at 17 minutes, and the seekers are released at 18 minutes. Goals are worth ten points. Once a point is scored, the quaffle must be given to the other team's keeper, and almost immediately returns to the offensive with the chasers returning to their keeper zone or proper side of the pitch; beaters are not bound to return to their side of the pitch nor exit

2232-569: The best team. While Canada often sent several Ontario or Quebec teams, and Australia, Mexico and France each sent a team once, the World Cup in its state never saw true international competition. In 2012, the IQA hosted the Summer Games , where five nations sent national teams. Two years later, the IQA hosted the Global Games , during which the United States defeated Australia for the gold medal. There

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2304-506: The border due to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. In this season, Charlotte took Ottawa's spot in the East and the North division only competed with 4 teams. In 2022, with Toronto and Ottawa's return, Rochester Whiteout returned to the North (the division they had left upon the addition of Toronto and Minneapolis) and Ottawa rejoined the East. This left the North Division with six teams instead of

2376-449: The catching team having more points overall than their opponents, the game ends immediately with the catching team winning. In the event a team catches the snitch but still trails in points (or is tied for points) the game goes into an overtime period, with the target being the score achieved by the non-catching team plus 30 points. The first team to reach the target score wins the game; alternatively, either team may concede at any time during

2448-437: The conclusion of the 2022 MLQ championship. In its current structure, the league consists of three geographically divided divisions, each with five teams. Each team may have up to 30 players on their franchise roster, and may have up to 21 players rostered (and thus eligible to participate) in each series the team plays. Additionally, teams may have up to 18 players on their practice squad. The North Division includes much of

2520-670: The current Director of the League. The QPL was launched live on Sky News Sunrise and immediately gained international attention, with appearances in BBC News , ITV News , and even a mention on Conan . The first season debuted in June 2017 , and saw the West Midlands Revolution crowned as the inaugural champions. In September 2017, two new teams were added; the Welsh Dragons, in the South Division, and

2592-622: The departure of the team's head coach. With this change, the North Division returned to five teams, with the teams once again competing under the same regular-season structure as the East and South divisions. MLQ is a nonprofit run entirely by volunteers. All central operations - such as people operations, accounting, marketing, and administration - operate remotely, and there is no central headquarters for personnel. MLQ has over 100 volunteers across 8 departments. Departments include: Gameplay; Finance; People Operations; Marketing; Creative; Digital Media; Diversity Equity & Inclusion; and Events. At

2664-491: The discretion of the head referee. In addition, moving screens are illegal. This means that if a person wishes to screen for another player that has the quaffle, the person setting the screen must have their feet planted. The 2020–2021 IQA rulebook is notable for making significant changes to several aspects of the game. The most major changes are chaser positioning when restarting play (after third bludger interference and most penalty cards), two yellow cards no longer resulting in

2736-520: The distributor of the Harry Potter films and the owner of trademarks on the word "Quidditch". Following a poll of members, MLQ decided to change its name from "Major League Quiddich" to "Major League Quadball" in July 2022. The change was carried out jointly with US Quadball . The name refers to the number of balls used in the sport and the number of positions held in the field and was to be adopted following

2808-412: The eighth iteration as the de facto international standard where the proceeding rulebook will be released under the guise of the IQA. The changes from Rulebook 7 to Rulebook 8 were minimal except in two areas: blue cards and snitching. A technical foul results in a blue card on a player where that player must substitute with another player of the same position. The substitution does not, however, result in

2880-430: The first commissioner of quidditch. It has grown into its own separate and distinct sport after ten publications of rulebooks. After beginning in 2005, the sport grew to the point where, in 2007, the first Quidditch World Cup took place with Middlebury taking the place of the top team. Since then, yearly until 2014, there was a World Cup within the United States, where collegiate and community teams would compete to be

2952-409: The game. The ultimate goal is to have more points than the other team by the time the snitch—a tennis ball inside a long sock hanging from the shorts of an impartial official dressed in yellow—is caught. After eighteen minutes of play, the snitch runner moves onto the pitch and tries to evade the two seekers. When one of the seekers catches the snitch, that team is awarded 30 points. If this leads to

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3024-499: The game. The winner is determined not by the snitch catch, but by the number of points earned throughout the entirety of the game. Depending on the score teams will delay the snitch catch to better their chances of winning. Teams that are losing tend to defend the snitch by placing themselves between the Snitch Runner and the opposing seeker. The players positions are shown by the colour of the headband they wear on pitch. The game

3096-661: The geographic Midwest region of the United States, plus Toronto. The five teams in the North Division are the Minneapolis Monarchs, Chicago Prowl (previously the Indianapolis Intensity), Detroit Innovators, Cleveland Riff, and Toronto Raiders. The East Division includes all MLQ teams in the geographic Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, plus Ottawa. The five teams in the East Division are the Boston Forge, Charlotte Aviators, New York Titans, Washington Admirals, and Ottawa Black Bears. The South Division includes all MLQ teams in

3168-467: The geographic South Central region of the United States, plus Kansas City. The five teams in the South Division are the Austin Outlaws, San Antonio Soldados, League City Legends, New Orleans Curse, and Kansas City Stampede. During the regular season, teams plays a three-game series against all other teams in their division throughout June and July. All three games are played in each series, regardless of

3240-468: The leading team before the seeker floor. The first team to reach this set score wins the game. Additionally, the seeker floor is set at 20 minutes rather than 17. Quidditch has its roots in the fictional Harry Potter sport of the same name. To denote the difference, the fictional sport uses the capitalized "Quidditch" whereas the sport played as per the IQA rules uses the uncapitalised "quidditch". In April 2017 Oxford Dictionaries recognized "quidditch" as

3312-407: The midline. The other players on the team all line up anywhere on the sideline on their half of the pitch, excluding one chaser who acts as the offensive zone chaser and starts on the sideline in the opponents' half. In the event a team catches the snitch but this results in them still trailing in points (or being in a tie for points), the game now goes into an overtime period where a target score of

3384-486: The name of the sport they engage in. The leagues had stated that this was in order to distance themselves from Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling 's views on transgender people and related civil rights , that have been criticized by some people as transphobic , as well as avoiding a potential trademark dispute over studio Warner Bros. ' ownership of "Quidditch". Names suggested include "quidball", "quadball", "quickball", "quicker", "quidstrike" and "quadraball". In July 2022,

3456-407: The new name of "quadball" was announced, which references the game's four balls and retains 'Q' as the first letter. Each match begins with six of the starting players (excluding the seekers) along the starting line within their keeper zone with brooms on the ground and the four balls lined in the centre of the pitch. The head referee then calls "brooms up!" at which players run to gain possession of

3528-420: The non-catching team's score plus 30 points is set. The first team to reach the target score wins the game, however either team may concede at any time during this overtime period. Catches that result in the catching team leading in points still end the game immediately with the catching team winning. The upcoming 2022 IQA rulebook will add in two-arm wrappings and tackling, allow initiating contact from behind if

3600-426: The number of points earned; thus it is not unknown for teams that are losing by a wide margin to try delaying a snitch catch so that they can narrow the opponents' lead, along with the reverse, with the winning team trying to extend their lead. Depending on the severity of the foul, a player found committing an illegal play will result in a back-to-hoops, or a blue, yellow, and/or a red card. A back-to-hoops foul means

3672-470: The opposing team's keeper zone at any point. Games can last any length of time longer than 18 minutes, depending on the skill and endurance of the seekers and snitch. The game ends after the snitch has been caught through what is called a clean catch by the Snitch Referee, The Head Referee, and the Snitch Runner. The team that caught the snitch is awarded 30 points, regardless if they are winning or losing

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3744-840: The others. SuperSeries were developed in an attempt to save costs for the players. The first season took place in 2015 with eight teams split into two divisions of four teams each. The North Division was composed of the Cleveland Riff, Detroit Innovators, Indianapolis Intensity, and Rochester Whiteout, and the East Division was composed of the Boston Night Riders (now the Boston Forge), New York Titans, Ottawa Black Bears, and Washington Admirals. MLQ had an extremely successful first season, picking up partnerships with Savage Apparel (now VII Apparel), Peterson's Brooms, and Destination Toledo, holding 12 regular-season, three-game series, and hosting

3816-454: The outcome of the first two games, though the team that wins at least 2 out of the 3 games is said to have won the series. Teams are ranked within their divisions as a result of these series' outcomes. The top four teams in each division are then invited to the MLQ Championship in August. The top two teams from each division gain a bid directly to the quarterfinals of the championship bracket, while

3888-471: The overtime period. Matches or games often run about 30 to 40 minutes, but tend to vary in length due to the unpredictable nature of the snitch catch. Rules vary from the IQA standard in domestic competitions, most notably in the US. In games sanctioned by Major League Quadball (MLQ) and US Quadball (USQ), catching the snitch results in 35 points, which help teams reach a set score, 60 (MLQ) or 70 (USQ) points above

3960-431: The pitch of differing heights (3 ft or 0.91 m, 4.5 ft or 1.4 m and 6 ft or 1.8 m), placed two broomsticks apart (92 in or 2.3 m). Chasers and keepers can score by throwing the quaffle through any one of the hoops, from either front or back, gaining ten points for their team per score. Any player experiencing a knock-out effect from either dismounting their broomstick or getting hit with

4032-405: The pitch. The head referee then calls "brooms up!" at which players run to gain possession of the balls. After brooms up is called, the seekers must not interfere with other positions, and wait near the pitch until the end of the seeker floor, usually 18 minutes. The snitch goes on the field at 17 minutes, and the seekers are released at 18 minutes. Play runs rapidly, with quick change-of-hands of

4104-469: The player must follow the same procedure as when hit with a bludger. A blue card or yellow card mean the player must go the penalty box, for either one minute or until the next goal. Blue cards do not stack, but two yellow cards stack to a red card. If a player receives a red card, they are banned from the rest of the match. If a Keeper is sent to the penalty box, they must give their headband to another chaser on their team, as both teams are required to have

4176-491: The playing area, at 17 minutes (the seekers being released at 18 minutes). Many NGBs chose to continue playing under Rulebook 7 rules. The release of Rulebook 9 coincided partially with the reformation of the IQA. As USQ released the rulebook, the IQA chose to adopt the eighth iteration as the de facto international standard where the proceeding rulebook will be released under the guise of the IQA. The changes from Rulebook 8 to Rulebook 9 were minimal. Rulebook 9 requires that if

4248-499: The quaffle, because every goal (each being worth 10 points) scored against a team gives that team the ball. Once a point is scored, the quaffle must be given to the other team's keeper, and almost immediately returns to the offensive with the chasers returning to their keeper zone or proper side of the pitch; beaters are not bound to return to their side of the pitch nor exit the opposing team's keeper zone at any point. Games can last any length of time longer than 18 minutes, depending on

4320-400: The quaffle—a slightly deflated volleyball—into any of the three opposing hoops, which scores the team 10 points. To impede their opponents, beaters can use bludgers—dodgeballs—to hit opposing players and temporarily remove them from play. Once hit by an opposing bludger, that player must dismount their broom, drop any ball being held, and return to touch their own team's hoops before re-entering

4392-419: The referees to determine whether or not the catch was clean. There is also usually a timekeeper and scorekeeper for each game. The rules of quidditch have changed significantly as the sport has developed over time. New rulebooks are released approximately every one or two years. The release of Rulebook 8 coincided partially with the reformation of the IQA. As USQ released the rulebook, the IQA chose to adopt

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4464-566: The regular season. The playoffs included all seventeen teams competing in either Division 1 or Division 2 the QPL Championship fixture in late August, with the winning team being named as the QPL Champions for that season. The Quidditch Premier League was founded in November 2016 by Jack Lennard in hopes of developing quidditch further during the summer months in the UK's off-season. Lennard is

4536-406: The seekers cannot advance towards the snitch at all until three seconds after the snitch is back up – if they do so, they will be sent back to hoops. The quidditch pitch is usually marked with cones or with painted lines, and it is where all play occurs (a rectangle of 36 by 66 yards or 33 m × 60 m around the pitch). Balls are not allowed to be kicked off the pitch under penalty, nor

4608-413: The skill and endurance of the seekers and snitch. Many tournaments introduce snitch handicaps, such as asking the snitch to use only one hand, no hands, or remain on the centre line, to ensure games fit within reasonable time slots. The game is won only after the snitch has been caught cleanly, and the team that caught the snitch is awarded 30 points. The winner is determined not by the snitch catch but by

4680-403: The snitch runner is allowed. If the snitch is not caught within a certain period of time, handicaps for the snitch runner come into play. Catching the snitch awards 30 points. As of the release of Rulebook 8, the snitch is relegated to playing only on the field in the same fashion as the other players. Previously, snitch runners left the pitch to be pursued by seekers returning to the field after

4752-515: The sport are governed by the International Quadball Association (IQA), and events are sanctioned by either the IQA or that nation's governing body . A team consists of a minimum of seven (maximum 21) players, of which six are always on the pitch: three chasers, one keeper, and two beaters. The seventh position, known as a seeker, joins each team after a time period known as the "seeker floor" (17 minutes under IQA rules). The pitch

4824-422: The team whose hoop was scored upon, which is counted to be 10 points. The bludger is a slightly deflated dodgeball that can only be manipulated by beaters. There are three bludgers. The bludgers are used to hit any other player on the field. Upon being hit by a bludger, a player must dismount their broom, drop any ball that they may have been carrying, and touch their team's hoops before resuming play. There also

4896-420: The teams in that division gather to play a round-robin format. The Championship fixture, held at a professional sports stadium, takes place at the end of August, and features all seventeen teams split across two Divisions based on divisional standings, and is a knockout event. Previous Championships have been held at Craven Park Stadium, Hull and Arms Park Stadium, Cardiff . Quidditch (sport) Rules of

4968-411: The third- and fourth-place teams get placed into the play-in bracket. In the play-in bracket, each matchup between teams is decided by a single game, as opposed to the usual three games played in the regular season. The play-in bracket yields two teams, which get slotted into the final two quarterfinal berths. From there, the eight teams play in a standard single-elimination bracket, with each matchup being

5040-463: The top of the organization are Commissioners Amanda Dallas and Ethan Sturm. Each of the 8 departments has a Director who oversees operations and reports to the Commissioners. Directors' departmental teams are composed of managers, coordinators, and assistants. Franchise staff (such as coaches, assistant coaches, managers, and assistant managers) apply each season and are hired only for the duration of

5112-592: The two UK divisions become three. The teams hold tryouts in their respective catchment areas during February of each year to select their squads of 25 players. Teams that share catchment areas, such as the London teams, the Northern teams, and the European teams, hold joint tryouts followed by a draft for prospective players. Each season features twelve divisional fixtures, three for each division, in June, July, and August, where all

5184-424: The usual five, necessitating a new regular-season structure. For the first six weeks of the season, the North Division was split into two conferences of three teams, with Detroit, Minneapolis, and Chicago playing each other and Cleveland, Rochester, and Toronto playing each other. Each team played a three-game home series and a three-game away series within their conference during those opening six weeks. This gave them

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