That’s not how you tease a new franchise on the line of Harry Potter. But relax, Harry Potter had a duel with Voldemort, the Dark Lord is gone now. May be he’ll be back, who knows (except J.K Rowling) but what’s left behind after the end of a magical journey of Harry Potter was spells, Hogwards School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Leaky Cauldron, Newt Scamander and his Fantastic Beasts and of course Quidditch. Movie makers out there brought World of Magic back on the big screens with Fantastic Beasts and Where to find them , Potterheads went a notch higher. That’s not how you tease a new franchise on the line of Harry Potter. But relax, Harry Potter had a duel with Voldemort, the Dark Lord is gone now. May be he’ll be back, who knows (except J.K Rowling) but what’s left behind after the end of a magical journey of Harry Potter was spells, Hogwards School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Leaky Cauldron, Newt Scamander and his Fantastic Beasts and of course Quidditch. Movie makers out there brought World of Magic back on the big screens with Fantastic Beasts and Where to find them , Potterheads went a notch higher. 

Ever thought riding a broomstick carrying a Quaffle, dodging a Bludger and scoring points by throwing Quaffle in one of the three rings or by simply catching a Golden Snitch (but do not swallow it. LOL) Throwback to Harry Potter and Sorcerer’s Stone!! Done imagining? Well humans tends to breathe in reality but live in fantasy. Now let’s switch and start living a fantasy. Quidditch is no longer played by Witches and Wizards. In 2005, students at Middlebury College in Vermont re-invented Quidditch but only for ‘Muggles.’ If a Wizard is found luring across the premises, they are banished in Azkaban made by Muggles themselves (aka Prison). So the biggest question arises, do they fly? No, but still we’ve got broomsticks. ‘Muggle’ Quidditch is nothing but a blend of rugby and basketball with fragments of hockey and dodgeball stirred in it. 

Ever since its debut in 2005, the game is gaining serious momentum. Quidditch is now active not only in United States but also internationally with Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium, Mexico, Argentina and Brazil taking serious training and active participation. There’s a 16 team pro-league, even Major League Quidditch as well as international competition.

To make it easy to visualize, here are some things you need to know about ‘Muggle-worthy’ Quidditch.

1. Quaffle, Bludger and the Golden Snitch 

A game of Quidditch comprises of 5 balls; The Quaffle, which is a volleyball; three Bludgers (size of a football but quite soft); and The Snitch which is a tennis ball. Players use a Quaffle to score points, Bludgers to knock out the player temporarily and the Snitch, if caught, can end the game. Snitch is basically a person dressed in yellow who wears a sock with a tennis ball attached to the back of their waistband. Each player must ride a broom between their legs all the time. The brooms cannot be used to contact with the players or to hit the ball. The game doesn’t allow  Helmets, shoulder pads or anything sort of except cups.

2. Hoops

Is nothing but three rings like structure placed on the pitch. The middle hoop is a bit higher and that makes it obvious, if we score in the middle hoop the points will be higher than the rest two hoops.

3. Players

Keeper – Is the one which guards the hoops, like a goalkeeper. They wear green headbands for identification.

Chasers – They are the one responsible for scoring points. There are total 3 chasers in each time. They carry the Quaffle, passing and running towards the hoops and pin the ball inside one of the rings. They wear white headbands.

Beaters – They throw Bludgers to knock out Chasers or Sneaker or Beaters of opposite team. There are total 2 beaters in each time and they wear black headbands. They need to know how to dodge a Bludger or catch them. A lot of awareness and attention is necessary to be a Beater.

Seeker – They are the game changers (or Harry Potter of each team LOL). There is only one Harry Potter…Seeker in each team. A Seeker has to grab the ball attached to waistband of the person enacting as Golden Snitch. Seeker has to dodge Bludger thrown by Beaters, Chasers and also Seeker of opposite team, phewww. Definitely you have to be above 11 years old to be a Seeker and you shouldn’t be wearing any glasses (mark on forehead wouldn’t matter anyhow). 

4. How to Play?

The team that scores the most wins the match. Chasers carry the Quaffle and throws in one of the hole gaining 10 points to the team. A Seeker does his part in the last 18 minutes of the game when the referee sends the Golden Snitch into the field. When the snitch is caught the team scores 30 points and game ends there. If a player is hit by a Bludger, he must run to their end of the field, touch one of their hoops and join the game again. Any player who is holding the ball, if gets ‘knock out’, must drop the ball immediately, touch the hoop and join again. 

No matter you are a Harry Potter fan or not, Muggle Quidditch requires strength, agility, communications, strategic defensive and attacking techniques. Although Quidditch is played in countable parts of the country, it’s not that as famous as Football or Cricket, but with right amount of promotions and collaborations and of course more involvement of Potterheads, ‘Muggle’ Quidditch may become a sensation in coming years. Until then Lumos Maxima.