I knew Harry Potter and his gang played a mean game of Quidditch, but I had no idea it's an actual sport in real life. It all began in 2005 at Middlebury College. Xander Manshel and Alex Benepe wanted something different to do on a Sunday afternoon. They gathered some friends and laid the foundation for a game that has grown to become a widely respected, physically intense sport.
Since then it has grown into a legitimate world-wide sport that prides itself on its gender inclusivity. The International Quidditch Association, is a nonprofit founded in 2010. That same year, the US started its own association, United States Quidditch, which now serves over 3,500 athletes and 150+ teams. In 2018, the US Quidditch Cup 11 was held in Texas. It was the largest quidditch tournament in the world to date with 87 teams and over 4,000 attendees. The video below explains how the game is played
HARRY POTTER QUIDDITCH
REAL LIFE QUIDDITCH
Video from 2014
C.G.Harris is the author of the sci-fi series, The Rax and the urban fantasy series, The Judas Files.. The Nine, book one in the series, is now available as an audiobook narrated by the talented, MacLeod Andrews.
That's so fun! I love how JK Rowling's made-up sport exists in the real world. Maybe someday, they'll be able to ride flying brooms, too :-)