How To Play Quidditch

Objective

The object of the game of Quidditch is to score more points than your opponents. Players do this by scoring goals which is done by placing a volleyball called the Quaffle through the opposition's hoop giving them 10 points, and by capturing the Golden Snitch which is worth 30 points.

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Players & Equipment

In Quidditch, each team is made up of 7 players:

• Three Chasers: try to score a goal by throwing the quaffle through one of the opponent’s three hoops, earning them 10 points. The chasers wear white headbands.

• Two Beaters: throw bludgers (dodgeballs) at the opposition players to disrupt them. The beaters wear a black headband.

• One Keeper: is a defensive player and is tasked with defending the team’s hoops. The keeper wears a green headband.

• One Seeker is the team member whose job is to capture the Golden Snitch. The seeker wears a yellow headband.

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The equipment needed to play Quidditch includes:

• Broomstick: All players must stay mounted on a broomstick which is made out of PVC piping. The broom must be held between the legs all the time.

• Hoops: Three hoops are situated at each end of the pitch, all at different heights.

• Quaffle: This is a volleyball and is what the Chasers and Keepers must try to throw through into the hoops in order to score points.

• Bludgers: These are dodgeballs and can only be used by Beaters. There are three of them on the pitch at any one time and Beaters throw these at the opposition to ‘knock them out’, which means the opposition player has to stop what they are doing, dismount, and run back to their own hoops and touch them before resuming play.

• Golden Snitch: This is a tennis ball placed in a long yellow sock, which is then attached to a ‘Snitch Runner’. A ‘Snitch Runner’ is a neutral player who tries to avoid each team’s Seeker, which is the only position to be able to catch the Golden Snitch. Getting the sock from the Snitch Runner and thus 'capturing' the Golden Snitch ends the game immediately and scores the catching team 30 points.

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Rules of Quidditch

• A game of Quidditch begins with the quaffle and bludgers all placed in the centre of the field.

• Each team’s players start in their keeper zone and the game begins when the referee shouts ‘brooms up!’

• Each team must then attempt to score more points than their opposition by scoring more goals by placing the quaffle through one of the opposition nets and by capturing the Golden Snitch which also immediately ends the game.

• During gameplay, any player that is hit by a bludger is required to dismount their broom and run back and touch their own hoops before resuming play.

• Quidditch is a full contact game and players can tackle each other in an attempt to get the quaffle or prevent other players scoring a goal.

• Throughout the game, the Seeker from each team’s sole duty is to capture the Golden Snitch and once this is done, the game ends.

• The winner of the match is the team with the most points at the end of the game.