Quadball in Australia explained

Quidditch, also known as Quadball, in Australia is played by a mixture of university and community teams. Due to the geographic demographics of the country, most major competitive tournaments are held in the eastern states. There are currently over 30 registered teams in the country.[1]

Organisations

Quadball Australia
Affiliations:IQA

Quadball in Australia is governed by Quadball Australia (formerly Quidditch Australia and the Australian Quidditch Association),[2] a non-profit organisation founded in 2011 as a Facebook group intended to act as a network for quidditch teams and players within Australia to communicate with one another. It is managed by a board of seven directors on a rotating 2-year term system with further volunteer staff, and currently chaired by Luke Derrick.[3] [4] Quadball Australia is affiliated with the International Quadball Association.[5] Quadball Australia uses the IQA rulebook for official gameplay, with some minor exceptions.

Quadball Australia manages the membership and insurance of all players in the country, in addition to managing the country's most prolific tournaments such as the Australian Quadball Championships (previously QUAFL) and State Shield. Regular club seasons are managed by their respective state bodies: Quadball New South Wales (which also manages quidditch in the Australian Capital Territory),[6] Quadball Victoria,[7] [8] Queensland Association of Quadball,[9] South Australian Quadball Association and Western Australian Quadball Association.[10]

National team

See main article: Australian national quidditch team. The Drop Bears are the Australian national team, named after the folklorian koala-like species. The Drop Bears competed at the inaugural 2012 IQA Cup (then called the Summer Games), the first world-wide quadball competition[11] where they came in third out of five teams. They defeated reigning champions The United States in 2016 with a score of 150*–130.[12] Despite being tipped to win the cup again in 2018,[13] the Australian National Team competed in Italy finishing 5th, defeated by the United States in the early stages of the semifinals.

Competition Position
3rd of 5[14]
2nd of 7[15]
1st of 21[16]
5th of 29[17]
3rd of 20
2023 World Cup 7th of 15[18]
The 2020 World Cup was initially postponed to 2021 due to COVID-19,[19] and further postponed to 2023.[20]

Competitions

Australian Quadball Championships (QUAFL)

The Australian Quadball Championships, previously and sometimes still colloquially known as QUAFL is the biggest quadballtournament in Australia.[21] It is held annually in November/December, crowning the Australian national club champion for that year.[22] The first official name for the tournament was the Oceania Regional Championships, but was more affectionately known as "QUAFL"[23] which was later given the backronym "Quidditch United Australian Federated League". The inaugural tournament was held in 2011 at the University of New South Wales, starting with just 5 teams.[24]

Clubs from across the country bid to host the tournament every year, and the tournament was hosted by Sydney-based clubs until 2015, when it was hosted by Melbourne's Monash Muggles. In 2016 and 2017, the tournament saw a move to the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra, hosting a record high of 25 teams in 2017. The championships were hosted in Queensland for the first time in 2018, and were last held at Kayess Park, Minto in 2019, before being cancelled both in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid-19 restrictions at the time.[25]

The structure of the tournament traditionally changes each year depending on the number of registered teams and choices of organisers. More recently, teams have been randomly split into pools based on their respective end of season state rankings, with top teams from each pool progressing to elimination bracket play.

The 2020 Championship due to be hosted in the Gold Coast or USC, and the 2021 Championship due to be hosted at La Trobe University, were cancelled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.[26]

Australian Quadball Club Championship (AQCC) results

Note that an asterisk (*) signifies a snitch catch.

Year No. of teams Location National ChampionRunner-up Grand Final score
20115Kensington, NSWUNSW Snapes on a PlaneUniversity of Western Sydney Thestrals90-60*
201210Macquarie Park, NSWUniversity of New South Wales Snapes on a PlaneNewcastle Fireballs80*-30
201312Parramatta, NSWPerth Phoenixes (WA)Macquarie Marauders110*-70
201413Macquarie Park, NSWMelbourne Manticores (VIC)UNSW Snapes on a Plane110*-40
201519Clayton, VICMelbourne Manticores (VIC)UNSW Snapes on a Plane 100*-10
201623Australian Institute of Sport, ACTWrackspurts QCWestern Sydney Spartans120*-110
201725Australian Institute of Sport, ACTWhomping Willows (VIC) Wrackspurts QC (VIC) 150*-100
201824Sippy Downs, QLDMelbourne ManticoresUniversity of Sydney Unspeakables120*-70
201920Minto, NSWMonash MugglesMelbourne Manticores (VIC)130*-120
202213Bundoora, VICNorth Sydney NightmaresSunshine Coast Scorpions150*-110

State Shield

State Shield (previously Quidditch State of Origin after the football tournament of the same name[27]), is an annual Australian quadball competition established in 2016 as part of a skills camp training exercise at the annual QuidCamp.[28] The tournament was created due to an increasing need for a state-based tournament, however as the majority of the players resided in Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria (due to Australian geographical demographics) these are the only states to currently compete in the tournament.

Participating state teams include Victorian Leadbeaters (A),[29] Victorian Honeybeaters (B),[30] New South Wales Bluetongues (A),[31] New South Wales Bluebottles (B),[32] and the Queensland Thunderbirds.[33]

Past State Shield results

Year Winning Team Location
2016Victorian LeadbeatersBerry
2017Victorian LeadbeatersBrisbane
2018New South Wales Bluetongues[34] Newcastle
2019New South Wales BluetonguesSandringham
2022New South Wales BluetonguesMaroochydore
The 2020 and 2021 State Shields were cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic.

NSW Quidditch League (NQL)

Organised by Quidditch New South Wales, the NQL[35] (previously known as Triwiz) is the year long state championship in Sydney and surrounding cities, which started in 2011 and was formalised when the Quidditch NSW state body was created. The competition was split into 2 divisions in 2018, and currently contains 14 teams across Sydney, Wollongong, Newcastle and Canberra.[36]

Year Division 1 Winner Division 2 Winner
2014 University of New South Wales Snapes on a Plane
2015 Western Sydney Spartans / UNSW Snapes on a Plane
2016 University of Sydney Unspeakables
2017Sydney City Serpents
2018University of Sydney Unspeakables University of Sydney Unbreakables[37]
2019Sydney City Serpents UNSW Snapes on a Plane
2020*
2021*
2022Darlinghurst Dragons
† Due to inclement weather and injuries, both teams agreed not to play the Grand Final and share the 2015 state title.

* Due to COVID-19, tournament did not proceed and only friendly matches were played.

Victoria Cup

Organised by the Quadball Victoria, the Victoria Cup is the year long state championship in Melbourne. The inaugural cup in 2014 was won by the Monash Muggles, and followed on from other local tournaments.[38] [39]

Year Division 1 Winner Division 2 Winner
2013/14 Monash Muggles
2015 Melbourne Manticores
2016 Melbourne Manticores
2017Whomping Willows
2018Whomping Willows
2019Monash Muggles Monash Mudbloods
2020*
2021*
2022Melbourne Manticores

* Due to COVID-19, tournament did not proceed and only friendly matches were played.

Midwinter Cup

The Midwinter cup is held annually in Newcastle featuring both teams from NSW and interstate. The 2014 winners were the UNSW Snapes on a Plane.[40] In 2015, the tournament was won by the hosts, the Newcastle Fireballs. In 2016, a vastly outnumbered Australian National University and University of the Sunshine Coast collaboration team, the ANUSC Dement-Owls, defeated the Newcastle Fireballs in the grand final to claim the Midwinter cup. In 2017, the winners were the newly formed Sydney City Serpents.

The Midwinter Cup was not held in the 2020 and 2021 seasons due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2022 Midwinter Cup was delayed due to weather, but returned in September of that year.

Year Winning Team
2012 Perth Phoenixes
2013 University of Western Sydney Thestrals
2014 University of New South Wales Snapes on a Plane
2015 University of Newcastle (Australia) Fireballs
2016 Australian National University and University of the Sunshine Coast ANUSC Dement-Owls
2017Sydney City Serpents
2018University of Sydney Unspeakables
2019Sydney City Serpents
2022North Sydney Nightmares
2023Sydney Stir Fries

Melbourne Mudbash

The Melbourne Mudbash is held annually in the middle of the year in Melbourne. Local teams are joined by interstate teams and teams composed of mercenary players. In 2013, the Melbourne Manticores came out on top of the four local and two other teams competing, and in 2014 the Monash Muggles were the best of the six local and four other teams to compete.[41]

Fantasy Tournaments

Held outside of the regular seasons, various fantasy tournaments across the country include Valkyries Fantasy (November), Victorian Fantasy (February), Sunshine Coast Fantasy (April), Macarthur Fantasy[42] (January), and Pink Up Campbelltown Charity Tournament (October).

Australian Wheelchair Quidditch Championships (QWAFL)

Wheelchair quadball was first introduced into regular quadball tournaments in 2012, and ran at the same time and venue as the regular championships. Due to the logistical difficulties and lack of interest, the competition has not run since 2016.

Year Winner Runner-Up Grand Final score
2012 ANU Nargles JCU Galleons 40* - 20
2013 UWS Thestrals Newcastle Chariots of Fire 220* - 10
2014 UWS Thestrals Perth Phoenixes 160* - 20
2015 Western Sydney Spartans UTS Opaleyes 120* - 50
2016 Western Sydney Spartans UTS Opaleyes 90* - 60

Teams

There are several teams/clubs registered with Quadball Australia across all states and territories except Northern Territory. As of May 28, 2023 there are 24 teams registered with Quadball Australia.[43]

Current Teams

ClubMoniker StateState LeagueQUAFL
data-sort-type=number Championshipsdata-sort-type=number Most Recent
style=text-align:left ANU OwlsOwls align=left align=left Fellows Oval, ANU2011 NQL 0
style=text-align:left Darlington DragonsDragons align=left align=left NQL 0
style=text-align:left Eastern Sydney UniversitiesDawnbreakers/ Nightbringers align=left align=left Physics Lawn, UNSW & Rowland ParkNQL 2012
style=text-align:left Macarthur WeasleysWeasleys align=left align=left 20130
style=text-align:left Macquarie MaraudersMarauders align=left align=left Sports Fields, Macquarie University2012 NQL 0
style=text-align:left North Sydney NightmaresNightmares align=left align=left 2019 NQL 1 2022
style=text-align:left South West HorntailsHorntails align=left align=left 2017 NQL 0
style=text-align:left Sydney City StirfriesStirfries align=left align=left NQL 0
style=text-align:left University of NewcastleFireballs align=left align=left 2009 NQL 0
style=text-align:left University of SydneyUnspeakables align=left align=left 2012 NQL 0 -
style=text-align:left ValkyriesValkyries align=left align=left 2019 NQL 0
style=text-align:left QUTLycans align=left align=left Circle of Palms, City Botanic Gardens2011 - 0
style=text-align:left Sunshine Coast ScorpionsScorpions align=left align=left Rugby Feild 2, USC2022 QSL 0
style=text-align:left University of Queensland DumblebeesDumblebees align=left align=left 2016 QSL 0 -
style=text-align:left UniSC WraithsWraiths align=left align=left 2024 QSL 0
style=text-align:left Sunshine Coast GorgonsGorgons align=left align=left 2024 QSL 0
style=text-align:left Sunshine Coast FoxesFoxes align=left align=left 2024 QSL 0
style=text-align:left Adelaide AugureysAugureys align=left align=left 2015 - 0
style=text-align:left Melbourne RavensRavens align=left align=left 2018 Vic Cup 0
style=text-align:left Monash MugglesMuggles align=left align=left 2012 Vic Cup1 2019
style=text-align:left South Mebourne CentaursCentaurs align=left align=left 2014 Vic Cup 0
style=text-align:left Melbourne ManticoresManticores align=left align=left 2011 Vic Cup3 2018
style=text-align:left Curtin ChimerasChimeras align=left align=left 2012 0
style=text-align:left Murdoch MandrakesMandrakes align=left align=left 2012 0
style=text-align:left Perth PhoenixesPheonixes align=left align=left 2011 1 2013
style=text-align:left UWA UndesirablesUndesirables align=left align=left Oak Lawn, UWA2017 0

Past Teams

Previously other teams/clubs were registered with Quadball Australia, Listed here are the teams that are no longer registered. Clubs with teams that are no longer registered are also listed.

Australian Capital Territory

New South Wales

Queensland

South Australia

Victoria

Western Australia

† Developing team, non-official, not currently competing or defunct

References

  1. Web site: Find A Team . 2022-04-07 . Quidditch Australia . en-US.
  2. Web site: Australia . Quadball . 2022-11-15 . Quidditch Australia Club Representative and Board Recommends Name Change to Quadball . 2023-09-11 . Quadball Australia . en-US.
  3. Web site: Board of Directors . 2022-04-07 . Quidditch Australia . en-US.
  4. Web site: Volunteer with Quidditch Australia . 2022-04-07 . Quidditch Australia . en-US.
  5. Web site: Members . 2022-04-07 . International Quidditch Association . en-us.
  6. Web site: Quidditch Through The Ages . 2022-04-07 . University of Sydney Quidditch Club . en-US.
  7. Web site: Webb . Carolyn . 2014-07-29 . Harry Potter's quidditch takes off in Melbourne . 2022-04-07 . The Age . en.
  8. Web site: Association History . 2023-09-11 . Quadball Victoria . en-US.
  9. Web site: About Us . 2022-04-07 . Queensland Association of Quidditch . en.
  10. News: Jade. Chan. Burning passion for a magical game of Quidditch. 14 January 2020. The Star Online.
  11. News: 2012-07-09 . Harry Potter game Quidditch marks Olympic torch relay . en-GB . BBC News . 2022-04-07.
  12. News: 2016-07-25 . Aussie Dropbears crowned world quidditch champions . en-AU . ABC News . 2022-04-07.
  13. News: Sam Langford. Australia's About To Defend Its Title In The Quidditch World Cup, Because Who Needs FIFA?. 13 June 2018. Junkee.
  14. Web site: 2012-07-10 . Students represent Canada at Quidditch Summer Games . 2022-04-07 . McGill Reporter . en-US.
  15. News: Team USA Secure Gold in Shutout Against Australia. Andy. Marmer. 20 July 2014. 16 November 2014.
  16. News: ABC News . Australia's Dropbears win Quidditch World Cup, inspired by Harry Potter game . ABC News . 15 July 2016.
  17. News: Cameron . Caccamo. Australia Places Fifth at Quidditch World Cup. 18 December 2019. Quidditch Australia.
  18. Web site: The US National Team takes home the trophy at IQA World Cup 2023 . 16 July 2024 . International Quadball Association . IQA.
  19. News: Jamie . Turbet. IQA World Cup 2020 postponed to 2021. 15 April 2020. 14 August 2021. International Quidditch Association.
  20. News: IQA World Cup and IQA BIPOC Committee Findings. 12 July 2021 . 14 August 2021. International Quidditch Association.
  21. News: Ruwendi . Wakwella. Canberra to host Australian Quidditch Championship for the second time. 18 December 2019. RiotACT.
  22. Web site: 29 April 2016 . Canberra to host national quidditch tournament . dead . https://archive.today/20240717060450/https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6050161/canberra-to-host-national-quidditch-tournament/ . 17 July 2024.
  23. News: Players Potter about on the quidditch field. 18 December 2019. Daily Mercury.
  24. Web site: Hawk . Keith . 2011-12-02 . Quidditch Round-up: University of New South Wales wins first QUAFL Cup in Australia . 2022-04-07 . MuggleNet . en-US.
  25. Web site: Kohoutová . Veronika . 2020-09-28 . Quidditch Australia National Championship Canceled . 2022-04-07 . MuggleNet . en-US.
  26. Web site: Kohoutová . Veronika . 2021-09-29 . QUAFL 2021 Canceled . 2022-04-07 . MuggleNet . en-US.
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  31. Web site: Abey . Ajantha . 2019-09-30 . Team Previews - The NSW Blue Tongues . 2024-05-17 . Quadball Australia . en-US.
  32. Web site: Abey . Ajantha . 2019-10-02 . Team Preview - NSW Bluebottles . 2024-05-17 . Quadball Australia . en-US.
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