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]
 Australian Quadball Association logo | |
| Formation | 2011 (14 years ago) (2011) |
|---|---|
| Affiliations | IQA |
| Website | quidditchaustralia |
Quadball in Australia is governed byQuadball 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 theInternational 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: QuadballNew South Wales (which also manages quidditch in theAustralian Capital Territory),[6] QuadballVictoria,[7][8]Queensland Association of Quadball,[9]South Australian Quadball Association[citation needed] andWestern Australian Quadball Association.[10]
TheDrop Bears are the Australian national team, named after thefolklorian koala-like species. The Drop Bears competed at the inaugural2012 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 championsThe 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 |
|---|---|
 2012 Summer Games | 3rd of 5[14] |
 2014 Global Games | 2nd of 7[15] |
 2016 World Cup | 1st of 21[16] |
 2018 World Cup | 5th of 29[17] |
 2022 European Games | 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]
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 thebackronym "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 theAustralian 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 atLa Trobe University, were cancelled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.[25][26]
Note that an asterisk (*) signifies a snitch catch.
| Year | No. of teams | Location | National Champion | Runner-up | Grand Final score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 5 | Kensington, NSW | UNSW Snapes on a Plane | University of Western Sydney Thestrals | 90-60* |
| 2012 | 10 | Macquarie Park, NSW | University of New South Wales Snapes on a Plane | Newcastle Fireballs | 80*-30 |
| 2013 | 12 | Parramatta, NSW | Perth Phoenixes (WA) | Macquarie Marauders | 110*-70 |
| 2014 | 13 | Macquarie Park, NSW | Melbourne Manticores (VIC) | UNSW Snapes on a Plane | 110*-40 |
| 2015 | 19 | Clayton, VIC | Melbourne Manticores (VIC) | UNSW Snapes on a Plane | 100*-10 |
| 2016 | 23 | Australian Institute of Sport, ACT | Wrackspurts QC | Western Sydney Spartans | 120*-110 |
| 2017 | 25 | Australian Institute of Sport, ACT | Whomping Willows (VIC) | Wrackspurts QC (VIC) | 150*-100 |
| 2018 | 24 | Sippy Downs, QLD | Melbourne Manticores | University of Sydney Unspeakables | 120*-70 |
| 2019 | 20 | Minto, NSW | Monash Muggles | Melbourne Manticores (VIC) | 130*-120 |
| 2022 | 13 | Bundoora, VIC | North Sydney Nightmares | Sunshine Coast Scorpions | 150*-110 |
State Shield (previouslyQuidditch State of Origin after thefootball 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 toAustralian geographical demographics) these are the only states to currently compete in the tournament.[27]
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]
| Year | Winning team | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Victorian Leadbeaters[27] | Berry |
| 2017 | Victorian Leadbeaters[27] | Brisbane |
| 2018 | New South Wales Bluetongues[34] | Newcastle |
| 2019 | New South Wales Bluetongues | Sandringham |
| 2022 | New South Wales Bluetongues | Maroochydore |
The 2020 and 2021 State Shields were cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic.[25]
Organised by Quidditch New South Wales, the NQL[35] (previously known as Triwiz) is the year long state championship inSydney 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 | |
| 2017 | Sydney City Serpents | |
| 2018 | University of Sydney Unspeakables | University of Sydney Unbreakables[37] |
| 2019 | Sydney City Serpents | UNSW Snapes on a Plane |
| 2020* | – | |
| 2021* | – | |
| 2022 | Darlinghurst Dragons |
† Due to inclement weather and injuries, both teams agreed not to play the Grand Final and share the 2015 state title.
* Due toCOVID-19, tournament did not proceed and only friendly matches were played.
Organised by the Quadball Victoria, the Victoria Cup is the year long state championship inMelbourne. 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 | |
| 2017 | Whomping Willows | |
| 2018 | Whomping Willows | |
| 2019 | Monash Muggles | Monash Mudbloods |
| 2020* | – | |
| 2021* | – | |
| 2022 | Melbourne Manticores |
* Due toCOVID-19, tournament did not proceed and only friendly matches were played.
The Midwinter cup is held annually inNewcastle 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 outnumberedAustralian National University andUniversity 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 andUniversity of the Sunshine Coast ANUSC Dement-Owls |
| 2017 | Sydney City Serpents |
| 2018 | University of Sydney Unspeakables |
| 2019 | Sydney City Serpents |
| 2022 | North Sydney Nightmares |
| 2023 | Sydney Stir Fries |
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]
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[35] (October).
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 |
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]
| Club | Moniker | State | Home venue | Est. | State League | QUAFL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Championships | Most Recent | ||||||
| ANU Owls | Owls |  Australian Capital Territory | Fellows Oval,ANU | 2011 | NQL | 0 | — |
| Darlington Dragons | Dragons |  New South Wales | — | — | NQL | 0 | — |
| Eastern Sydney Universities | Dawnbreakers/ Nightbringers | New South Wales | Physics Lawn,UNSW &Rowland Park | 2020 | NQL | 2 | 2012 |
| Macarthur Weasleys | Weasleys | New South Wales | Thomas Acres Reserve,Ambarvale | 2013 | — | 0 | — |
| Macquarie Marauders | Marauders | New South Wales | Sports Fields,Macquarie University | 2012 | NQL | 0 | — |
| North Sydney Nightmares | Nightmares | New South Wales | — | 2019 | NQL | 1 | 2022 |
| South West Horntails | Horntails | New South Wales | Victoria Park,Minto | 2017 | NQL | 0 | — |
| Sydney City Stirfries | Stirfries | New South Wales | — | — | NQL | 0 | — |
| University of Newcastle | Fireballs | New South Wales | Oval 4UoN,Callaghan | 2009 | NQL | 0 | — |
| University of Sydney | Unspeakables | New South Wales | Victoria Park,Camperdown | 2012 | NQL | 0 | - |
| Valkyries | Valkyries | New South Wales | Queen Elizabeth Park,Concord | 2019 | NQL | 0 | — |
| QUT | Lycans |  Queensland | Circle of Palms,City Botanic Gardens | 2011 | - | 0 | — |
| Sunshine Coast Scorpions | Scorpions | Queensland | Rugby Feild 2,USC | 2022 | QSL | 0 | — |
| University of Queensland Dumblebees | Dumblebees | Queensland | Guyatt Park,St Lucia | 2016 | QSL | 0 | - |
| UniSC Wraiths | Wraiths | Queensland | Sunshine Coast,Sunshine Coast | 2024 | QSL | 0 | — |
| Sunshine Coast Gorgons | Gorgons | Queensland | Sunshine Coast,Sunshine Coast | 2024 | QSL | 0 | — |
| Sunshine Coast Foxes | Foxes | Queensland | Sunshine Coast,Sunshine Coast | 2024 | QSL | 0 | — |
| Adelaide Augureys | Augureys |  South Australia | Bonython Park | 2015 | - | 0 | — |
| Melbourne Ravens | Ravens |  Victoria | — | 2018 | Vic Cup | 0 | — |
| Monash Muggles | Muggles | Victoria | Campus Park,Monash University, Clayton campus | 2012 | Vic Cup | 1 | 2019 |
| South Melbourne Centaurs | Centaurs | Victoria | Fawkner Park,South Yarra | 2014 | Vic Cup | 0 | — |
| Melbourne Manticores | Manticores | Victoria | — | 2011 | Vic Cup | 3 | 2018 |
| Curtin Chimeras | Chimeras |  Western Australia | Gochean Park,Bentley | 2012 | — | 0 | — |
| Murdoch Mandrakes | Mandrakes | Western Australia | Lower Bush Court,Murdoch University | 2012 | — | 0 | — |
| Perth Phoenixes | Pheonixes | Western Australia | Kenwick | 2011 | — | 1 | 2013 |
| UWA Undesirables | Undesirables | Western Australia | Oak Lawn,UWA | 2017 | — | 0 | — |
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.
† Developing team, non-official, not currently competing or defunct
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