Here at last is a version of the great game of Quidditch that can be played by us muggles in a hall - without the need for flying broomsticks!!

You have to adapt this to suit your hall and the age (and cunning) of your players. Its basically a bit like Handball and Netball - with a few quirky bits thrown in.

This can be made even more fun if you adopt team names as in the book - but avoiding the actual names as everyone wants to be in Griffindor and no one wants Slytherin !!
Snufflegrunt, Dumblerun, Groovythrum, Gigglewhump..............make your own. Then they can make banners, challenge other units to matches - the possibilities of there one day being a Guide Association Quidditch League are not impossible!

So we are not all Wizards !!
That does not mean we can't have a really good go at enjoying a game of Quidditch !

Here is a version of the game converted for us Muggles (non magic folk) who (sadly) cannot fly on broomsticks !

Equipment.

I Quaffle - a large football sized foam ball (for indoors - you might try a light football or beach ball for outside)
2 Bludgers - tennis sized foam balls (keep these as foam as they are used to throw at players)
1 Golden Snitch - a very small, very bouncy ball about the size of a large marble. Alternatively an odd shaped small ball that has an unpredictable bounce.

Some kind of goal at each end of the Hall or field.

A loud whistle for the referee!


Players.

Each team needs -

1 Keeper - (a goalkeeper). SAVES GOALS ANY WAY SHE CAN.

3 Chasers - (shooters or centre forwards) CHASERS ONLY TOUCH THE QUAFFLE.

2 Beaters - (essentially defenders to put off the Chasers) BEATERS ONLY TOUCH THE BLUDGERS.

1 Seeker - ( a loner who has only to catch the Golden Snitch) SEEKERS ONLY TOUCH THE GOLDEN SNITCH.


Object of the Game.

Basically using either a "bouncing the ball as you run" technique or a "pass it in the air like volleyball" one (depending on your Hall/Field and the bounciness of your Quaffle, the Chasers have to score goals. The Keepers have to stop them.

The Beaters throw the Bludgers at the Chasers on the opposite team. If they hit a Chaser then the Chaser has to stop still or sit for the count of three (without touching the Quaffle). This is the equivalent of falling off of a broomstick! It even has to work that way if the Chasers are hit by their own Beaters by mistake.

The Seeker waits to see when and where the Golden Snitch might appear and has to try to catch it.
She basically ignores the rest of the game.
If she catches the Golden Snitch her team have won as it is worth so many points.

The Golden Snitch is thrown on intermittently by two Guiders (or YLs or Guides) one each side of the field of play. They bounce it to each other and have to retrieve it quickly before the Seekers have a chance to catch it.
There are no rules as to how many times the Golden Snitch is thrown, it just makes brief and occasional appearances.

Scoring.

A goal scores 10 points.
If the Golden Snitch is caught then it scores 150. This effectively is the end of the game.
(We found it took about ten minutes per game on average)


Tips.
This is very much a contact game, so keep the balls as light as possible - foam works well but the Quaffle sized one is a poor bouncer.- still better than bruised Guides.
You can vary the numbers if needed by adding more Chasers and Beaters. However there should only ever be ONE Seeker per team.

You will need to be subtle about playing the Golden Snitch. Pick moments of confusion when the Seekers attention is taken off of you - or have two or three Golden Snitches (only use one at a time) so that each Guider has one and they don't know which of you is going to throw it on. (Young Leaders will love this job!)

It would help if you had some kind of ribbon sash to mark the players - the kind that are used for Netball. (I am going to make some out of Blanket edging ribbon - its cheap. Maybe a marker pen could be zig-zagged on the Chasers ones?)

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In case you are wondering what the game looks like in the Harry Potter books - here are the rules. In this game the magic balls can all fly (apart from the Quaffle) and are under their own control. Hence the change from bats for the Beaters to using their hands to throw the Bludgers and the Golden snitch has to be played from the sidelines.

(This is the game of Quidditch as set out in the books)

Basic Rules of Quidditch as set forth by Ms. JK Rowling:
.
Stadium:
3 golden goalposts on either side, round goals are 50 feet (or 15 meters) in the air. There are raised bleachers for spectators.
.
Balls & Equipment:
· 1 Quaffle - bright red, about the size of a soccer ball, used to score goals
· 2 Bludgers - jet black, slightly smaller than Quaffle, attempt to knock players of both teams off their broomsticks, can cause injury
· 1 Golden Snitch - elusive walnut-sized ball with silver wings
· Players use broomsticks.
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Team Players:
· 1 Keeper - guards the goals to keep opponents from scoring
· 3 Chasers - throw Quaffle back and forth trying to score goal
· 2 Beaters - defence, use bats to keep Bludgers from their team-mates
· 1 Seeker - tries to catch the Golden Snitch to end the game
.
Object of the Game:
To score as many points as possible by getting the Quaffle through one of the opposing goals while flying on a broomstick. Players try to avoid the pummelling Bludgers to prevent injury and, if they are thrown from their broomstick completely, removal from the game. Game ends when the Golden Snitch is caught by a Seeker.
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Start of Game:
The referee calls for the team captains to shake hands. When everybody has mounted their broomsticks, the referee releases the four balls. The referee sounds a whistle and players may then rise on their broomsticks and play begins.
.
Scoring & Winning:
Each time a Chaser gets the Quaffle in the opposing goal, his team is awarded 10 points. When a Seeker captures the Snitch, his team is awarded 150 points. Upon the capture of the Snitch, the team with the most points wins.
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Penalties:
There are 700 ways to commit a Quidditch foul. Fouls may result in the opposing team receiving possession of the Quaffle or getting a free shot at a goal.

With many thanks to J.K. Rowling for thinking the whole Harry Potter thing up in the first place!

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