Quidditch is the magical sport created by J.K. Rowling in her Harry Potter books. For the unacquainted, the popularity of quidditch in the wizarding world can be compared to the passion for football in the muggle (non-magical) one.
Starting this weekend, the UAE’s young muggle population can play the game at Camp Play, a sports camp at Dubai Sports World.
In a game of magical quidditch, two teams play against each other while flying on broomsticks to score the most points and catch the snitch, a small, light, fast-flying, difficult-to-spot ball. A game can only end when the snitch is caught, but the objective of the game is to out-score the opponent.
Points are scored by getting the quaffle (a larger, ordinary ball) through any one of three goal hoops at either end of the pitch, and each goal is worth 10 points. Catching the snitch is worth 150 points. If your team has scored two goals but caught the snitch, giving you a total of 170 points, in opposition to the team that has scored 18 goals (giving them a total of 180 points), the game will be won by your opponent. All the while, players have to avoid the bludgers, a pair of ferocious flying balls that knock players off their broomsticks.
While most of the rules remain the same, in the muggle version of the game, quidditch is a mix of elements from rugby, dodgeball, and tag. The team is made up of seven athletes who play with brooms between their legs at all times. The quaffle is a volleyball, bludgers are dodgeballs thrown in the middle of the game to distract players, and the snitch is a ball attached to the waistband of the ‘snitch runner’, a neutral athlete in a yellow uniform who uses any means to avoid capture. While goals are still worth 10 points, the snitch is worth 30 points. The game ends when the snitch is caught.
At Camp Play, quidditch is set to be more user-friendly than the official muggle version. The changes are minor, such as having a more predictable (and thus catchable) snitch. According to Sumayyah Mirza, a co-founder of the project, these changes have been made to make it easier for the young visitors of Camp Play to have fun and build confidence.
“It’s just like a really fun team game, everyone’s getting involved, you’re all having a laugh because you’re on a broom. And it’s just about the team spirit, that’s what it’s really about,” said Mirza on how quidditch will be used to fight against bullying. “You’re all working together, everybody is an equal, so that there’s no higher and lower. Everybody’s the same.”
— Sayema Wasi is an intern at Gulf News.
