QuidditchUK
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| Abbreviation | QUK |
|---|---|
| Formation | 2011 |
| Legal status | Non-Profit Organisation |
| Location | |
President | Amy Maidment |
Vice-President | Matthew Guenzel |
| Website |
www |
QuidditchUK is the governing body of quidditch in the United Kingdom, and affiliated with the International Quidditch Association.[1] Its current president is Amy Maidment, and the Vice President is Matthew Guenzel. It began in 2011 as a Facebook group intended to act as a network for quidditch teams and players within the UK to communicate with each other, become aware of local teams and resources, to set up matches, and to set up new teams.
Since its humble beginnings, QuidditchUK has become a structured, involved, and vastly developing organisation. After hosting the Summer Games in August 2012, there was a massive growth of quidditch teams throughout the country. It was at this point that QuidditchUK decided to advance from a network for UK teams and players, to become an established governing body of muggle quidditch in the UK. After talks with several members of the original group a staffing structure was set up, whose aim would be to develop and promote quidditch in the United Kingdom.
Competitive structure
The first British and Irish Quidditch Cup was held on 9–10 November 2013, at University Parks in Oxford, England.[2] The host team, Oxford's Radcliffe Chimeras, won the trophy, beating Avada Keeledavra in the final with Bangor's Broken Broomsticks placing third. The Second BQC was held at Wollaton Hall and Deer Park, Nottingham on 7-8 March 2015 and was won by Southampton Quidditch Club 1.
The IQA is currently in the process of working with local governing bodies to establish national leagues,[3] of which QuidditchUK will announce details about soon. Until then, most UK teams play in both invitational tournaments and friendly matches.
QuidditchUK operates a 'Challenge Shield' league event which runs throughout the year; beginning with a mini-season from its inception in August 2014 through to the end of November 2014, after which it will run all year long excepting a mid-season break for July and an the end-of-season break for December. The Shield is run in a ladder-format, with each team beginning outside of the ladder before getting onto it and advancing or retreating in its rankings via the outcome of 'challenges'. Any team may challenge any other so long as the defending team is not more than 3 places further up the ladder than their challengers. The teams then play three games in a single day; if the challenger wins the best of three (and their opponent is higher on the ladder) then they switch spots with their opponents. In the event of the defending team emerging victorious, the ladder is unaffected. At 11:59 on 31 November, the season ends and the team that is top of the ladder at that point is awarded the Shield, which they will then hold for the next 12 months.
Invitiational tournaments in the UK, both current and historical, include:
-The Highlander Cup in Edinburgh ; the oldest UK tournament.
-The Whiteknights Tournament in Reading.
-The Northern Squirrel Cup in Keele
-The East-Midlands Cup in Loughborough
-The Southern Cup in Southampton
-The L Tournament in London
European competition
Due to the current IQA reshuffle, it is unsure whether the UK will be its own region or continue to play as part of the European region. UK teams were invited to the European Regional Championships, organized by the IQA, in Parc du Woluwé, Brussels, at the start of February 2014. Two British teams, both representing Oxford University Quidditch Club were able to attend: the Oxford Quidlings, and the British Champions, The Radcliffe Chimeras, who won [4] the competition.
Teams
Currently, the majority of teams involved with UK Quidditch are university teams. The active teams are listed in the order they appear in the unofficial scoreboard.
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Currently actively competing teams |
Known but not currently actively competing teams |
National team
QuidditchUK also plays hosts to a national team that represents the UK in international tournaments. The team made its debut in 2012 at the Summer Games in Oxford where it placed 5th of 5 teams. Team UK will be travelling to Burnaby, B.C., Canada for the 2014 IQA Global Games to compete again.
See also
- Muggle Quidditch
- International Quidditch Association
- Great Britain national quidditch team
References
- ↑ "International Quidditch Association Rulebook" (PDF) (7th ed.).
- ↑ "BBC News - First 'Quidditch' British Cup held in Oxford". BBC Online. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
In total 26 matches for the inaugural national tournament took place in the University Parks grounds. Chairman of Quidditch UK Ben Morton said this was "the biggest Quidditch tournament outside America".
- ↑ "IQA Leagues".
- ↑ "Chimeras Take Europe".
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