Announcements

20 July, 2022

IQA Announces Upcoming Change of “Quidditch” to “Quadball”

United States and Belgian chasers reach for the quaffle
Photo Credit: Ajantha Abey Quidditch Photography

The real-life sport inspired by the magical game of quidditch has announced a new name. 

The IQA will be joining US Quidditch (USQ) and Major League Quidditch (MLQ) in changing the name of the sport from "quidditch" to "quadball" on a worldwide basis.

“The IQA is very excited to be joining USQ and MLQ in changing the name of our sport and supporting this change across our members worldwide,” said Chris Lau, chair of the IQA Board of Trustees. “We are confident in this step and we look forward to all the new opportunities quadball will bring. This is an important moment in our sport’s history, and I personally am thrilled to be a part of it. I would also like to thank USQ and MLQ for working to make this happen, and in particular Mary Kimball for being a great partner to navigate these waters together.”

Quadball received strong support across demographic groups in various worldwide surveys. The name refers to both the number of balls and the number of positions in the real-life sport. 

The real-life sport was originally adapted from the Harry Potter book series in 2005 at Middlebury College in Vermont by Xander Manshel and Alex Benepe. It has since exploded in popularity around the world. The game is now played by nearly 600 teams in 40 countries.

In March 2022, the IQA announced the formation of a Name Change Committee and shortly thereafter, the Name Change Committee recommended that the name of the sport be changed.

The IQA made the decision to pursue the name change for two reasons

First, J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter book series, has increasingly come under scrutiny for her anti-trans positions. LGBTQ+ advocacy groups like GLAAD and the Human Rights Campaign as well as the three lead actors in the Harry Potter film series have criticized her stances.

In addition, the sport inspired by quidditch is looking to continue to grow like other sports that have sprung from humble origins. The game commonly known as ultimate Frisbee has officially changed its name to ultimate, in part because “Frisbee” is a registered trademark of the Wham-O toy company that invented the piece of equipment.

“This is a tremendous development for the sport and represents an amazing opportunity for us to continue the incredible growth we’ve already seen over less than two decades,” said Andy Marmer, IQA Interim Chief of Staff and Chair of the IQA Name Change Committee. “I’m excited for the opportunities this will create and the potential for quadball to continue to grow into a mainstay of organized sports.”

USQ and MLQ will own the trademark for “quadball” in the United States and the IQA expects to enter into a license agreement to use the term. The trademark for “Quidditch” is owned by the Warner Bros. film and entertainment company.

The last international “quidditch” tournament will take place this weekend 23 and 24 July in Limerick, Ireland, as the IQA hosts the IQA European Games 2022, which will feature 20 teams from Europe, Australia and Hong Kong. The games can be followed live.

The IQA will work with its member national governing bodies on developing a timeline for adopting the new name following the European Games.

For any questions or media inquiries please contact: media@iqasport.org.

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