A new league has been set up for the best Quidditch players in the UK.
Eight teams will compete for the title of national champions.
England's nine regions - the highest tier of subdivision in England - will compete as eight teams (with the North West and North East regions competing as one Northern team) in the league which starts in July 2017.
A Quidditch Premier League has been launched in the UK with eight teams
BBC Newsbeat
15 November 2016
A new league has been set up for the best Quidditch players in the UK.
Eight teams will compete for the title of national champions.
There are 20,000 international players, 25 competing countries and even an international rulebook.
The Harry Potter-inspired sport involves seven players on the pitch, each with a broom between their legs.
"The Quidditch Premier League is an exciting opportunity and development," said director Jack Lennard.
There can only be four players of the same sex on the pitch at one time in each team
"It's an opportunity for the sport to grow and gain prestige on a greater level nationally and internationally than ever before.
"It's an opportunity for players to compete at the highest level.
"And most importantly, it's an opportunity for more people in more places to find out about this incredible sport."
Each of the eight teams will represent a different region of England.
They are -
South Division:
The London Monarchs – after the residing Royal Family in the capital
The Southwest Broadside – after the seafaring and piratical history in the area
The Southeast Knights – after the legacy of the Battle of Hastings
The Eastern Mermaids – after the many ‘drowned cities’ off the eastern coast
North Division:
The Northern Watch – after the iconic Hadrian’s Wall
The Yorkshire Roses – after the region’s famous symbol
The East Midlands Archers – after the legend of Robin Hood
The West Midlands Revolution – after the heritage of the Industrial Revolution
England's nine regions will compete as eight teams
Organisers hope the event, which starts in July 2017, will grow quickly.
Quidditch is a game invented by Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling
Quidditch is full contact, mixed-gender and frankly not for the faint-hearted
Players can be one of four positions...
• Keepers - Guard the hoops from opposing chasers and become a 4th chaser on offence.
• Chasers - Throw the quaffle through the opposite team's hoops to score goals worth 10 points.
• Beaters -Throw bludgers at the opposing team to "knock them out" and make them return to hoops.
• Seekers - Catch the snitch (worth 30 points) to end the game.
A team of seven will have one keeper, three chasers, two beaters and one seeker.
A game of Quidditch involves three types of balls...
• The Quaffle - a semi-deflated volleyball thrown through the hoops by chasers and keepers.
• Bludgers - dodgeballs thrown at other players by beaters. There are three bludgers on the pitch.
• The Snitch - a sock with a tennis ball in it, attached to the snitch runner's shorts. When caught by either team's seeker, the game ends.
Points are scored by throwing a 'quaffle' through a hoop
Find us on Instagram at BBCNewsbeat and follow us on Snapchat, search for bbc_newsbeat
A Quidditch Premier League has been launched in the UK with eight teams - BBC Newsbeat
Eight teams will compete for the title of national champions.
England's nine regions - the highest tier of subdivision in England - will compete as eight teams (with the North West and North East regions competing as one Northern team) in the league which starts in July 2017.
A Quidditch Premier League has been launched in the UK with eight teams
BBC Newsbeat
15 November 2016
A new league has been set up for the best Quidditch players in the UK.
Eight teams will compete for the title of national champions.
There are 20,000 international players, 25 competing countries and even an international rulebook.
The Harry Potter-inspired sport involves seven players on the pitch, each with a broom between their legs.
"The Quidditch Premier League is an exciting opportunity and development," said director Jack Lennard.
There can only be four players of the same sex on the pitch at one time in each team
"It's an opportunity for the sport to grow and gain prestige on a greater level nationally and internationally than ever before.
"It's an opportunity for players to compete at the highest level.
"And most importantly, it's an opportunity for more people in more places to find out about this incredible sport."
Each of the eight teams will represent a different region of England.
They are -
South Division:
The London Monarchs – after the residing Royal Family in the capital
The Southwest Broadside – after the seafaring and piratical history in the area
The Southeast Knights – after the legacy of the Battle of Hastings
The Eastern Mermaids – after the many ‘drowned cities’ off the eastern coast
North Division:
The Northern Watch – after the iconic Hadrian’s Wall
The Yorkshire Roses – after the region’s famous symbol
The East Midlands Archers – after the legend of Robin Hood
The West Midlands Revolution – after the heritage of the Industrial Revolution
England's nine regions will compete as eight teams
Organisers hope the event, which starts in July 2017, will grow quickly.
Quidditch is a game invented by Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling
Quidditch is full contact, mixed-gender and frankly not for the faint-hearted
Players can be one of four positions...
• Keepers - Guard the hoops from opposing chasers and become a 4th chaser on offence.
• Chasers - Throw the quaffle through the opposite team's hoops to score goals worth 10 points.
• Beaters -Throw bludgers at the opposing team to "knock them out" and make them return to hoops.
• Seekers - Catch the snitch (worth 30 points) to end the game.
A team of seven will have one keeper, three chasers, two beaters and one seeker.
A game of Quidditch involves three types of balls...
• The Quaffle - a semi-deflated volleyball thrown through the hoops by chasers and keepers.
• Bludgers - dodgeballs thrown at other players by beaters. There are three bludgers on the pitch.
• The Snitch - a sock with a tennis ball in it, attached to the snitch runner's shorts. When caught by either team's seeker, the game ends.
Points are scored by throwing a 'quaffle' through a hoop
Find us on Instagram at BBCNewsbeat and follow us on Snapchat, search for bbc_newsbeat
A Quidditch Premier League has been launched in the UK with eight teams - BBC Newsbeat
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