Quadball is a team sport that was founded in 2005 at Middlebury College. It was inspired by the sport of quidditch from the Harry Potter book series. Quadball is a mixed-gender, contact sport with elements of rugby, dodgeball, handball, and tag. Quadball teams have seven players and have four positions; a Keeper, three Chasers, two Beater, and a Seeker. All players must play with brooms between their legs at all times. Quadball refers to the number of balls used in the sport and the number of positions held on the field.

Each position has different roles. The goal of the Chasers is to score a volleyball (quaffle) through three hoops on the opposing side’s field. Each goal is worth 10 points. The Keeper defends their goal hoops and also helps score goals. The Beaters use dodgeballs (bludgers) to “knock out” other players by hitting them with the dodgeballs. When a player is hit by a dodgeball, they must touch their own goals to re-enter the game. The last position is the Seeker. They try to catch a flag which is a ball attached to the waistband of a flag runner or Snitch. The Snitch is a neutral athlete who uses different means to avoid capture and is released onto the field at the 20-minute mark of the game. The Seeker, who can capture the Snitch, awards their team 35 points, and if the catching team leads after the catch, the game ends.

Madrid Lynx supporting their teammates. Shandy #25.

‍Quadball is played all over the world, on every continent, except Antarctica. The United States has teams all over the country, playing on over 100 college campuses. In Europe, there are teams in Austria, Belgium, Catalonia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom, Sweden, and Switzerland. I play in Spain for a team called the Madrid Lynx, which is part of the Asociación Quidditch España.

‍The International Quidditch Association (IQA) is the international governing body for quidditch. It facilitates international competitions such as the annual European Quidditch Cup, biannual European Games, and four-yearly World Cup.

‍I started playing Quadball in September 2021 to meet new people and help improve my Spanish. I play Chaser and Seeker. I really enjoyed the vibrant, social atmosphere and was able to quickly play in a tournament, the Spanish Cup. The Madrid Lynx finished fourth place and qualified for the European Quidditch Cup 2, hosted in Brescia, Italy. We finished the tournament placing 6th out of 24 teams, a great achievement! I think we have a chance to do even better this year.

With Gymber, I hope to grow the game and make it more accessible to play. It is the only app with Quadball, and you can join the game in 5 seconds. Anyone can find it on the map, and those interested can come and join a practice or watch a tournament. 

‍Hopefully, we can help people like me who want to meet new people and build social connections in an active atmosphere. 

Join Shandy or create your own Quadball game with GymberClub!

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