World Cup, Dropbears and the 3-Max Rule

In the lead-up to the 2023 World Cup, and after prompting from the international community, Quadball Australia has decided to publish an article outlining our stance on the 3-max rule. 

For context, quadball has always been a sport that prides itself on inclusivity. Historically, there has been a rule, referred to in the most recent rulebook as the gender maximum rule, which states that “a team may not have more than four players who identify as the same gender in play at the same time”. This rule came to be known by the wider community as the ‘4-max rule’. The intention behind this rule is to ensure that a team has a gender-diverse range of players on field, since inclusivity is a core value of quadball.

One of the problems with the 4-max rule is that, for a large portion of a game, a team has six players on field, rather than the standard seven, inclusive of the seeker. Many people raised the argument that true inclusivity might look like changing to a 3-max rule, where the limit of players on the field of the same gender is three instead of four.

In 2022, in the midst of these conversations, the International Quadball Association (IQA) rules committee voted against changing the 4-max rule - a decision that was met with outrage by some in the international community. A community-developed petition was shared across social media platforms to gauge the thoughts of players and community members in light of the IQA’s decision.

There were also teams at the 2022 European Games that opted to play by the 3-max rule at some points to demonstrate that it was not detrimental to the quality of gameplay at an elite level. One of the national teams who played by this rule was Norway, who invited the Australian team, the Dropbears, to do the same in their game together. Australia accepted the invitation, ultimately besting Norway and taking home third place in the process. 

Since then, the international community has been looking to Australia in the lead-up to the 2023 World Cup to see if the Dropbears are prepared to play by the 3-max rule, in spite of the lack of rule change. We are very pleased to say that the Australian Dropbears are intending to play by the 3-max rule for the entirety of the World Cup. 

In saying this, however, we would like to clarify our position. When selecting a Head Coach for the 2023 squad, we did not make playing by 3-max a formal requirement for the position. Instead, as part of our interviewing process, we asked applicants about their thoughts on the 3-max rule. One of the factors that influenced our decision to select Luke Derrick as the Dropbears’ Head Coach was his support of the 3-max rule.

Since then, Derrick, along with the rest of the Dropbears’ leadership team, have selected a squad of 25 players with the intention of playing by the 3-max rule. Australia is very fortunate to have such a wide range of talented players of all genders, which empowers us to select a national team with the intention of playing 3-max. We recognise that this isn’t always possible for other countries and we are very grateful that it is a possibility for us. It is important to note that there is a chance that four players of the same gender may end up on field at one point or another, due to substitution mix-ups or injury, but it is the intention of Derrick and the Dropbears to attend the World Cup and play by the 3-max rule. 

In a statement to Quadball Australia about this decision, Derrick made it clear that the Dropbears will be 3-max all the way, regardless of their opponents: “We will not be making [playing by the 3-max rule] contingent on whether other teams agree to do this or not [...] We believe in the strength, skill and talent of all of our players and therefore do not believe there would be an advantage either way.” 

Derrick also asks other countries to consider taking a similar approach: “We encourage all teams to play 3-max at the upcoming World Cup because we believe that is the future of our sport. That is where we are heading, further and further towards gender equality. We believe in the abilities of all of our players, regardless of gender, and know that each one of them will represent the green and gold with pride.”

You can catch Derrick and the Dropbears this July at the 2023 World Cup. Over the weekend of the 15-16 July, the Dropbears will face off against the best players from across the globe in Richmond, Virginia at the first World Cup in five years.

Volunteer Committees - What and Why?

In February, the Quadball Australia Board of Directors had a two-day meeting to discuss our plans for the year ahead. This involved brainstorming new ideas and analysing pre-existing systems to see if there were any changes we could make. One of the topics we discussed was how to best engage and utilise our volunteers. 

At the 2023 Strategic Forum, held in February at Quadcamp, community members were asked to consider the biggest challenges for Australian Quadball and what QA’s focus should be for the next year. In response to both of these questions, the topic of volunteers was raised. 

A key challenge related to volunteers is a tendency to burnout and there were several suggestions as to why this was such a problem:

• Active volunteers are often overly involved, applying for multiple positions and involved with several projects

• An ‘all or nothing’ perception, which applies to several different domains eg. volunteer positions appear to be either high level, large commitment roles or limited impact roles; you can play or you can volunteer; you can focus on individual development or assist in a supporting role; etc

• Volunteer pathways and opportunities are unclear and/or limited, and the roles lack definitive structure and/or goals

Similar thoughts were raised in relation to QA’s focus for 2023, which saw community members discuss different ways we could support volunteers this year. Some of these suggestions included:

• Better, more regular advertisement of volunteer roles

• Minimising barriers to volunteer

• Clear expectations for volunteers

• Developing more opportunities to volunteer

• Better training/preparation for volunteers

Another key area of interest for the Board is a push for transparency. Particularly after meeting with the Gender Engagement Committee in 2022, where concern about a lack of transparency in Board decision-making was raised, we would like to focus on developing standardised procedures for QA operation, which will be documented in formal policies. A shift towards policy-based operation is a large, ongoing project, and you can view the policies we have developed so far here: https://quidditchaustralia.org/official-documents

With all of these considerations, as well as Developing our People as one of the priorities of the Strategic Plan, the Board would like to introduce our new structure for volunteer committees.

What Are Volunteer Committees?

Volunteer Committees, Committees for short, are groups of volunteers with a broad focus area related to a specific area of development and/or engagement in the Australian quadball community. Historical examples of similar groups include the Gender Engagement Committee and the Gameplay Committee. The structure of a Committee will generally look like:

QA Board → Director → Senior Staff → Junior Staff

Essentially, the Board will determine the overarching goals of and approve major actions taken by a Committee, with one or more Directors specifically overseeing Committee operations. Volunteers within the Committee can hold senior or junior positions, which are distinguished from each other by opportunities for leadership and overall level of involvement. Typically, senior volunteers will lead initiatives, delegate tasks when required and lightly manage junior volunteers, while junior volunteers will complete tasks assigned to them.

A Committee must provide the Board and wider community brief progress reports in a Slack channel dedicated to Committee updates. They must also comply with deadlines when applicable. Aside from this, Committees are welcome to determine their own methods of functioning, such as the frequency of meetings and projects of interest on top of those provided by the Board, among other things.

Why Now?

Committees are one of the ways the Board is addressing the needs and interests of the Australian quadball community, specifically in light of the feedback received from the 2023 Strategic Forum. 

By distributing the workload related to specific focus areas, we believe that volunteers are less likely to experience burnout and more likely to be passionate and actively involved in the volunteer work they engage in. We also believe that Committees are a sensible way of organising the development areas of Quadball Australia. Discrete groups of volunteers working on one specific area of interest is more conducive to productive action, as they can commit themselves to tasks more wholly, rather than spreading their attention across multiple themes. This is also beneficial for us as Directors, as it allows us to focus on the more operational aspects of our organisation, such as NSO Recognition, sourcing grants and developing initiatives for growth and improvement.

So, What Committees Can You Join?

We currently have 8 Committees that are available to join. They are;

• Diversity, Inclusivity and Community Engagement

• Gameplay

• Events

• Recruitment & Retention

• Media & Communications

• Fundraising

• Governance and Policy

• Grassroots

Further details on each of these committees can be found on the volunteers page on the QA website here

Changes to Team Representative Role

In February, the Quadball Australia board of directors had a two-day meeting to discuss our plans for the year ahead. This involved brainstorming new ideas and analysing pre-existing systems to see if there were any changes we could make.

One of the topics we discussed was the role of team representatives. Historically, the team reps, also known as club delegates, were meant to act as a communication pathway between QA and clubs. The other core reason team reps existed was due to our constitution. As a requirement of our constitution, clubs must have a representative attend our annual general meeting and vote on behalf of their club. 

Upon reflection, the board recognised that the team rep role has often been misunderstood and, as a result, under-utilised. As such, we have decided to update our system. As of 2023, the role of team rep will be discarded and, instead, we would like to introduce Club Liaisons. 

The Club Liaison role is minor and exists as a formality for QA. The Club Liaison is chosen by your club and must be a member of your club’s executive team - we recommend the role be assigned to the secretary, president or head coach. There are only two responsibilities of the Club Liaison:

• Provide an email as a secondary contact for QA to club correspondence 

• Coordinate a club representative to attend QA’s annual general meeting, and any special general meetings as they occur

The reason for the change from team rep to Club Liaison is as a direct response to previous difficulties that have arisen for team reps. The board recognises that personal emails are more likely to be regularly checked than club emails, and we also recognise that the club representative who attends our annual general meeting is often selected on the basis of availability. As such, we have cut back the responsibilities of the Club Liaison to a more reasonable level, and hope that this will minimise the burden of an additional job title. 

Over the coming weeks, the board is looking forward to sharing more of our plans for 2023, and we hope that you are just as excited to see Australian quadball grow! If you have any questions about the role of club liaison, please feel free to email us at admin@quadball.org.au

QUADCAMP 2023

Quidditch Australia is excited to open registrations for the upcoming Quadcamp!

This will be the first national Quadball event in Australia, and the come back of ‘quidcamp’ after 6 years. The event is being revived to bring the community together at the start of the season to learn and share skills with each other in a friendly setting. This year we are hosting Quadcamp in Canberra.

More details can be found on the Events page of Revsport, here.

Quidditch Australia Club Representative and Board Recommends Name Change to Quadball

The Quidditch Australia board is recommending their members vote in support to change the name of our sport to ‘quadball’. A motion for this change has been submitted by Sydney City Serpents club representative Natalie Astalosh for this years AGM, and an excerpt from the motion is quoted below.

“In late 2021, the International Quidditch Association announced their intention to change the name of the sport and commenced a collaborative process, working with national governing bodies and the community to identify a suitable candidate. The new name was announced in July 2022: ‘quadball’. To be consistent with the international community, this new name should be adopted in Australia at all levels of administration and play.

This name change distances the sport from its Harry Potter origins, reaffirms the community’s commitment to support and champion trans and gender diverse members, and opens new commercial opportunities for the sport’s sustainable expansion. There exist significant benefits to keeping in step with the international community in that media attention such as the recent US Quadball ESPN appearance can be shared globally. A combined international effort to promote the sport, tournaments and achievements of teams is far simpler and more effective when unified under the same name.

A challenge that will arise is that the name “quadball” will not be as easily recognised by a general audience, whereas “quidditch” is known more widely and may attract more casual interest. At a time where the sport is struggling to recruit and retain players, it may be dangerous to lose this link. However, “quidditch” acts only as an initial drawcard, and it is the strength of the community and love of the game that retains members. Renewed efforts to attract new members on the game’s own merits through effective marketing and targeted grassroots actions will counter any loss and enable the sport to grow. Failing to embrace “quadball” as our new name would be a backwards step in the sport’s history in this country; it is time to move into this new era with the international community.”

The 2022 AGM will be hosted online on 2 December 7:30pm AEDT, where voting members will be given the opportunity to discuss and vote on the change. If the motion passes the 2022 Quidditch National Championships will be the last ‘quidditch’ tournament hosted in Australia, which is also celebrating its 10 year milestone after two event cancellations due to COVID-19.

Response to Sandman Technical

Quidditch Australia has received a statement from our sponsor Sandman Technical regarding our sponsorship moving forward. You can read the full statement here.

Quidditch Australia is grateful for the support of Sandman Technical and hope that it continues to promote a collaborative and fruitful partnership for both parties. Sandman has provided a number of sensible actions moving forward, and Quidditch Australia intends to commit to each goal outlined in the statement.

On Monday we announced our corrective measures for gender diversity in the 2023 Dropbears campaign, and how we can improve upon this moving forward. As many members are aware, Quidditch Australia has also been pursing recognition as a National Sporting Organisation for the past three years, and will continue working towards this goal. We are excited for all the opportunities this status will make available to us, namely funding options to support the development of programs and initiatives for the community.

The Quidditch Australia Board agrees that an independent Integrity Officer would be value, especially for ensuring appropriate processes and conflicts of interests are managed. We will start investigating how to implement this within Quidditch Australia.

We also agree that the best course of action regarding further 2023 Dropbears leadership announcements is to hold on posting any more appointments for 14 days from the date of the statement.

As funding opportunities become available, Quidditch Australia will commit to developing opportunities for professional development for people of all genders. This aligns with Quidditch Australia’s values and will help strengthen future volunteer cohorts. Furthermore, continuing our efforts at fundraising has always been a priority for Quidditch Australia, and we look forward to putting our resources to use by developing programs and opportunities that meet the needs of the community.

We are also very pleased to announce that, after heeding the advice of Sandman Technical, Quidditch Australia is now a member of the Australian Sports Foundation. This membership opens up several different opportunities for the organisation, and we are grateful to Sandman for directing us towards the program.

Quidditch Australia always endeavours to accept help from qualified professionals in policy development and governance assistance. We hope to continue growing our network, which will empower us to continue supporting the Australian quidditch community.

Once again, we would like to thank Sandman Technical for their support, and look forward to seeing where we will take the sport together.

Quidditch Australia Gears Up For 10th National Championship

It’s been almost three years since Australia last hosted a Quidditch Championship, affectionately known as QUAFL, and, after the massive success of the recent State Shield, the community is abuzz with anticipation at the chance to face off against their interstate competitors. On top of that, 2022 QUAFL will be Australia’s tenth National Championship. Over the weekend of the 10-11 December, there is no doubt that this QUAFL will be the most anticipated one yet!

Location
It’s been seven years since the Australian Quidditch Championships were held in Victoria, so 2022 marks a long-awaited return to the Great Southern Lands. Boasting state of the art facilities less than an hour out of Melbourne’s Central Business District, La Trobe Sports Park will make an excellent location for QUAFL’s revival. To add to the excitement, Melbourne-based teams have claimed the title of Australia’s quidditch champions for the last six consecutive years. Will 2022 see the Melbournians claim victory once again, or will there be an upset for them on their home turf?

Registration
Team registration for QUAFL closes midnight Friday 28 October, and your team can register using this link: https://form.jotform.com/222553209018854
Player registration closes midnight Friday 4 November, and you can sign up here: https://form.jotform.com/222553146065856

Updates
To keep up to date with all things QUAFL, be sure to select ‘Going’ on the 2022 QUAFL event on Quidditch Australia’s Facebook page, linked here for your convenience: https://fb.me/e/3OvCcTUa2

Social
You didn’t think we’d skip a social with the chance to celebrate 10 QUAFL’s and 11 years of Australian quidditch, did you!? While the details are still being finalised, rest assured we will be putting on the best party we can! Keep an eye on our socials for more updates, including venue and ticketing.

Other Information
If you have any questions about the 2022 QUAFL, you can also review the official Info Package here: https://docs.google.com/document/u/2/d/e/2PACX-1vQcSbjpK9BzndzcDuKFPCA8jlOe-XUZ5I56ljn4co72cSXTRcMUd6sXkhnXDFYbWQ/pub

You can also email Quidditch Australia at admin@quidditchaustralia.org

QA Is a Recipient of the Bulk Gives Back Program

Quidditch Australia was recently selected to be a recipient of the Bulk Gives Back program of Bulk Nutrients.

Bulk Nutrients is an Australian manufacturer and supplier of high quality sports supplements.

Operating since 2008, Bulk Nutrients has become one of the premier Australian brands to supply nutritional products to top level athletes, competitors and those on a journey to a healthier lifestyle. Like the organisations they are seeking to support... Bulk Nutrients started small. This means they understand how far $1000 can go when you're a small organisation and they are focusing on donating $1000 a day over 100 days to 100 Australian Not for Profit or Charity organisations.

We are incredibly thankful to Bulk Nutrients for selecting us to be a recipient of this donation, and are pleased to say it is already going to good use, having helped us to cover some of the costs of our recent Mardi Gras Parade entry. We look forward to being able to use what is left on helping with our development workshops.

New Membership System

Quidditch Australia is please to announce that we have implemented a new membership system through Rev Sport starting this year.

This new membership system is being rolled out in conjunction with the New South Wales, Victorian and Queensland State Bodies. This means that our members now only need to complete a single sign up form to complete both their State and QA memberships and pay in one go.

This system will enable our members a single point from which they can update their details, upgrade and renew their memberships every year. There are many other benefits afforded by this new system, such as the ability to organise tournament schedules, keep track of game results and many more.

The work that has gone into this new system has been extensive and the QA Board extend a heartfelt thanks to our Membership Coordinator Scott Palmer.

If you have any questions about the new system, please reach out to Scott at scott.palmer@quidditchaustralia.org or the Board at admin@quidditchaustralia.org