Illawarra Unregistered Animagi - An Introductory Interview

In this interview, we talk to Kelsey Collins and Huw Tomlinson, two founders of the Illawarra region based Unregistered Animagi, a new team that is taking this year to start growing, before entering the competitive scene in 2020.They mostly answer questions together.

What are your roles in the club?

President - Huw Tomlinson

Manager - Kelsey Collins

Equipment/Social Media - Paige Collins

How did the idea for the team come about?

Huw - I've been playing for the Wollongong Warriors for 6 years and decided I wanted to expand quidditch in the Wollongong/Illawarra region. I met the Collins sisters during their brief time with the Warriors and they helped turn an idea into a reality.

Who is going to be making up the team?

All 3 of us will be bringing a few new faces to the team. A handful of veteran Warriors from years past will join us. We will mostly be recruiting from the community.

What do you expect the vibe of the team to be?

Chilled AF. We aren't competitive. We want to grow quidditch and get the community involved and have a lot of fun without the pressure of competition.

What's the story behind the name? Where did the branding idea come from? Anything left on the drawing board?

Kelsey - After Huw tried to name the team after himself in various puns which were shot down (example: He huw must not be named), I came up with the Illawarra Unregistered Animagi. The idea was obviously inspired by the books and by my love of animals. If I were a witch, I would be an animagus for sure. Our runner up option was Sirius Pack.

What aspirations do you have for the team?

Increasing knowledge and interest in the sport in our region. We will be running trainings and Merc comps in affiliation with Weasleys and Warriors throughout 2019. We want to be competitive next year but don't plan to rush into it too soon.

What are you most excited for this year?

OUR SWEET SWEET JERSEYS

What challenges have you faced in setting up a new community team?

Distance and Communication are the biggest hurdles. With Huw living out of town, it's hard to get together and brainstorm. Seems to be a lot of planning and background work to set up a new community team; the hardest thing for us will be getting interest and new players on board, as we aren't affiliated with a uni. It's going to be a challenge!

Best story so far?

I'm sure shenanigans will occur. We are still too new to have run amok just yet, but #thehuntbegins

You can follow the Illawarra Unregistered Animagi on their facebook page