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

QA Board: Casual Vacancy

Quidditch Australia is looking for up to two motivated individuals to join the Quidditch Australia Board!

The board has capacity for up to eight people, with only six elected at the 2020 AGM and two appointed roles available. The position currently vacant on the Board is a General Member with a focus on Strategic Direction, meaning they will be working on the execution of the Strategic Plan developed throughout 2020.

If you are interested in applying for a board position please email secretary@quidditchaustralia.org with a short candidate statement expressing your interest.

Applications will close on the 18th of March 2021.

Photo: Ajantha Abey Quidditch Photography

Internal Leagues Resume: USQL and USCQL

Australia fields two internal club leagues - the University of Sunshine Coast Quidditch League (USCQL) which has been running for many years now, and the University of Sydney Quidditch League (USQL), which has been running since last year.

Both enter 2018 significantly changed, and have started off their respective seasons with one round a piece. We recap below:

The USC Quidditch League

After running for almost five years without changing teams, USC finally saw fit to change things up, reshuffling their four teams - Phoenix, Nargles, Thestrals, and Death Eaters, for the first time since the league's inception. This was broadly seen as a good change, as it's allowed the league to re-balance teams, stop some teams becoming over dominant, and make the whole competition more fun and a better learning experience for everyone, which is typically the main aim of such development focused internal leagues.

At the end of the first round of games, the Death Eaters sit on top of the USCQL ladder with a win over Phoenix 120*-40, and a narrow win over Nargles 90*-70. Nargles currently sit at second, with a strong win over the Thestrals 170*-30, while Phoenix was also able to narrowly defeat the Thestrals 80*-40. With half the games in range and much more parity between teams, it will be exciting to see how the rest of the season pans out.

Amy Pistorius, of team Phoenix, and new player for USC, said of the tournament:

"USC's quidditch team is the most inclusive and energetic team sport I have ever had the privilege to be a part of! The first few games on Wednesday night were absolutely epic, spirits were high, and everyone gave it their all to ensure a brilliant start to the season"

Internal leagues have been incredibly valuable to the development of new players in USC and USYD, and a part of the two clubs' success over the past years - something that is clearly continuing in 2019.

The USYD Quidditch League

The USQL has also seen a change up from the five sparse teams of 2018 to a now four team league (RIP Fisher Firenze). The USQL places a particular emphasis and focus on new players, and especially putting relatively new faces into the positions of captain, with this year all the team captains (introduced in this adorable and brilliant Brooklyn-99 style video) joining the sport in the last two years. The league is also permitting older players who have since moved on from the club to continue to participate in games, if they played in USQL previously, and as such, it's become a great space for old and new to mix under the new directorship of Ashan Abey.

The first round of the USQL held earlier in March was only a trial, to assess team balance and give new players a free taste of the sport, but none the less, despite the cold and miserable conditions, it was a successful day, with four of the five games being played in range (one going to double over time!), both Werewolves and Veela coming away with two wins and everyone having a lot of fun.

Shivanee Gopal, a new player for USQC, said that

"playing quidditch for the first time with the USYD team was definitely a fun, challenging, and unique experience!! Playing alongside and learning skills from experienced and supportive team members made it all the more memorable."

Shivanee Gopal catching her first snitch in the first USQL game of 2019 for Werewolves against Veela, to win the game 80*-60 | Photo: Ajantha Abey Quidditch Photography

Matthew Phang, another new player, also came away with a positive attitude, even despite a shoulder injury:

"USQL was an amazing experience! It was super chill and a great way to get into playing quidditch as everyone was so supportive. Everyone got to play what they wanted, and overall it was great fun!"

It is fun to note that then brand new players interviewed in last year's coverage of the first USQL of the year (Julia Baker and Taylor Angelo) can now be found captaining the Abercrombie Aurors and USYD Unbreakables respectively, as well as both acting as Media and Communications officers for the club executive. Who knows that the future holds for the players joining this year's league.

Teams are not yet set for the USQL, the first proper fixture for which is set for April 14th. Whatever the outcome of the two leagues, the players they produce will be worth watching over the season and years to come.

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

Valkyries Quidditch Club - An Introductory Interview

In this interview, we talk to Phil Vankerkoerle and Amber Williams, two veterans of the sport from UNSW and Macquarie respectively, who have recently embarked on the great challenge of starting and leading a new team - the Inner Western Sydney based Valkyries Quidditch Club. They discuss the club's origin story, their aspirations for the year, and the story behind #broccolis.

What is your role with the team?

Amber - I am co-captain, along with with Kathryn

Phil - I am one of the 3 coaches and treasurer for the club [the others being Raj Kapoor and Isobel "Obel" Rennie].

How did the Valkyries come about?

Phil - Raj and I have been talking about making our own team for years now. It started as a joke that when we graduated we would start an ex-Snapes team, this was before the Serpents was made. Last year we started to talk to people who either wanted something different from their current team or wanted to train closer to home. We found 2 gaps in the type of clubs in Sydney: the first was teams that trained in the Inner west, and the second was teams that trained hard but didn’t care much about game day results. This was a perfect gap for Obel, Raj and I as we live in the Inner West and have been around long enough that we just want to get better without having to worry about winning every game. So after QUAFL last year we put out that we were making a new team and waited to see how many people wanted to join.

Valkyries Brooms Up for their first game (Featuring the coaching team of Obel, Phil, and Raj, as well as Steph "Panda" Barakat, Jessica James-Moody, and Terry Koutzas | Photo: Ajantha Abey Quidditch Photography

Who makes up the Valkyries?

Amber - Most of our team is made up of older players who’ve been in the community for a long time. Our players come from a few different teams, including WSQC, Macquarie, Serpents, UTS, and Newcastle.

Phil - First we were getting players by talking to our friends that we knew would probably want to train and play with us, this way mainly in a casual way to see who would make up the team and if we could make a team. Then we opened up interest to the community as a whole and had people from all over Sydney wanting to join.

What do you think the vibe of the team is going to be this year?

Amber - If the first tournament is anything to go by, I think we’re going to have a pretty chill but competitive vibe, which is honestly what the team is aiming for. Everyone has been supporting and encouraging their teammates, on and off the field, and that is something we hope continues throughout the year.

How did you come up with the ideas for the team’s name/branding? Was anything left on the drawing board?

Phil - The team name was difficult to decide. We knew we wanted to be in the Inner West so we were trying to make some alliteration with suburbs around but nothing really fit. When talking to people about the team we realised that we would most likely have a lot of female players, as most of the women from WSQC wanted to join, and wanted to have a name that reflected that. Obel did some research and got super into the Norse mythology and suggested Valkyries to us at QUAFL. We instantly took a liking to it and it stuck with us on all of the conversations from then on. You can still see some remnants of ideas we had on the drawing board in the team, for example our leadership group is called the Melon Lords as one of the earliest names we had was the Inner West Melon Lords, which came from the Avatar TV series, and of course the Broccolis which I will get to later.

What are your hopes for the team this year? Competitive goals?

Amber - My hopes for the team are that everyone continues to support each other at trainings and during games and to keep helping each other improve but to make sure they’re still enjoying themselves and the sport. As for competitive goals, see what Phil wrote, as that sums it up nicely.

Phil - My hope it that we continue to train at the same intensity, while still keeping the stress levels to a minimum. Some of our players tell us it’s the most intense training they have had without being stressed or pressured to be perfect. In terms of competitive goals I just want the team to do the best we can while utilising every player to their full potential.

The Valkyries after defeating North Sydney Nightmares at the second NQL Preseason | Photo: Ajantha Abey Quidditch Photography

What are you most excited for this year?

Amber - Getting to play with a new team of people! My entire quidditch career prior to this was with Macquarie, so getting to play with completely different people and finding where I fit in play-wise and learning from everyone is definitely what I’m most excited for. Plus I’m super interested to see how we compare to everyone else, whilst still maintaining the team culture we’re hoping to build.

Phil - Personally I am most excited about trainings and the social aspects. The last few years that I was with UNSW I wasn’t able to attend training very often as they trained on a Uni timetable and I was working. Now I am able to attend almost every training and share my years of experience with a new group of people. The social aspect has been great, we are a group of people that have mostly known each other for years so it’s good to hang out with friends that previously I would only hang out with 1 or 2 times a month.

What challenges have you had in setting up the new team? How have you overcome them? How much preparation is involved in setting up a new community team?

Phil - Where do I begin with this one, there is a lot of work involved when setting up a community team. First is the obvious setting up the branding, making logos, designing jerseys (which by the way is still happening), and making a social media presence. We do have some designers on the team that helped out with the logo design and the original jersey designs that were sent to the jersey company. Ensuring that your designs look good and reflect the team was quite challenging.

Another challenge was finding adequate fields to train on. I went around the Inner West and checked out a lot of fields. You need to look at the space, the parking options, nearby dinner options, if the field have lights, if you need to book the field etc. It took some looking but finally we set on 2 fields that we use for training.

Setting up the bank account was another interesting and complicated procedure. We wanted to get a business bank account so if needed we could change signatories and have easier access. There was a lot of paperwork that we didn’t realise we would need just to set up the account, such as signed board meeting minutes documenting who would be the signatories and exactly what roles they held. I think in the end we went to the bank like 3 times before our account was properly set up.

The final preparation was finding companies to make our jerseys and other merch, and see if we could get any sponsorships. Luckily our team rep Jess [James-Moody] has experience talking to companies and getting sponsors. With Jess contacting companies we found the best value jersey company and also the company that made our amazing pins.

Captain Amber Williams fights Peter McKenzie-Hutton from the USYD Unbreakables for the quaffle | Photo: Ajantha Abey Quidditch Photography

Who are the up and coming stars that we should be watching out for on your team?

Amber - Considering 99.9% are old players that most people already know, this was actually a hard question to answer. However we do have a newbie in the form of Matt Rennie, Obel’s younger brother, who has shown a lot of raw talent and I’m interested in seeing how he develops.

What’s the story behind the broccoli?

Phil - The story behind the broccoli. As I said previously we were trying to come up with alliteration with suburbs in the inner west, and some of the WSQC players that were helping us were adamant that we should have a food based. One of the names that stuck was the Burwood Broccolis. We knew we could come up with something better but it kept coming back in discussions and we couldn’t really just leave it out of the team. So now our team group chat is the Broccolis and every post we make we ensure that we use the hashtag Broccolis as just a bit of fun.

You can follow the Valkyries Quidditch Club on their facebook page and their instagram @valkyriesqc

North Sydney Nightmares - An Introductory Interview

In this interview, we talk to Harry Jones, one of the founders of the newly formed North Sydney based Nightmares Quidditch Club, about how the team started, what the year holds in store for them, and who some of their brand new players are.

Beater Harry Jones (right), previously of USYD Unspeakables, now captain and president of the North Sydney Nightmares | Photo Credit: Ajantha Abey Quidditch Photography

What is your role/relationship with the team?

I am the president, captain, and founder. The relationship is very parasitic. Please help.

How did the idea for the Nightmares come about?

Originally it was an idea meant for the 2018 season, involving a quite different group of players who were all close to ready for a new community team. Most players wanted another year with their original teams and so we decided to leave it a year. People dropped off and on the band wagon throughout 2018 and early 2019, and I realised that someone needed to commit to the idea or it wouldn't happen. Then about 6 months too late I decided to do just that...

Where are the Nightmares mostly coming from?

A motley crew of players from Newcastle, UTS, and USYD. A bunch of small peeps with tall attitudes.

Beater Clare Brauer, originally of UTS Opaleyes. The Nightmares are sporting USYD's USQL Werewolves jerseys until their own arrive | Photo: Ajantha Abey Quidditch Photography

What do you think the vibe of the team is going to be this year?

We want to focus on building a supportive community that encourages everyone to put themselves into the game. Be ready for us to be working our butts off, while laughing a lil bit, smiling a lot.

How did you come up with the ideas for the team’s name/branding? Was anything left on the drawing board?

Mostly I just didn't want to be the Nifflers (soz USC). Nightmares stuck because it was a good way of marketing what playing on a team with us is like. I originally wanted to go with a really camp advertising campaign including player profiles with everyone terribly dressed up as famous horror villains. Eventually I realised that nobody wants that. Nobody deserves that punishment.

The North Sydney Nightmares logo

What are your hopes for the team this year? Competitive aspirations?

I hope that we find cohesion as a team. Our mantra is that a teams success is not victory, but that victory comes with a teams success. With that being said, we like winning, and we want to win games of quidball. Aspirations to be competitive.

What are you most excited for this year?

I love the challenge of working with new teammates. I am really excited to start constructing how we play the game together. QNSW is a new battlefield with a bunch of teams really close to each other in ability, I'm excited to see how each of those teams pan out.

What challenges have you had in setting up the new team? How have you overcome them? How much preparation did setting up a new community team take?

It's tricky to get people to commit, especially coming from a not yet formed team and it feels like pressuring people to chase them up on their involvement. The team is only here because of those who committed early and helped recruit, train, and build a team atmosphere. It didn't take that much effort to set up a team, and I did most of the organisational stuff myself. My tip is to badger QNSW and QA spokespeople like AJ for help and guidance in the reg.

Sange Lachmaiya (right) is a new player to the Nightmares and the sport, hailing from dodgeball | Photo: Ajantha Abey Quidditch Photography

Who are the up and coming stars that we should be watching out for on your team?

We (currently) have two players new to the game! David Cumming has been with us from the beginning, and shows really good aptitude and commitment to the game. Sange Lachmaiya (of dodgeball fame) is a recent addition and she is ready to kick some booty, watch out for pump fakes and her obsession with eating blue tack!

Best / Funniest / Most nonsense story to come out of a training/social so far?

I already said Sange eats blue tack, wild. We also don't encourage people to come to any social events, or they'll fall victim to some of Harry's patented primary-school designed ice-breakers. (They're really fun guys)

You can follow the Nightmares on their facebook page

Interview with Courtney Buckley: Head of the Gender Engagement Committee

In this interview, we talk to Courtney Buckley, previously of USYD Unspeakables and now of Valkyries Quidditch Club, who was recently appointed head of Quidditch Australia's new Gender Engagement and Initiatives Committee, as announced earlier last month. With many plans already in the works for 2019, we talk about what we can expect from the committee this year, and what she's most excited for.

Courtney chasing for the NSW Blue Tongues at State Shield last year | Photo: Taylor Angelo Quidditch Shots

What made you want to take part in the Gender Engagement Committee?

I was keen to join the committee as it provided the opportunity to work with a group of passionate and intelligent people and the ability to pursue more projects for the community.

What are the aims of the committee?

The aim of the QA's Gender Engagement Committee (QAGEC) is to primarily support female players and players with less confidence and sporting experience so they can recognise and be recognised for the value they bring to their team.

What can the community expect from the committee this year?

The committee has created an extensive list of initiatives for this year, with lots of opportunities for members of the community to get involved too.

There are 12 projects in total, including encouraging community discussion around gender, reviewing the MVP award system, and finding ways to showcase female talent. (A full list of projects will be released soon.)

Courtney filming at March NQL Preseason | Photo: Ajantha Abey Quidditch Photography

What project are you most excited to be working on as head of the committee? What are you most excited to see happen?

I'm most excited about creating material for the resource hub, with short video-based content that teaches skills, techniques, and strategies advantageous for small-bodied individuals, from how to hold the ball more easily, to how to overcome a seemingly daunting defence.

The biggest project in the works, however, is probably the development day and fem-powered fantasy tournament weekend, in which every state will host a day-long female-identifying development training event followed by an all-genders fantasy tournament on the second day, where the new skills and strategies can be put into practice in-game.

What advice would you give to any of the women joining the sport this year?

Get in there. If you want the ball, demand it. If you don't want the ball because it's confronting, even more reason to get that ball so you can challenge those fears. One of the best ways to learn is to be in the midst of the action, and the easiest way to do that is with a ball in your hands, your legs charging, and your voice calling out.

Courtney keeping for Valkyries Quidditch Club | Photo: Willem de Gouw Quidditch Photography

What's next on your agenda for the committee?

We're on the look out for more volunteers to help make these initiatives reality, especially in Victoria and Western Australia. If you're keen, if there's an initiative you're excited about, if you have an idea, if seeing others get better gives you warm and fuzzies, then let us know and we'll find a way that fits around other commitments you've got so you can be involved. Or if all you have time for is feedback then that is greatly welcome - we'd love to know what teams want to see from us and if what we're providing is helpful and ways to make it better.

Do you have any favourite female players from Australia or around the world? Inspirations?

Every one of them. Every female who takes initiative, who gets into the midst of the action, who challenges herself - they're the people who inspire me. It's seeing those players with such great potential develop themselves and their confidence that makes me incredibly excited to be part of this community and the upcoming projects.

If you would like to get involved with the gender engagement committee, please get in contact by emailing us at admin@quidditch.org.au.