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.