Volunteer Profiles: Mark Kelly

Quidditch is an entirely volunteer run sport. This week, as nations around the world start and finish celebrating volunteers weeks, we are profiling some of the people from all around the country who help keep quidditch running. Mark Kelly is currently the President of the Victorian Quidditch Association, but he's been volunteering in quidditch for many years in commentary and analysis, both within Australia and overseas! Mark has covered everything from Vic League Games and State Shield to the Quidditch World Cup, and was even called in as an expert analyst at the European Quidditch Cup 2019. Get a sense of what he does and why he does it below…

What kind of things do you have to do as president?

The role, week to week, is mostly making sure things are tracking smoothly, solving any problems that come up, and managing other VQA members and volunteers. At first I was intimidated, not knowing what to expect, but in practice it has been pretty straightforward, and any time a problem comes up the rest of the exec are always there to hash it out.

What's the hardest thing about being president?:

The hardest part is probably covering multiple roles when short handed. Many hands make light work, but it can get tricky to juggle everything when we don't have enough people pitching in.

What's the most fun part of being president?

There's something really rewarding about working together with people towards a common goal and shared passion. Really, that's what I most enjoy about volunteering in general, and especially in quidditch.

Are there other ways you've volunteered in quidditch?

Definitely! I've worked on the live stream teams at several State Shields, as well as at World Cup in 2018! Engaging with the stream, doing in-game commentary, post-game analysis, and generally helping to keep the stream following smoothly. It was a fantastic experience and I'm planning to go to the US for World Cup 2020, to do it again!

Why should more people get involved in quidditch volunteering?

I've really loved the volunteering I've done with quidditch, there's just such a strong sense of community when people work together on something they all care about. It's such a rewarding experience and I highly recommend people to jump in and get involved!

These profiles are being conducted in coordination with Q Consultancy, an international quidditch organisation who this week, is compiling volunteer profiles from all around the world, in time for Volunteers Week in the UK. Read more profiles here.