QUAFL 2019 Registration

Registration for Players and for Teams is Now Open for QUAFL 2019!

There are 2 separate registration forms: 1 for team registration and 1 for individual registration.

Team registration will only need to be filled out once per club. If your club is sending multiple teams to QUAFL, you may register all of them in one submission.

Players and non-playing members on a team's roster will then have to register individually for QUAFL using the appropriate form. Players should only start registering AFTER their team has registered.

Please take note of a new team requirement that has been added. Each team is required to have at least 1 individual register as a volunteer at QUAFL. This can be done via the Player Registration Form. Please keep in mind the intent of this addition to team requirements is to ensure that an adequate amount of volunteers are present so that they do not have to work for several hours over the course of the weekend, and we will be keeping in mind team schedules when rostering volunteers.

All payments are to be made using PayPal and payment information can also be found in the respective forms.

The deadlines are as follows:

Team registration closes on October 8th 2019

Individual registration closes on October 23th 2019

The forms can be found at these links:

Team Registration

Player Registration

Individual Player Registraion

https://form.jotform.co/AQAOfficial/QUAFL2019

If you have any questions, please contact Tournament Director Alistair Yap at quafl@quidditch.org.au

State Shield 2019 - Livestream

State Shield 2019 will be livestreamed via the Quidditch Australia Facebook Page thanks to My Sport Live! Find the feed below, and get notified when it starts!

Meet The Commentators

We talked to Emma Humphrey, and Kathryn Cooper, both of whom have extensive experience at State Shield and even internationally commentating on quidditch, as well as Taylor Angelo, who is new to the role at State Shield!

First up, Emma, whois currently abroad in the UK, but has commentated State Shield in the past, aswell as a number of European Tournaments. Here's what Emma had to say:

"Commentating is one of the best ways to get to know the community better, notice upcoming talents and have eyes on everything which is going on during state shield. In Europe it is one of the most sought after roles at major tournaments, because it is a job that you can make truly you own. 

You get to meet and talk to some truly amazing people in the sport, as well as get to voice your own thoughts and creativity. On the livestream, you have eyes on everything which is going on and off the camera, and this can be vitally important as a commentator to relay the information which viewers may not be seeing on their screens (e.g beater/snitch play). 

You do not need experience to be a commentator, in fact if you are new to the sport, I highly encourage joining because it’s a great way to get involved without too much responsibility, you learn a lot in the process and there are so many wonderful people who can support you along the way. 

At State Shield I am looking forward to seeing some of Australia’s best go head to head, to see how some Dropbears have developed as players since the last World Cup, and to see upcoming talent in the field. I think it's also a great chance to really see what you are made of, for the players to push themselves, and give other players an opportunity to see what the sport has to offer."

We also spoke to Taylor, who won't just be commentating at State Shield, but will also be taking photos for her Taylor Angelo Quidditch Shots page! Despite not having commentated at State Shield before, Taylor has had a lot of experience commentating in the NSW Quidditch League.

"I guess what I like about commentating is the fact I get to talk about quidditch and potentially provide extra information in addition to the plays. I’m looking forward to seeing some really top quality quidditch- there’s a reason why my State Shield photos are my favourites - it’s my fave tournament to photograph because there’s so many cool plays, so much potential for cool aesthetics. People should volunteer cause it’ll be super fun and it’s always good to give back to the quidditch community that has given us so much. It’s also much more productive than pure spectatorship."

Finally for ourinterviews but certainly not the last of our commentators at State Shield, wehave Kathryn Cooper, who has commentated numerous quidditch livestreams fromtournament finals, NSW Quidditch League, and previous State Shields.

"I like commentating because I enjoy watching the game with an analytical mind and talking about the strategies that teams are using. I also enjoy talking about the players and their experience with the game with other players as well. I am looking forward to seeing the Bluetongues and Leadbeaters face up against each other again, as the finals series last year. I am also keen to see how the Bluebottles go up against Queensland and the Honeyeaters as well.  I think people should volunteer because there is always so much to do at quidditch tournaments, in so many different areas. So many people have different ideas and thoughts about what can be done to improve things within the quidditch community, and it's always amazing to see those ideas come into fruition."

If you'd like to getinvolved with the commentary and livestream content for State Shield, pleaseget in touch asap via facebook or at stateshield@quidditch.org.au, and getexcited!

Australia Quidditch Championships 2019: Team & Player Exemptions, Gameplay Requirements

With the Australian Quidditch Championships fast approaching, appeals are now open for teams or players to submit exemptions to the event's gameplay requirements.

Individual Player Requirements

All players wishing to participate in the Australia Quidditch Championships must meet the following criteria to be eligible to participate; 

(d) Player Requirements:

(i) All players participating at the championship must have played a minimum of three ranked games at any point in the season in question to participate. The purpose of this rule is to ensure that all players understand the rules of the game and can play in a safe manner. 

(1) Exceptions may be given in circumstances of isolation in a similar manner to the team requirements. 

(2) Exceptions may also be given if a team can provide evidence that a player has been sufficiently involved in the sport in past seasons or involved in training or playing in an unofficial capacity to the extent that their safety and experience can be verified. 

(3) These requirements must be met 60 days before the start of the championship. 

Quidditch Australia Gameplay Policies 2019, page 13

Ranked matches refer to official CLUB matches, such as games at the Victoria Cup, NSW Quidditch League or Queensland League. Ranked matches do not include fantasy events or games played for mercenary teams. 

Exemptions for individuals may be made up until October 8th.  Individual player registration for the tournament will open in late September and close on October 23rd. 

Team Eligibility

As detailed in the Quidditch Australia Gameplay Policy document; 

(b) Team Requirements 

(i) In order to be eligible to qualify for the championship, a team must satisfy one of the following criteria: 

(1) Participation in a QA-sanctioned state league, having completed at least five ranked games within that competition. 

(2) Participation in at least two ranked QA-sanctioned tournaments, having completed at least three ranked games in each tournament. 

(3) Participation in at least seven ranked games against at least two opponents, over a period of at least three different days of competition

(A) For the purpose of this regulation, participation in any event which takes more than one day to complete will still only count towards a single unique day of competition.

Exemptions may be provided to teams in the case of;

(ii) If a team has reasonable grounds for which these criteria cannot be satisfied, they may launch an appeal to the Gameplay Department, who may waive these criteria at their discretion. 

(v) Teams, who have fewer than two other QA member teams within their state or three teams total registered with their respective state body for the duration of the current season, may still qualify for the championship without satisfying these criteria provided they seek out and accept all possible opportunities for official play available to them. 

(vi) A new QA team who has never attended previously, is considered to have only come into existence in the 12 months prior to the championship, and who has signed up for their first ever annual QA membership in the second half of the season may not have sufficient opportunity to satisfy these criteria, due to lack of time or sufficient opponents. Such teams may still enter provided they seek out and accept all possible opportunities for ranked play available to them. 

(vii) Any unofficial QA team who participates within a sanctioned state body's formalised tournament structure (e.g. Victoria Cup), will be considered as exposed to opportunity and expected to have made all efforts possible to satisfy these criteria. 

Quidditch Australia Gameplay Policies 2019, page 12

Teams who feel they satisfy the requirements of an exemption may submit an appeal to the Quidditch Australia gameplay committee. Exemptions for teams may be made up until October 1st as team registration will close on October 8th.

Transfers prior to the Australian Quidditch Championships

Transfers must be submitted to the Quidditch Australia Gameplay committee by no later than October 8th for these transfers to be considered. After this date, players are locked into their current team till the end of 2019. Transfers may be submitted here: http://www.quidditch.org.au/player-transfer-form/

Team Referee Requirements

All teams are required to complete their team based referee requirements by October 8th. Quidditch Australia will be using the IQA Referee tests are the method of certificiation. These tests are accessible by visiting

https://www.iqareferees.org/

Teams will not be able to apply for exemptions to these requirements.

The requirements are as follows:

(iv) The certification requirements outlined in Section 3.2.b must be spread across six playing club members attending the championship.

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(b) Expectations for QA-Sanctioned Events

(i) Unless otherwise indicated by the tournament director, it is expected that for all QA-sanctioned events, inclusive of the Australian Quidditch Championships, teams will be able to contribute the following:

(1) one certified head referee

(2) one certified snitch runner

(3) one certified snitch referee

(4) three certified assistant referees

(5) two goal referees

(6) three scorekeepers or time keepers

Please note that snitch runner certification is no longer required and the referee certifications must be spread across five (5) playing members of the team rather than six (6). 

Quidditch Australia Gameplay Policies 2019, page 13 & 17

Exemptions to the Player or Team Eligibility May Be Submitted Here

Questions can be directed to Quidditch Australia's gameplay director, Nicola Gertler, at gameplay@quidditch.org.au

Dropbears Selection Timeline & Player Applications

We are excited to announce that player applications are now open for the Australian Dropbears for the 2020 World cup in Richmond, USA.

Apply Here

Please note applications will close at midnight on Sunday 25 August 2019.

Trials for the 2020 team will consist of three state-based camps and two national selection camps. Based off results from the pre-screening state-based camps, and, if applicable, State Shield, 50 individuals will be selected to attend both national camps.

Inability to attend state-based camps and (if selected to attend) at least 50% of national selection camps must be justified.

State-based camps

Queensland: September 1st

Victoria: September 21st (For Victorian and South Australian Players)

New South Wales: 22nd September (For New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory Players)

Quidditch Australia’s State Shield: 4th - 5th of October

National Selection Camps:

National Selection Camp #1: November 2nd & 3rd

National Selection Camp #2: November 16th & 17th

QUAFL 2019: December 7th & 8th

Dropbears Selection Panel

We are excited to announce the remaining members of the Australian National Quidditch Team Selection Panel, who will join the Head Coach Paul Harrison and Assistant Coach Luke Derrick in picking the Dropbears Squad for World Cup 2020.

Original Photos: Ajantha Abey Quidditch Photography and Courtney Buckley Photography

Ed Vienet is currently affiliated with the Monash Muggles in Victoria, where he started quidditch in 2016, now playing his 4th season, having captained the team in 2017 and 2018, and led the team’s selection panel. He has played on the Victorian Leadbeaters since 2017, and was a selector for the team in 2018 and 2019. As well as being a Dropbear reserve in 2018, Ed also has an extensive sports background outside of quidditch, in bastketball, football, and netball. As a quaffle player, Ed’s focus is on defence, tackling, and wants to build a team that can win in 2020, and set up Australia to repeat in 2022.

Simon Spann hails from the University of Sunshine Coast Quidditch Club in Queensland where he started playing in 2014. Picking quidditch over being a national level sprinter, he played for the Dropbears in 2018 as a chaser and seeker, as well as advising the team as a fitness and conditioning coach. A certified athletics coach himself, Simon is looking forward to selecting a team with the dedication to reclaim the gold.

Samantha Chittenden began playing with the University of Sydney Quidditch Club in 2015, eventually becoming coach in 2016 and captain from 2017-18, and now moving on to coach the North Sydney Nightmares Quidditch Club this year. Sam has also been a member of the NSW State Team since 2016, a Dropbears reserve in 2016/18, and NSW selector in 2017/19. Between all the fantasy, club, and state teams she has selected and led, Sam boasts an impressive number of gold medals, and will be looking to add another to the tally at Richmond next July.

Nathan Morton's involvement in quidditch dates back to 2013 where he began playing with the Monash Muggles. Having attended every single QUAFL and every single Victorian tournament since then (bar Mudbash 2014), he has also been a member of and selector for the Victorian State Team since its inception and a member of the Dropbears squad in 2014, 2016, and 2018 (initially as a chaser, and more recently as a beater). Now playing for Willows Quidditch Club, Nathan's extensive experience and mastery of all positions will be of great utility in selecting the team who can reclaim the gold.

Stephen Butler is one of the most experienced selectors in Australia. Having started out with University of Western Sydney/WSQC in 2012, he has been involved as a selector for fantasy tournaments in all three major Eastern states for many years, with a number of medals to show for it. Now with Macquarie University Quidditch Club, Stephen has also been a selector for the NSW State Team since 2017. With many years involved in high level competitive quidditch, Stephen knows the attitude required of players in order to create a winning team.

Further information regarding Dropbears selection camps and training camps including a general timeline will be released shortly. Written applications for players will open next week.

Dropbears 2020 Leadership Team Announced:

We are excited to finally announce the first members of the Australian National Quidditch Team leadership, who will help organise, prepare, run, and lead the Dropbears to the 2020 Quidditch World Cup in Richmond, USA.

Paul Harrison has been selected as the Head Coach of the Dropbears for 2020. Originally of the University of Sydney Quidditch Club (Unspeakables) and then Macquarie University Quidditch Club, Paul has served as Head Coach of both of these teams, and now is playing his eight season with the Sydney City Serpents. Last year, Paul coached the NSW State Team to their first gold medal at Quidditch Australia's State Shield. As Head Coach, Paul will be responsible for the overall strategic vision and on field direction of the Dropbears as they try to reclaim gold at Richmond 2020.

Ruth Creffield has been selected as the Team Manager of the Dropbears for 2020. Playing for the University of the Sunshine Coast Quidditch Club since 2014, Ruth has been involved in her club's team committee for a number of years as well as being President of the Quidditch Association of Queensland, and playing for the Queensland Thunderbirds. As Team Manager, Ruth will be responsible for off field direction of the Australian Dropbears, including the planning of the trip to Richmond for the World Cup, looking after the administrative side of the team and facilitating a focus on team unity and player wellbeing.

Emma Luxford has been selected as the Assistant Manager of the Dropbears for 2020. She has been involved in the sport for almost eight years as a player and non playing member of the community with Blackburn Basilisks and more recently Melbourne Ravens Quidditch Clubs, and has over 25 years experience competing in and organising gymnastics. Em's extensive experience with large scale professional sporting organisation will be a great asset in her responsibility for assisting Ruth in the off field direction and management of the Australian Dropbears. Emma has since stepped down from this role.

Luke Derrick has been selected as an Assistant Coach of the Dropbears for 2020. He is currently in his eight year playing as a beater and keeper, having started out at the University of Sydney Quidditch Club and now playing for the Sydney City Serpents. Luke has been a coach and captain for both teams as well as playing for and captaining the NSW State Team. Luke has additionally been playing for the Dropbears in all of their international forays since 2014, being part of the World Cup winning squad in 2016, and Lead Beater Player in 2018. Luke will be responsible for assisting Paul in running training camps, and helping the Dropbears improve at the individual level and as a cohesive team.

Luke and Paul will both also serve as Selectors for the Dropbears squad. The rest of the selection panel will be announced tomorrow.

New Concussion and Injury Protocols for Quidditch Australia Sanctioned Games

Please be aware that as of today, the 15th of July 2019, Quidditch Australia is observing new Injury and Concussion Protocols, developed to increase player safety and in response to recent research surrounding brain injuries in contact sports.

Original Photo Credit: Dammia Brosnan

The Concussion Policy stipulates that concussions are brain injuries that occur from knocks to the head or other parts of the body that may or may not result in a loss of consciousness.

Injury policies state that the Head Referee of a game holds duty of care, and should a referee team or medical team witness a potential concussion, the player concerned should be removed from play and tested with the SCAT5 Pocket Concussion Recognition Tool. Players exhibiting signs of concussion will not be allowed to resume playing, act as a speaking captain, or referee for the remainder of the day, and Quidditch Australia recommends 12 days before a return to play, in line with Rugby Australia's concussion policies.

Concussions that are ignored can be fatal. Players exhibiting signs of concussion should be referred to a hospital emergency department and further rules and recommendations regarding returning to play may be found within the policy document, including a Return To Play form that must be completed.

The Injury Policy stipulates the responsibilities and duties of care of all players, referees, medical teams, and tournament directors with regards to injuries and injury management.

Is it important that all teams, players, and officials understand these policies, and that they are implemented at all Quidditch Australia sanctioned games henceforth.

Quidditch Australia would like to thank Nic Radoll for his assistance and expertise in drafting these policies.

The Policy Documents may be found below or at www.quidditch.org.au/rules

Quidditch Australia Injury Policy 2019

Download

Quidditch Australia Concussion Policy (RTP Form included)

Download

Concussion Recognition Tool

Download

Volunteer Profiles: Manon te Riele

Quidditch is an entirely volunteer run sport. 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. Manon te Riele is currently the Treasurer, Secretary, and Team Rep for South Melbourne Centaurs Quidditch Club, and Tournament Director of Melbourne Mudbash, one of the largest tournaments in Australia. Manon has been involved in quidditch admin and organising almost since she began in 2016, everything from social media to pitch managing, and an exceptional asset to the sport. Get a sense of what she does and why she does it below… 

What is your main volunteer role is at the moment? What does it involve?

My main volunteer role right now is Melbourne Mudbash co-Tournament Director. This involves organising the tournament, and working together with Nicola for all the planning and then running it on the weekend itself. It includes background things like organising sign up, equipment, volunteers and mending snitch shorts and the fun things like scheduling, having 2-way radios and running purely on adrenaline for the entire 2 days of the tournament.

My more permanent quidditch volunteer job is as secretary/treasurer and team rep for my club, South Melbourne Quidditch Club. There I do all the behind the scenes admin so our brilliant captain, Mark Kelly, vice captain Justine Herring, and the rest of the team can train and play at their best. This involves ensuring people are signed up, uniformed, have equipment and a good social event every once in a while, and actually show up at games. It also involves planning all aspects of our yearly trip to QUAFL and promoting all QA and VQA activities to try and get people participating in those.

What’s the rest of your history in quidditch?

I’ve been playing quidditch since 2016, when I started uni and had just moved to Melbourne. I did the social media for our team in 2017. I tore my ACL and had a knee reconstruction that year which meant I couldn’t play quidditch for a season. Instead, I got involved pitch managing at Mudbash and Vic Fantasy, and generally managed and helped out with my team.

In 2018 I was back playing and I was Assistant TD for Mudbash. Inmy club I became secretary/treasurer and Minotaurs team rep in 2018 when we hadtwo teams and kept the roles when we moved back to one team this year.

I volunteered a little on merch for QUAFL 2017 and 2018 but wasalso very busy getting my own team together at last QUAFL. I did sometranslating for Quidditch Nederland in 2017/2018 as well, which was superinteresting.

What makes you passionate about quidditch and want to volunteer?

I’ve been a massive Harry Potter fan since I was 10 so playingquidditch was just an extension of that at first, but I’ve stayed because Ilove the community, have made fantastic friends here and it’s a fun physicalchallenge.

I get quite invested in everything I do so volunteering for asmall role that needed doing was obvious at first. As I’ve learned more andgotten experience, I found myself taking on bigger challenges because I reallyenjoy seeing something come together and having people enjoy something Icreated for them.  

What's the hardest part of volunteering?

It takes a lot of time around a big event and the least fun partsare usually when you’re at a computer by yourself doing admin or nagging peopleto sign up for things because time is ticking.

What's the most fun part of volunteering?

The really corny answer is working with and meeting new people, gettinginspiration from others and learning new skills. I really enjoy the wholeplanning part- organising, working with people to make something really cool,having things come together and then enjoying what you created with yourfriends.

Are there people who have inspired you?

I learned most of what I know about organising a quidditchtournament from Nicola Gertler and could never dream of living up to everythingshe does for and knows about quidditch.

I am constantly inspired by those in my team who spend hours on strategy and preparation for games and training. Mark, Justine, and Emma ('Jandals') Humphrey are our current fearless leaders but their predecessors, James Brooks and Michael 'Dundee' Braham created a fantastic foundation and balance of serious competition and fun. It gives me a great reason to keep doing what I do to support them and help ensure their visions happen.

In terms of team rep and team organisation, I learned a lot fromCarissa Dyall who had played quidditch for many years before me and took on alarge volunteer role in our team when she played- nowadays she’s there for meto give ideas, support and encouragement.

Why should people get more involved in quidditch volunteering?

It’s really fun! You feel that you did good things and you get tohelp the sport grow. I always feel such a strong sense of community when I’minvolved in volunteering, which keeps me coming back.

Using your life/work related skills for quidditch is also verysatisfying, it’s a fun thing to put on CVs and guarantees you sound interestingin job interviews.

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.

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.

Volunteer Profiles: Kathryn Cooper:

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. Kathryn Cooper is currently the Chairperson of Quidditch NSW (QNSW), but she started her quidditch journey all the way back in 2013 with the University of Sydney Unspeakables. Since then, she's been a manager, vice president, coach, captain, team mum, and inspiration to many. Get a sense of what she does and why she does it below...

What kind of things do you have to do as chairperson of a quidditch governing body?

Since becoming Chairperson of Quidditch New South Wales earlier this year, I have to complete a number of tasks, some of which are ongoing throughout the year. Mostly, I just have to make sure that I am communicating with the Club Representatives of the clubs within New South Wales about what the Board is planning, and overseeing much of what is occurring within the New South Wales community (I am an admin of five different Facebook groups or pages for Quidditch New South Wales). Part of this means working with the other Board Directors, Phillip Vankerkoerle and Geoffrey Talbott, to make sure that the New South Wales Quidditch League (NQL) tournaments are being organised fully, and also coordinating with the other volunteers in the New South Wales community, making sure that the tasks we set for them are being completed, or that they are getting the support they need to organise and coordinate their own plans and ideas for Quidditch New South Wales. Recently, I have also been working with the New South Wales State Shield Team Selectors to coordinate the tryouts, and that they have everything they need to select the team.

What’s the hardest part of your job as chairperson?

I would say that the hardest part of being Chairperson is that there are fewer members of the Quidditch New South Wales Baord this year, and that myself, Phillip, and Geoffrey are all having to take charge of multiple portfolios. For 2019, I am also in charge of the Events portfolio. This is quite a lot of work to do, and with this also being my first year as a Board Director, there is a lot of pressure to make sure that everything is working well.

Are there other ways you volunteer or have volunteered in the past for quidditch?

This is actually quite a long list, as I have been somewhat volunteering in different roles since I joined the University of Sydney Quidditch Club in 2013. For the six years that I was part of that club, I held six different leadership roles. Since moving on and joining Valkyries Quidditch Club this year, I have also taken up leadership roles within the club. On top of holding these leadership roles, I have helped coordinate and run multiple fantasy tournaments throughout the years, mostly the Internal Fantasy tournaments that the University of Sydney Quidditch Club have run in the last few years, of which I have also been the Tournament Director. Last year, I also volunteered as a commentator for the State Shield tournament, which my first official outing as a quidditch commentator. I have continued commentating this year, by being a commentator for NQL matches this year, and helping support Arfy Papadam in running QNSW TV this year.

Why do you volunteer in quidditch?

I have always enjoyed helping organise events and tournaments, even before I joined quidditch. Within the last few years, I have definitely taken more of a role in helping organise bigger events, rather than just smaller club-based events, and I think this mostly comes down to wanting to help further the development of quidditch within New South Wales. I want to be able to help others with the ideas that they have, and what they are able to do to help improve how events and tournaments are being run. A lot of this mostly just comes from wanting to make sure everyone is being looked after, and that they are getting the support they need to do what they can do.

What’s been your best experience volunteering with quidditch?

I don’t really have one specific experience with volunteering that I would say is my best experience, but rather I have just enjoyed helping and supporting others to achieve their goals within quidditch. Whether this just be making sure that tournaments are being organised, or that issues are being handled, I just like making sure that they are able to do the best they can do. That might be how I achieved the persona and nickname of Mum when I was still part of the University of Sydney Quidditch Club, and that this image has evolved and grown within the New South Wales community.

Why should people get more involved in quidditch volunteering?

Being a volunteer within the quidditch community has been really rewarding, and has meant that I’ve been able to meet many people, and get to know their own experiences with quidditch volunteering. We all have different ways that we have volunteered, and it’s really interesting to hear the different ways that we have all helped quidditch growed. If anyone has any idea that they want to see happen within quidditch, then they should definitely give a try, because it could end up being an amazing idea that could really help the growth and development of quidditch. I would encourage anyone in the New South Wales community to do this, as myself and the other Board Directors would hear the ideas that you have, and how you would like to see them happen.

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 here.