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.

Response to Sandman Technical

Quidditch Australia has received a statement from our sponsor Sandman Technical regarding our sponsorship moving forward. You can read the full statement here.

Quidditch Australia is grateful for the support of Sandman Technical and hope that it continues to promote a collaborative and fruitful partnership for both parties. Sandman has provided a number of sensible actions moving forward, and Quidditch Australia intends to commit to each goal outlined in the statement.

On Monday we announced our corrective measures for gender diversity in the 2023 Dropbears campaign, and how we can improve upon this moving forward. As many members are aware, Quidditch Australia has also been pursing recognition as a National Sporting Organisation for the past three years, and will continue working towards this goal. We are excited for all the opportunities this status will make available to us, namely funding options to support the development of programs and initiatives for the community.

The Quidditch Australia Board agrees that an independent Integrity Officer would be value, especially for ensuring appropriate processes and conflicts of interests are managed. We will start investigating how to implement this within Quidditch Australia.

We also agree that the best course of action regarding further 2023 Dropbears leadership announcements is to hold on posting any more appointments for 14 days from the date of the statement.

As funding opportunities become available, Quidditch Australia will commit to developing opportunities for professional development for people of all genders. This aligns with Quidditch Australia’s values and will help strengthen future volunteer cohorts. Furthermore, continuing our efforts at fundraising has always been a priority for Quidditch Australia, and we look forward to putting our resources to use by developing programs and opportunities that meet the needs of the community.

We are also very pleased to announce that, after heeding the advice of Sandman Technical, Quidditch Australia is now a member of the Australian Sports Foundation. This membership opens up several different opportunities for the organisation, and we are grateful to Sandman for directing us towards the program.

Quidditch Australia always endeavours to accept help from qualified professionals in policy development and governance assistance. We hope to continue growing our network, which will empower us to continue supporting the Australian quidditch community.

Once again, we would like to thank Sandman Technical for their support, and look forward to seeing where we will take the sport together.

Quidditch Australia Gears Up For 10th National Championship

It’s been almost three years since Australia last hosted a Quidditch Championship, affectionately known as QUAFL, and, after the massive success of the recent State Shield, the community is abuzz with anticipation at the chance to face off against their interstate competitors. On top of that, 2022 QUAFL will be Australia’s tenth National Championship. Over the weekend of the 10-11 December, there is no doubt that this QUAFL will be the most anticipated one yet!

Location
It’s been seven years since the Australian Quidditch Championships were held in Victoria, so 2022 marks a long-awaited return to the Great Southern Lands. Boasting state of the art facilities less than an hour out of Melbourne’s Central Business District, La Trobe Sports Park will make an excellent location for QUAFL’s revival. To add to the excitement, Melbourne-based teams have claimed the title of Australia’s quidditch champions for the last six consecutive years. Will 2022 see the Melbournians claim victory once again, or will there be an upset for them on their home turf?

Registration
Team registration for QUAFL closes midnight Friday 28 October, and your team can register using this link: https://form.jotform.com/222553209018854
Player registration closes midnight Friday 4 November, and you can sign up here: https://form.jotform.com/222553146065856

Updates
To keep up to date with all things QUAFL, be sure to select ‘Going’ on the 2022 QUAFL event on Quidditch Australia’s Facebook page, linked here for your convenience: https://fb.me/e/3OvCcTUa2

Social
You didn’t think we’d skip a social with the chance to celebrate 10 QUAFL’s and 11 years of Australian quidditch, did you!? While the details are still being finalised, rest assured we will be putting on the best party we can! Keep an eye on our socials for more updates, including venue and ticketing.

Other Information
If you have any questions about the 2022 QUAFL, you can also review the official Info Package here: https://docs.google.com/document/u/2/d/e/2PACX-1vQcSbjpK9BzndzcDuKFPCA8jlOe-XUZ5I56ljn4co72cSXTRcMUd6sXkhnXDFYbWQ/pub

You can also email Quidditch Australia at admin@quidditchaustralia.org

QA Is a Recipient of the Bulk Gives Back Program

Quidditch Australia was recently selected to be a recipient of the Bulk Gives Back program of Bulk Nutrients.

Bulk Nutrients is an Australian manufacturer and supplier of high quality sports supplements.

Operating since 2008, Bulk Nutrients has become one of the premier Australian brands to supply nutritional products to top level athletes, competitors and those on a journey to a healthier lifestyle. Like the organisations they are seeking to support... Bulk Nutrients started small. This means they understand how far $1000 can go when you're a small organisation and they are focusing on donating $1000 a day over 100 days to 100 Australian Not for Profit or Charity organisations.

We are incredibly thankful to Bulk Nutrients for selecting us to be a recipient of this donation, and are pleased to say it is already going to good use, having helped us to cover some of the costs of our recent Mardi Gras Parade entry. We look forward to being able to use what is left on helping with our development workshops.

New Membership System

Quidditch Australia is please to announce that we have implemented a new membership system through Rev Sport starting this year.

This new membership system is being rolled out in conjunction with the New South Wales, Victorian and Queensland State Bodies. This means that our members now only need to complete a single sign up form to complete both their State and QA memberships and pay in one go.

This system will enable our members a single point from which they can update their details, upgrade and renew their memberships every year. There are many other benefits afforded by this new system, such as the ability to organise tournament schedules, keep track of game results and many more.

The work that has gone into this new system has been extensive and the QA Board extend a heartfelt thanks to our Membership Coordinator Scott Palmer.

If you have any questions about the new system, please reach out to Scott at scott.palmer@quidditchaustralia.org or the Board at admin@quidditchaustralia.org

Online Events Calendar

Yukitoshi Imaizumi-Zhou & Nicola Gertler

Maddi Moulton Creative, Graphics by Isabelle Khor

With a large portion of the community in lockdown across the country, online events are popping up all over social media. Hosted by some of our member clubs, here is the handy schedule we have complied so it’s all in the one place.

Have an event you’re hosting? Email us at admin@quidditchaustralia.org to be included!

Your Hosts

Australian Quidditch Championships 2021 Merchandise

Want to have a say in the merchandise sold at the upcoming 2021 Australian Quidditch Championships?

Trading CardS will of course be back along with the opportunity for limited edition 10th Anniversary of Quidditch in Australia merchandise. To provide feedback and assist with the development of our range to be offered at nationals, please complete the below survey.

For any further feedback or questions, or if you would like to join the merchandise development committee, please feel free to reach out to QA Director Scott Palmer at merchandise@quidditchaustralia.org

QUAFL 2021: Location Announcement and Organising Committee Applications Open

QUAFL 2021 Location

For 2021, the Australian Quidditch Championships will be held at Melbourne's La Trobe Sports Park at La Trobe University on the 4th and 5th of December. After six consecutive wins by Melbourne based teams and six years away from Melbourne, this year, the championships return to Victoria.

This year looks to be the best QUAFL held to date. Boasting state of the art fields and facilities, Quidditch Australia is confident all our members shall enjoy this setting for our 10-year celebration event.

APPLY FOR THE QUAFL 2021 COMMITTEE

Quidditch Australia are looking for a dedicated organising team for QUAFL 2021. Senior roles shall be provided with a free social ticket along with a volunteer specific t-shirt. Junior roles shall be provided with a discounted social ticket along with a volunteer specific t-shirt. Both roles may also be provided with other benefits to be determined at a later time.

A full list of available positions can be found here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/16tsvlu5-pKDB6ARhyyztlYGpaFv0fBaB/view?usp=sharing?usp=sharing

If you want to have a hand in running the 10th anniversary of the largest quidditch tournament in the southern hemisphere, please apply below:

Applications close on August 16th.