The Obligatory Quidditch Post

This weekend, I won my first ever sporting medal. It was gold. And it was for playing quidditch.

Before I get started:

• No, of course we cannot fly.
• But yes, we do have brooms between our legs.
• And yes, we reduced the value of the snitch: it's only worth 30 points (3 goals).

Anyway, this post isn't a guide to quidditch, there are plenty of those on the internet already. This is an appeal - if you can, I encourage you to give this game a try.

But I'm not a sporty person!

Fair enough. I have never considered myself a sporty person, and I still don't. Before quidditch, my primary form of exercise was walking with occasional cycling. I've always found team sports stressful, since I am not a competitive person, and people always seem to take sport (and the winning thereof) much to seriously. Quidditch players take the game seriously too, but no matter how competitive things get, we all have to remember that we're all running around with pipes between our legs. It sets enjoyment as a prerogative over winning, and for me that's perfect.

But Harry Potter sucks!

First of all, you are wrong. Like, objectively wrong. Second, it doesn't matter if you don't like Harry Potter. It's not just the points system or lack of flight that separates Quidditch from the world of the books and films. Many teams do have Potter-themed names, like the Norwich Nifflers and the Liverpuddly Cannons, but that is by no means the precedent - my own team is the Nottingham Nightmares, and our closest neighbours simply go by Derby Union Quidditch Club. So you don't have to be a nerd to play quidditch. But we might turn you into one.

But I don't go to university!

That's fine too. Though most quidditch teams (in Britain at least) are based in universities, and associated with Harry Potter Societies, this is not always the case. The Werewolves of London and Velociraptors are two examples of community/graduate teams, and most university teams would be more than happy to get in contact with anyone interested.

Quidditch may not yet be an established sport yet, but its increasing popularity puts it in a unique position - anyone who wants to, and is willing to put in the effort, can play quidditch at a competitive level. It's enormous fun, great exercise, and friendship-building. My quidditch team is practically a family, and most of us have only been there for a year.

So I heartily recommend this as an alternative (or supplement) to however you currently exercise. Come run around, make friends and learn the most enjoyable sport I have ever played.