At Brandeis, Quidditch is one of the various club sports found on campus. This week, the Justice had the chance to talk to some members of the Quidditch Team to hear about their club and their hopes for the upcoming semester.

According to US Quidditch, the sport of Quidditch was founded in 2005 at Middlebury College. This sport was inspired by the Harry Potter book series, whose first book was published in June 2003. Over the years, Quidditch has grown into an international sport.

At Brandeis, Quidditch is open to everyone. In an interview with the Justice, Co-Captain Vidisha Jha ’23 explained that “Quidditch is a mixed-gender, full-contact sport that draws from elements of other games to create a unique and eclectic mix that’s a whole lot of fun!” Practices are on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Sundays from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. The team looks for new members of any level of experience and has welcomed students from various varsity teams as well as those who have never learned to throw or catch a ball. When asked about the prior experience of team members, Jha explained, “We’re ready to meet everyone at their level of athletic ability and make sure they can have a fun, safe experience learning the game.”

Currently made up of 15 members, the team competes at the national level under the national body known as US Quidditch and participates locally in the Massachusetts Quidditch Conference. Being a part of this conference means that the Brandeis Quidditch team regularly plays other schools from New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Upcoming home tournaments are scheduled for March 12, 19, and 26. At the end of April, the team plans to travel to Utah for the US Quidditch Cup. 

The Brandeis team stands firm on their belief in making Quidditch a gender-inclusive sport. Jha explained, “Here at Brandeis, and beyond in the national Quidditch community, we stand with trans athletes and believe in their right to be affirmed in their genders and their place on sports teams simultaneously. Because of this and a general desire to be recognized as an independent sport, the American Quidditch community is currently in the process of renaming the sport to divorce us from the reputation of J.K. Rowling and any trademarks owned by her or Warner Bros. While the new name has yet to be announced, I’m personally excited to see the new direction that Quidditch takes as we gain traction under new branding.” 

The overall feel of the Brandeis Quidditch team is a fun and warm community full of people with all different levels of athleticism who have created a welcoming, inclusive club sport experience. Like many other club sports teams who the Justice has spoken to, Brandeis Quidditch team members enjoy participating in their sport for both the love of the game as well as the people that they meet.