Harry Potter sport of Quidditch to come to Limerick for two international tournaments this summer

Irish Quidditch National Team player Philip Moore. Photo: Brian Arthur

Eoghan Moloney

April 11 2022 04:32 PM

The University of Limerick is to host two European Quidditch competitions later this year with 1,800 players expected to attend.

Teams from as far away as Australia will descend on Limerick to compete in the Harry Potter-inspired sport as Ireland managed to land the two competitions in one country for the first time ever.

The European Quidditch Cup and the International Quidditch Association European Games will both take place in University of Limerick. The European Quidditch Cup Division 1 will take place over two days on June 4-5 with an estimated 1,000 athletes representing 32 teams, including Austria, Belgium, Catalonia, France, Spain, Turkey, Germany, Italy, Norway and the UK.

The International Quidditch Association European Games 2022 will take place on July 22-24 with an anticipated 600-800 athletes expected to represent over 20 countries.

UL and Quidditch Ireland led the successful bids, beating competition from Spain, Germany and Turkey.

Originally inspired by the game in the Harry Potter series, Quidditch has grown since an inaugural match in 2005 to be a sport played by thousands of players in over 40 countries worldwide.

It has grown beyond the books and movies of Harry Potter to a sport loved by thousands worldwide. It’s a fast-paced, mixed-gender, full contact sport likened to a cross between handball, rugby and dodgeball.

Seven players on each team compete to outscore their opponents by scoring the quaffle through one of the opposition hoops, defending their own hoops with tackles and bludgers, and catching the snitch to end the game.

Philip Moore is the captain of the Irish team and the man who entered Ireland’s bids for the competitions. He hopes Ireland hosting both prestigious tournaments this summer will lead to increased interest in the sport here.

The Irish national Quidditch team has participated at a European level since 2017 and the current squad has roughly 25 players, which is composed of members of a Dublin club and Irish players scattered across clubs in Europe.

“We currently only have one Quidditch club in Ireland, the Dublin Draíochta Dragons, but we’re hoping that these major competitions will spark new interest in our amazing sport,” said Mr Moore.

“I have friends all over the world whom I played against in competitions. It’s an amazing community of people incredibly passionate about the sport,” Philip told Independent.ie.

He also says with dozens of countries represented at the competitions, they have “the best after parties in the world”.

“You may be enemies on the pitch but when you sit down afterwards, it’s awesome. It’s some of the best connections I have ever made in my life.”

Speaking at a launch event in UL on Monday, Mayor of the City and County, Cllr Daniel Butler, said the “unique sport” will feel right at home in Limerick.

“Winning both bids is testament to the superb sporting facilities and infrastructure we have here. Congratulations to everyone involved, we look forward to seeing the games take off and welcoming so many European visitors to our city and county.”

Laurens Grinwis of Quidditch Europe said the sport “will reach new heights in Limerick” in 2022.

“It is a very exciting year where all the focus will be on Limerick as the best club teams in Europe compete for the Division 1 European Quidditch Cup in June.”