I often wonder if J.K. Rowling could ever have imagined the sport she created to keep Harry Potter fit actually making it into the real world. And I’m not simply talking about a few random people running around, jumping through their kid sister’s hula-hoop while riding their mother’s broom. I’m talking big and official.
Muggle Quidditch Netherlands (MQN) is the central organisation in the Netherlands for quidditch and its development as a sport. In fact, since September 2014, they have been operating as an official sports club.
Jerona van der Gevel, president of the MQN, has provided Potter’s fans with many incredible opportunities to practice their favourite sport (albeit without the flying part). The club regularly organises open practices and matches. On top of this, you’ll find large-scale international tournaments, like the European Quidditch Cup and the European Games.
Jerona has given us a glimpse of what a Quidditch season looks like and what events are featured in it.
“The Placeholder Cup was the predecessor to the Dutch National Quidditch Cup. It took place on the 22nd November 2014, in Rotterdam. De Placeholder Cup was a fantasy tournament where all Dutch quidditch players could join and play in mixed teams. From 2015 on, there will be an annual National Championship in November where every school, university and community team is allowed to compete.
The Benelux Cup is an international tournament in which every school, university or community team is allowed to compete. The BNLC takes place annually in February (2015 date and location to be confirmed) in one of the Benelux countries (the Netherlands, Belgium or Luxembourg).
The European Quidditch Cup, also known as EQC, is an annual event that takes place in April. During this tournament every European school, university or community team that qualifies themselves wil be able compete against one another. EQC 2015 will take place on 18th and 19th April in Oxford, UK.
To conclude the quidditch season, a big international tournament is organised once a year by the IQA. In odd numbered years, the tournament sees national teams from all over Europe competing in the European Games. In even numbered years, a similar competition is held for national quidditch teams from around the world. This event is aptly named the Global Games (2015 date and location TBC).”
If this hasn’t wetted your appetite enough, visit the official website here. Or, if you know you’re ready, contact Jerona here.
While exploring this topic, I had the opportunity to cross paths with the lovely Bernadet Venema, a 24-year-old cosplayer from the Netherlands and serious Quiddich fan (she can change from a Slitheryn Quiddich player to a Death Eater before you can say Avada Kedavra).
Bernadet is part of WizardWear, a Dutch cosplay society that focuses on accurately recreating the props and costumes from the Harry Potter universe. They’ve been around for a couple of years now and have a group of enthusiastic adult cosplayers who display their work at festivals and cons. She is also one half of the cosplay duo Accio Tardis, with fellow Dutch cosplayer, Linda Krol.
You can find out more about WizardWear and Accio Tardis at he following links:
Accio Tardis Facebook page, WizardWear official site and WizardWear Facebook page.
