Dodgeball’s Successor is a thing of MAGIC
If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a bludger.
While flying broomsticks, enchanted balls and hexes remain the realm of wizardry, the fictional sport of Quidditch has bridged the gap into the Muggle world, with many fans seeing it as a successor to dodgeball in the PE curriculum.
For schools up and down the UK, dodgeball is the preferred sport of choice for PE lessons – in fact recent OFSTED research placed dodgeball the second most popular sport amongst primary children in the UK behind football. [1]
However, a new sport is rapidly growing in popularity with young people across the globe – a sport straight from the wizarding world.
A new take to replace an old classic
Quidditch is the only full contact mixed gender sport in the world. To make the sport as inclusive as possible there must only be four players of the same gender on the quidditch pitch at a time – ensuring that the game is mixed and inclusive to all. There are four types of positions on the field:
- Chaser – their main aim is to throw the quaffle through the opposite team’s hoops to score goals (each goal is worth 10 points for the team).
- Keepers – these players guard the hoops against opposing chasers to ensure that they don’t score any goals. These then can turn into a chaser on the offence.
- Beaters – throwing bludger at the opposition to ‘get them out’ and making them return to their hoops is the main goal for the beaters. This is a very similar trait to the classic game of dodgeball.
- Seekers – similar to the version in Harry Potter, the player who catches the snitch earns 30 points for their team and then ends the game – potentially making their team victorious.
Simple to adapt for younger players, Quidditch combines the fast-paced excitement of dodgeball with an extra dimension of several player roles. This forms an easy to pick-up and different kind of sport for children to enjoy.
Capture their imagination
In some way, shape or form, dodgeball has been played in schools for nearly a century. It’s no surprise then that a modern alternative should appear, bringing together the pop culture of Harry Potter and a highly active sport.
Having had their imaginations captured by book and film as their heroes compete in fictional Quidditch World Cups, children now have the opportunity to live out their own dreams of playing quidditch and bringing a part Wizarding World into their own.
By developing youth quidditch nationwide Enrich education is utilising their experience in the youth sport sector to progress the sport in a professional and standardised manner across the country.
For any child who watched Quidditch on the big screen, the chance to emulate World Class Seeker Viktor Krum would have been a dream come true. Now the sight of the official quidditch hoops, quaffles and bludgers can draw in children typically uninspired by dodgeball, helping them develop object control and coordination skills as well as a healthier relationship with exercise and sports.
How to get involved?
If you’re ready to take the next step and bring Quidditch to PE classes in your school, we’re here to help, train and advise you!
As the official education partner of QuidditchUK and the Quidditch Premier League, Enrich provides school events, staff training, official equipment, tournaments, regional affiliation packages and much more.
To Find out more about regional training courses and Quidditch equipment, visit our website or contact us directly on 01514891123.
[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/obesity-healthy-eating-and-physical-activity-in-primary-schools
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