Starport Quidditch Rules
The pitch is rectangular with rounded corners 54 meters (60 yards) by 43 meters (48 yards) with three
hoops of varying heights at either end. The hoops will be from left to right: 3’, 4.5’, and 6’ with two
broom stick lengths of spacing in between each goal.
The ultimate goal is to have more points than the other team by the time the snitch, a tennis ball inside
a long sock hanging from the shorts of an impartial official dressed in yellow, is caught by a seeker.
Teams of 6-7 with the 8th person being the snitch (if teams allow). If a snitch is not used, 6-7 people per
team on the pitch (field) at once.
To score points, chasers or keepers must get the quaffle, a slightly deflated volleyball, into one of three
of the opposing hoops which scores the team 10 points. To impede the quaffle from advancing down
the pitch, chasers and keepers are able to tackle opposing chasers and keepers at the same time as
beaters using their bludgers to take out opposing players. Once a player is hit by an opposing bludger,
that player must dismount their broom, drop any ball being held and return to and touch their hoops
before being allowed back into play. The game is ended once the snitch is caught by one of the seekers,
awarding that team 30 points.
Matches or games often run about 30 to 40 minutes but tend to be subject to varying lengths of time
due to the unpredictable nature of the snitch catch. If the score at the end of the match including the 30
point snitch catch is tied (such that the team that caught the snitch was 30 points behind the other), the
game moves to overtime where the snitch is constrained to the pitch's dimensions and the game ends
after five minutes or when the snitch is legally caught.
Positions

Chasers are responsible for passing the quaffle and scoring points by throwing the quaffle
through one of the opponent's goals for 10 points. Three chasers from a team may be in play at
one time. When a bludger hits a chaser in possession of the quaffle, they must drop the quaffle
and run back to their own goalpost to simulate recovery time. There are three chasers on the
field for each team and they can be identified by a white headband.

Keepers are the goal protectors (similar to goaltenders in hockey) and must try to block
attempts to score by the opposing team's chasers. One keeper from a team may be in play at a
time. There is one keeper on the field for each team, and they can be identified by a green
headband.

Beaters attempt to hit the opposing team's players with bludgers and attempt to block the
bludgers from hitting their team's players. As there are three bludgers for the four beaters on
the pitch, the fourth, bludger-less beater puts pressure of the team in control of both bludgers.
Two beaters on a team may be in play at a time, and they can be identified by a black
headband.

Seekers attempt to catch the snitch. The snitch and seekers are relegated to the field only
(inside the fence area at the Gilruth Center). There is one seeker on the field for each team, and
they can be identified by a gold or yellow headband.
Equipment
Broomstick
The player must stay mounted on their broomstick for every moment of play unless they have been hit
with a bludger, in which case the player needs to dismount from their broom and return to their hoops.
*Teams must supply their own broom sticks
Hoops
Three hoops are placed on either side of the pitch of differing heights (3’, 4.5’m and 6’), placed two
broomsticks apart. Chasers and keepers can score by throwing the quaffle through any one of the
hoops, from either front or back, gaining ten points for their team per score.
Quaffle
The quaffle is a slightly-deflated regulation volleyball that can only be manipulated by chasers or
keepers. Used for scoring, it may pass through any hoop from either side. Regardless of which team
caused the quaffle to pass through the hoop, as long as it is in play. 10 points for quaffle passing through
hoop.
Bludgers
The bludger is a slightly-deflated dodgeball that can only be manipulated by beaters. At any given time
there are four beaters in play, but only three bludgers. The bludgers are used to hit any other player on
the field. Upon being hit by a bludger previously in the possession of an opposing beater, the player
suffers the knockout effect. This means they must dismount their broom, drop any ball that they may
have been carrying, and touch their team's hoops before resuming play. It's worth noting that there is
no friendly fire, meaning that bludgers thrown by beaters cannot affect any of their teammates.
Snitch
The snitch is a tennis ball or balled-up socks placed at the bottom of either a gold or yellow long sock.
The sock is tucked into the back of the snitch runner's shorts as if it were a tail. The snitch runner may
do everything in his or her power to protect the snitch from being snatched by seekers. Only seekers
may make advances towards the snitch or the snitch runner, and no forceful contact with the snitch
runner is allowed. The game ends when the snitch is grabbed by a seeker, awarding that seeker's team
30 points. Snitches will be released 17 minutes into the game.
*Note: At the Gilruth Center, snitches are not allowed to hop any fences, enter JSC site, climb any
trees, interfere with any other games/activities/events, or go inside. They are confined to the inside
of the playing field fence.
Playing
Each match begins with the 6-7 starting players along the starting line within their keeper zone with
brooms on the ground and their eyes closed (so as to not watch where the snitch goes) and the four
balls lined in the center of the pitch. The head referee, when they see the snitch fall out of sight, then
calls "brooms up!" to which player run to gain possession of the balls. After brooms up is called, the
seekers must not interfere with other positions and wait near the pitch until the end of the seeker floor,
usually 10 minutes. After the seeker floor the seekers are released and may run off pitch to search for
the snitch.
Fouls and illegal plays
Contact rules are fairly straightforward and are similar to other contact sports. Tackles are legal between
the knees and shoulders. Players can only tackle other players of their same position (keepers
considered chasers) if they have the ball. Pushes are allowed if the arm is held straight; it is illegal to
push if the arm is bent and then extended when pushing another player. Contact initiated from behind is
illegal, but it is considered clean if a player tackling another runs into the tackle and then turns
backwards. After several various types of illegal play, the head ref will blow their whistle twice to
indicate stoppage of play where each player must drop in place their broom and any ball they were
holding.
Most fouls result in a yellow card being given. With a yellow card, the player awarded the card goes to
the penalty box for 1 minute, or until their team is scored upon. Players may not sub from the penalty
box, however, if a keeper is awarded a penalty he or she must trade headbands with a chaser as a team
must have a keeper on the pitch at all times.
When a red card is given, the player who committed the foul must sub off for somebody else on his or
her team. The player who received the red card must leave the pitch. Their replacement then has 2
minutes in the penalty box, and is not allowed to leave the penalty box for those 2 minutes even if his or
her team is scored upon. A red card can either be given outright or can be the result of two yellow cards
in a game.
Pitch
On the edge of the pitch are two penalty boxes where players who have committed fouls that warrant
yellow cards are sent for one minute.
Officials
The snitch, being a neutral player and assistant referee, is tasked to run off the pitch before the initial
"brooms up!" call. Since they originate from neither team and are considered a referee themselves, it is
also under their judgement to help the referees to determine whether or not the catch was clean.