WASHINGTON — Sports lovers and Harry Potter fans rejoice: Major League Quidditch is returning to the District this weekend after a two-year hiatus.
The Washington Admirals are hosting a three-game series against the New York Titans to kick off their 2021 season on the campus of RFK Stadium. The first game will be held on Saturday, July 10.
The games will run from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and are open to the public. Spectators were able to pay whatever they could afford for tickets, which are now all sold-out.
If you’re new to Major League Quidditch, there are some basics to know before you sit down at a game with some homemade butterbeer in tow. Although popularized by the fictional children’s novels, Quidditch is a real, mixed-gender and full-contact sport, now played by over 600 teams in 40 countries.
The rules were inspired and originally adapted from the Harry Potter book series and are known to incorporate a mix of elements from basketball, rugby and dodgeball.
Founded in 2015, MLQ is the highest level of quidditch in North America. The league is home to 15 franchises and one trial expansion team across the U.S. and Canada and runs from June to August. The teams recruit star players from local college and adult club quidditch programs.
You can find the team at home again at the 2021 MLQ Championship, which will take place in Howard County, Md. on Aug. 21 to Aug. 22. The top four teams in each of the three divisions at the end of the regular season qualify for the marquee season-ending tournament.