Wales’ first ever national quidditch team has offically been launched to compete in next season’s Quidditch Premier League (QPL).

The Welsh Dragons as they’ll be known, will hold try-outs for the Harry Potter inspired sport in the spring of 2018 to find the country’s best players.

Then, the team will enter the League’s southern division, competing in divisional fixtures against the London Monarchs, the Eastern Mermaids, the Southwest Broadside and the Southeast Knights before heading to the 2018 Championship.

Originating from J.K. Rowling’s popular series, quidditch has developed into its own sport, with 20,000 players and 25 countries joining in worldwide, including right here at Bangor University.

A quidditch team consists of 21 athletes with 7 players per team on the field at any one time. Each player has a broom between their legs.

The Quidditch Premier League (QPL) is an elite quidditch league that represents the sport in the United Kingdom. The league is composed of ten teams - five in the North Division and five in the South Division and the season runs from June to August.

The trials for the Welsh Dragons in Spring will be open to anyone residing in Wales during the summer of 2018 or of Welsh birth, with both new and experienced players expected to compete for a spot on the team..

The League’s Director, Jack Lennard said: “I am so excited to be launching the Welsh Dragons within the Quidditch Premier League in 2018.

“When we started last year, we were disappointed at having to limit our reach; now we can finally do justice to the amazing communities of players in these countries.

“To now have a Welsh national teams is incredible, and I hope it really galvanises engagement with the sport there.

“We want as much local support as possible - including local businesses sponsoring the teams! So make sure you keep an eye out for the 2018 tryout and fixture dates so you can cheer your country on.”

To find out more about the Quidditch Premier League and the Welsh Dragons you can visit quidditchpremierleague.com and their Facebook page.

Picture by Jessica Cornelius.