Quadball, known as quidditch until the sport renamed itself in 2022, is played seven a side with three balls in play at once and a broom held between the legs.
It began as a university game modelled on the books and has since become a full contact mixed gender sport with a world cup.
The four positions are marked by coloured headbands, which is the only reliable way to follow who is doing what.
- Chasers wear white headbands, handle the quaffle and score through the hoops.
- Beaters wear black and throw the bludgers that knock other players out of play.
- The Keeper wears green and defends the three hoops.
- The Seeker wears yellow and chases the flag runner at the end of the match.
- A team must follow the gender maximum rule, so no more than four players of the same gender may be on the pitch at once.
#1 Chaser
Three chasers per team handle the quaffle, the volleyball sized ball that scores points. They pass, run and throw it through one of the three hoops at the other end for ten points a goal.
Chasers play full contact. Tackling with one arm while holding a broom between the legs is legal, which makes the position closer to rugby than to basketball, and chasers spend as much time blocking for a teammate as carrying the ball themselves.
Key Characteristics or Skills:
- One handed passing and catching, since the other hand holds the broom.
- Single arm tackling and taking contact.
- Reading which of the three hoops is undefended.
- Awareness of the bludgers, because a hit ends the possession instantly.
#2 Beater
Two beaters per team throw the bludgers, three dodgeballs that take players out of play. A player hit by a bludger must drop any ball they hold, dismount their broom and run back to touch their own hoops before rejoining.
Because there are three bludgers and four beaters on the pitch, control of the extra bludger is the central tactical battle in quadball. A team with two bludgers can attack and defend at the same time, and most goals come from winning that exchange rather than from outplaying the chasers.
Key Characteristics or Skills:
- Accurate throwing at moving targets.
- Catching a thrown bludger, which turns defence into control.
- Positioning to keep control of the extra bludger.
- Constant communication with the other beater.
#3 Keeper
The keeper defends the three hoops and is immune to bludgers while inside their own keeper zone. That immunity makes them the safest player to bring the ball out of defence, so most keepers act as a fourth chaser once possession is won.
The position needs the widest field of view in the team. A keeper watches three hoops of different heights, two opposing beaters and three chasers at once, and has to decide whether to hold the zone or leave it to join the attack.
Key Characteristics or Skills:
- Covering three hoops of different heights with one body.
- Distribution out of the zone under pressure.
- Judging when to leave the hoops and attack.
- Physical strength, since keepers face the heaviest contact.
#4 Seeker
The seeker chases the flag runner, a neutral player wearing a tag attached at the waist, who enters the pitch after a set time. Pulling the tag ends the match and scores thirty points, so a snitch catch usually but not always decides the result.
Seekers are substituted in specifically for that phase, which makes it the only position that spends most of the game off the pitch. Wrestling the tag from a resisting flag runner while two opposing seekers do the same is a physical contest as much as a chase.
Key Characteristics or Skills:
- Speed and agility over short distances.
- Grappling for the tag against an active flag runner.
- Endurance in a phase that can last several minutes.
- Timing, since a catch when your team is more than thirty points down does not win.
Quadball Positions by Headband Colour
Every quadball player wears a coloured headband that identifies their position. It is the fastest way to read a match, since three different balls are in play at once and players are constantly running out of and back into play.
| Headband | Position | Ball they use |
|---|---|---|
| White | Chaser (three per team) | The quaffle, worth ten points through a hoop. |
| Black | Beater (two per team) | The bludgers, which knock players out of play. |
| Green | Keeper (one per team) | The quaffle, defended at the hoops. |
| Yellow | Seeker (one per team) | The flag runner’s tag, worth thirty points. |
The sport also uses a gender maximum rule: no more than four players of the same gender may be on the pitch for one team at any time, which makes quadball one of the few full contact mixed sports in the world.
Hybrid Positions
Flag Runner
A neutral player, not part of either team, who carries the tag the seekers chase. Trained to evade and to resist, and the only person on the pitch playing for nobody.
Point Defender
A chaser or keeper who plays as the deepest defender in front of the hoops, marking the opposing ball carrier rather than covering a zone.
Offensive Beater
The beater who pushes forward with the attack, freeing the chasers from bludger pressure. The other beater stays back to defend.
Quadball borrows its contact from rugby, its throwing from dodgeball and its hoops from basketball. For a more familiar hoop sport with five positions, see our guide to basketball positions and roles.
FAQ
What are the positions in quadball?
Quadball has four positions: three chasers who score with the quaffle, two beaters who throw the bludgers, one keeper who defends the hoops and one seeker who chases the flag runner. Each wears a different coloured headband.
Why was quidditch renamed quadball?
The sport renamed itself quadball in 2022 to move away from the trademark held by the author of the books and to distance the game from her public statements. The rules and the positions were unchanged.
How many players are on a quadball team?
Seven players from each team are on the pitch at a time: three chasers, two beaters, one keeper and one seeker, and no more than four of them may be of the same gender.
Conclusion
Quadball puts seven players and three balls on one pitch, and the headbands are what keep it readable.
Chasers and the keeper play the scoring game, and beaters play a second game on top of it that decides who gets to score.
Control of the extra bludger is the real tactical battle, not possession of the quaffle.
The seeker exists in a phase of its own, entering late and often deciding the match in a single grab.
What began as a university parody is now a mixed gender full contact sport with a world cup, and its positional structure is genuinely unlike anything else.
