You read that title right. Quidditch, the broomstick riding sport of J.K. Rowling’s insanely popular Harry Potter novels is being played at universities around the world, including Princeton, U-Mass-Amherst and Vassar College.

Don’t believe me? Check out the website for the IQA, or Intercollegiate Quidditch Association.

Last year’s season was the fourth in total, and the second consecutive season which featured a World Cup finale. In 2005, Middlebury student Xander Manshel adapted the wizard’s sport into a ground-based game for us Muggles. (Don’t ask--I’ve already gleaned too much of my nerdiness.)

New York’s Middlebury College hosted a Quidditch cup for the first two years that was made up of several teams from the school. In 2007, the game took flight (figuratively) at other colleges in the area. Amherst, Columbia, Princeton, and Dartmouth were stops for Middlebury’s squad, with coverage by local television outlets as well as ESPN.

Thanks to the recently released sixth installment of the movie franchise, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the sport is getting more well-deserved attention. A new article for the New York Daily News describes the sport’s gaining popularity, with over 200 colleges expressing their interest in the sport to the IQA.

In Quidditch, teams score points by throwing the Quaffle (ball) in one of the opponents’ three goals. Players can hold one of four positions in Quidditch. A keeper is essentially a goalie, guarding his goals from incoming opponents.

A team’s three Chasers handle the Quaffle and are responsible for scoring goals. Beaters, of which there are two, roam the field protecting their teammates from Bludgers, two spheres that traverse the area without prejudice, attempting to knock players off their brooms.

Bludgers are equipped with wooden clubs to redirect Bludgers away from their players and / or towards their opponents.

Finally, each team has one seeker. Seekers are nimble and quick with only one goal in mind: catch the Golden Snitch. The snitch is a tiny enchanted gold ball that zips three-dimensionally around the pitch, or playing field.

Catching a snitch nets that seeker’s team 150 points and is the only way to end a game. (Some Quidditch games in the books were told to have spanned months.)

Now, obviously all this magic has no place in the real world, but that doesn’t stop college Quidditch players from substitutions. Snitches are attached to the backs of runners in golden attire that race around the field.

Beaters now carry red dodge balls that represent the Bludgers, hurling them at opposing players. And of course, each player must perform all of these feats while holding a broom between his or her legs.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is out now in theaters across the nation.

Our Take:

So I haven’t read past book five of the Potter series (there are seven) and I’ve only seen four of the movies. (I saw the Half-Blood Prince last week after missing movies four and five.) While I‘m extremely nerdy, it is clear to anyone who knows me that I’m not all that into Harry Potter.

That being said, I am HUGE into sports. One of my favorite aspects of the franchise is Quidditch, which is liked amped-up soccer for wizards on broomsticks. The game is well structured and features a wealth of complexities and teamwork.

The best part about the sport is that anyone can play, because it’s all about having fun.  These aren’t pro athletes participating (though some of the pictures would disagree with me). Everyone’s a nerd or a geek and enjoys the HP series or simply finds the pleasure in the sport. I would have played Quidditch without hesitation in college.

If your school hasn’t already, get your friends together and tell your school you want a Quidditch team! Costs are relatively cheap, with hula hoops used for goals, a tennis ball in a sock for the snitch, and lacrosse goggles for all the players involved. You also need a cape. You are a wizard, obviously.

I’m going out to find myself a sweet broomstick.