Welcome to the Wizarding World of Georgia Southern University. The Quidditch Club has just been introduced to our campus. Quidditch, a game originating from the Harry Potter book series, is now an official club at GSU and pending approval to become a CRI certified sport.

The idea of starting this club has been a dream for one GSU student in particular.

“I knew that when I started college I wanted to start up a Quidditch team,” Emily Fisher, Quidditch club president, said. “You don’t have to be a fan of Harry Potter to join. If you just want to exercise and do a sport that’s interesting, come join us.”

While it may sound like a fictional fantasy, Quidditch is actually a very involved contact sport. Seven players on each team race and tackle one another to score their points from either placing the balls in one of three different hoops on each side and by catching the snitch, which awards that seeker’s team 30 points and ends the game.

“There are at least seven players on each team: three chasers (offense), two beaters (defense), one keeper (goalie), and one seeker, whose only goal is to catch the snitch,” Katie Neas,club vice president, said. “You know how people will say that while reading a book you get to live in their world to escape your own? It’s a reality now with Quidditch.”

The $25 membership dues cover players’ broomsticks, hoops, and the three different kinds of balls used for the game: volleyballs, dodgeballs and tennis balls.

To make the game even more similar to the popular book series’ plot, players are divided into whichever house they belong to, as dictated by a specific online quiz that sorts them based on their personalities and problem-solving methods. The club is currently at seven members, but 28 are needed for full, all-house competition.

This is one of the very few college Quidditch teams in the state of Georgia, so the GSU club is attempting to schedule matches with neighboring states’ teams and leagues.

“I will help organize club meetings and travels to other schools for matches,” professor Christina Salhi, the club’s advisor, said. “I will also attend the games and support each house. I am pretty much Dumbledore!”

It’s organizations like the Quidditch Club that make GSU even more diverse and accepting of all students on campus.

“Quidditch Club is a club for anyone,” Sarah Greenberg, club treasurer, said. “Whether you are a super intense Harry Potter fan, someone looking for a way to stay in shape or you just want to meet new people at your university, Quidditch Club is the club for you.”

For more information, you can email Quidditch club president, Emily Fisher, at ef01127@georgiasouthern.edu.