EQC 2017 Group C Preview

With European Quidditch Cup (EQC) 2017 rapidly approaching, the Quidditch Post takes a look at each of the teams competing in this year’s tournament.

Group C

METU Unicorns

By Can Kaytaz

Editor’s Note: Can Kaytaz is a player and former captain of the METU Unicorns.

This is the third consecutive EQC appearance for METU Unicorns, who impressed by finishing joint third last year with the Nottingham Nightmares. The Unicorns won both the Turkish Quidditch Cup and Turkish Quidditch League in 2016, with a record of 18-2 in the two competitions.

EQC 2017 Group B Preview

With European Quidditch Cup (EQC) 2017 rapidly approaching, the Quidditch Post takes a look at each of the teams competing in this year’s tournament.

Group B

Virtute Romana

by Dina Caruso

Virtute Romana Quidditch, the current Italian national champions and champions of their regional “Girone Rosso,” are Italy’s strongest team. Under the captaincy of Giorgia Quinti, Virtute Romana Quidditch were able to steal the national title from Green Tauros at the “Torneo Nazionale” last May.

EQC 2017 Group A Preview

With European Quidditch Cup (EQC) 2017 rapidly approaching, the Quidditch Post takes a look at each of the teams competing in this year’s tournament.

Group A

Warwick Quidditch Club

By Dina Caruso and Hannah Dignum

Editor’s Note: both Dina Caruso and Hannah Dignum are affiliated with the team.

After their early exit at the 2017 British Quidditch Cup, Warwick Quidditch Club will be entering the tournament with a renewed vigour.

International Weekend Wrap-Up - December 17-18

Contributions by Marco Anglano, Lena Mandahus, and Lucas Szykula

There is a lot going on in the world of quidditch on any particular weekend, and most of us only see the stories immediately relevant to our regions. However, it can be very interesting to look outside of our own bubble every once in a while and take a look at the rest of the global community. To that end, each week the Quidditch Post collects information about tournaments and events that happened during the weekend around the world.

This week we are covering some international friendlies with teams from Austria and Germany, Girone Rosso, part of the Lega Quidditch (Quidditch League) in Italy, and the international Copa del Sur in Argentina.

The Italian Quidditch League

By Marco Anglano and Fabrizio Delle Grazie

So far, the highest level Italian quidditch tournament was the Torneo Nazionale AIQ, with three editions, in 2014 (winner: Lunatica Quidditch Club), 2015 (GreenTauros Quidditch Torino), and 2016 (Virtute Romana Quidditch). For the 2016-17 season, the Associazione Italiana Quidditch (AIQ) has decided to reorganize this event, creating the Lega Quidditch (Quidditch League).

The Lega Quidditch consists of three interregional tournaments called Girone Verde, Girone Bianco, and Girone Rosso (Green, White, and Red, referring to the Italian tricolour) and a national event at the end, which is called Coppa Italiana (Italian Cup).

World Cup 2016: Spotlight on Italy

By Bex McLaughlin and Matt O’Connor, with additional reporting by Niccolò Andrea and Claudio Svaluto

Note: An Italian translation will be added to the article in the coming days.

History

Quidditch’s beginnings in Italy can be traced to Dec. 2011 after Michele Clabassi, who would become the first president of Associazione Italiana Quidditch (AIQ), watched YouTube videos of World Cup V which had just taken place the previous month in New York City. He then launched the national governing body’s (NGB) Facebook page and translated the rulebook. Word of the game spread incredibly fast, with three teams competing at the first Italian nationals in June of 2012.

Preview: Torneo Nazionale Quidditch 2016

By Niccolò Andrea Carissimo and Chula Bruggeling

Editor’s Note: Niccolò Andrea Carissimo will be playing for Bombarda Brixia Quidditch Club for the Torneo Nazionale Quidditch 2016.

Barely a month after Italy hosted the European Quidditch Cup (EQC) 2016, the Torneo Nazionale Quidditch 2016 (TN16), otherwise known as the Italian National Tournament, will see eight teams fight for the glory. This year the tournament will be held in Vignola, in Northern Italy, on May 14-15.

EQC 2016 To Be Held In Italy

The Quidditch Post can now officially reveal that the 2016 European Quidditch Cup (EQC 2016) will be held in Gallipoli, Italy. The venue will be Ecoresort Le Sirenè, located 5 kilometers outside Gallipoli itself. The dates of the tournament have not yet been finalised, but will be announced shortly, and will be between April 2 and 26 inclusive. The winning bid from the Italian town was competing against one other bid, also from Italy.

European Games 2015: Triumphs and Controversies

By Abby Whiteley

Introduction

On 25–26 July 2015, the inaugural European Games were held in Sarteano, Italy. Teams representing 12 European nations came together in the first tournament of its kind to play for the title of European champions. After a nail-biting final against the United Kingdom, France took the championship 80*-40, which followed its victory at the 2015 European Quidditch Cup (EQC) and established its position as the strongest quidditch nation in Europe. This tournament brought with it fantastic matches and exciting indications for the development of quidditch in Europe, as well as  a couple of controversies along the way. Here we will look at the performances of each national team and break down some of the conversations brought on by the tournament.

France Captures European Games Over UK

by Andy Marmer (French translation by Sherrie Talgeri and Morgane Leclerc)

A new chapter was added to one of quidditch’s most intense rivalries as the United Kingdom and France met again in a major tournament and, in following recent trends, the latter once again emerged on top, overcoming its rival 90*-50 in the finals of the first ever IQA European Games.

Stampeding to Sarteano: Italy

by Abby Whiteley and Marco Minò (Italian translation by Claudio Svaluto)

Introduction

Quidditch emerged in Italy in 2011 when the first team, the Milano Meneghins, was established by Michele Clabassi armed with a translated copy of Rulebook 5. More teams were created in the following years, and now six teams are members of the Associazione Italiana Quidditch (AIQ), with around a dozen unofficial teams in the country. Italy did not manage to make it to last year’s Global Games, but sent three teams to the European Quidditch Cup (EQC), of which Green-Tauros Quidditch Torino (the current Italian champions) did exceptionally well by finishing in ninth place. The Green Tauros were possibly the biggest surprise at EQC, and the other two teams punched well above their weight given the squads were rather small. This EQC revealed a glimpse of the talent that Italy has to offer and, although it has hovered in the fringes of European quidditch for a couple of years, it will certainly be a team to watch at this tournament.

EQC Division 1 Team Reviews

On the 18 and 19 April, the 2015 European Quidditch Cup (EQC) was held in Oxford, UK. With 32 teams from 11 regions, it was the biggest quidditch tournament held outside North America to date. Now that the dust has settled, our writers review how each team performed, starting with the 16 teams who made it into Division 1.

EQC 2015 Group Predictions - Part 1 (A - C)

After the excitement of USQ World Cup 8, we will be spending the next few days going through the eight groups that will decide who goes into Division 1 and Division 2 at this weekend's European Quidditch Cup 2015 in Oxford, UK. Stay tuned as we delve into what groups A, B, and C hold in store for us with the help of our talented analysts!

Onward to Oxford: Green-Tauros Quidditch

As part of our efforts to preview all 32 teams competing in the European Quidditch Cup (EQC), the Quidditch Post is chatting with representatives from each team. Today we spoke with Michele Genovese, captain of Green-Tauros Quidditch Torino.

Onward to Oxford: Milano Meneghins

As part of our efforts to preview all 32 teams competing in the European Quidditch Cup (EQC), the Quidditch Post is chatting with representatives from each team. Today we spoke with Michele Clabassi, captain of the Milano Meneghins.

Italy Hosts First Regional Tournament

English by Andy Marmer based on a translation by Dario Donnarumma
Italian by Marco Anglano

This year is already an exciting one for Italian Quidditch. In addition to sending three teams to the 2015 European Quidditch Cup (EQC) in Oxford, United Kingdom and hosting a National Championship in May in Rome, four teams from Puglia competed in the first Italian regional tournament earlier this month. Levante Quidditch Bari (Bari), Lunatica Quidditch Club (Brindisi), Lupiae Quidditch Academy (Lecce), and Strix Tarentum Quidditch (Taranto) faced off in the Torneo del Tacco.

Onward to Oxford: Lunatica

Translated by Marco Anglano

As part of our efforts to preview all 32 teams competing in the European Quidditch Cup (EQC), the Quidditch Post is chatting with representatives from each team. Today we spoke with Andrea Miglietta, captain of Lunatica Quidditch Club.

The Quidditch Road: Lunatica and Barcelona

By Laurens Grinwis Plaat Stultjes

One year ago today, the 2013-14 European Quidditch Cup was played in Brussels, Belgium. In 75 days, the European Quidditch Cup of this season will happen in Oxford, UK. So I was wondering how are the teams that competed last year doing? And how did they even start with quidditch in the first place? Welcome to The Quidditch Road. For today, I sat down with Andrea Miglietta (Lunatica QC) and Alba Arrieta Sayalero (Barcelona Eagles).

A Little Piece of Italy/ Un pezzo d'Italia

By Andrea Miglietta

“Italians lose wars as if they were football matches, and football matches as if they were wars” - Sir Winston Churchill.

Even Winston Churchill understood that, for the majority of Italians, football is comparable to a war, a real faith.

Sporting Italy is generally conservative and unwilling to change, especially in the south. So when it comes to dealing with a sport which the public considers childish due to its origins, difficulties arise.