Snitches to Be Removed From Quidditch

More rule changes are coming to the game of quidditch, and they are not small.

News has been confirmed only this week that next year’s IQA rulebook will remove the snitch from the game. Games will instead be played for 20 minutes, with two 10-minute periods surrounding a five-minute half-time period. Along with the removal of the snitch, seekers and snitch referees were also removed.

Next year, the snitch corps may be no more. | Photo Credit: Sofia de la Vega Photography

IQA Executive Director Harrison Homel cited the sport’s growth for the change. “I understand this change will be a great disappointment to some players… [but] I think our choice will aid the long-term development of the sport,” he said.

Another IQA representative, who wishes to remain anonymous, expanded, “Quidditch is still seen as something of a joke in the sports community, and we (the IQA) believe removing the spectacle of seeking will add to the credibility of the sport.” 

The representative later explained that the arrival of a third element of gameplay late into the game only serves to confuse spectators. They also noted that the presence of the seeker is really just a formality in many games, and that “paying the snitch just to let us know when the game is over…seems like a needless waste [of] the precious little money our tournament directors can garner.”

On top of these reasons for the change, the representative bemoaned the restriction that seekers impose on jersey colors, preventing any jerseys from having yellow as their primary colour.

The IQA’s marketing director cited broadcasting as an additional reason for removing the seekers, stating, “Having the games end at consistent and predictable times makes quidditch much more marketable to broadcasting companies. The new 20 minute game time with a half-time break will really appeal to broadcasters and create natural advertisement slots giving quidditch a leg-up on other sports.”

The IQA’s official statement on the matter has yet to be put forth, but it is assumed that a full explanation will come with the release of the new IQA rulebook.

The change also cuts down on the number of volunteers required to run a tournament as snitches and snitch refs will no longer be required. It is hoped that this will lead to more people volunteering as referees. 

Changes of this magnitude are not unheard of in quidditch. This is, after all, a sport that once required players to wear capes. This is, of course, not the first change to seeking either. In earlier versions of the sport seekers and snitches traversed tournament venues with off-pitch seeking prior to the implementation of a seeker floor and eventually the removal of off-pitch seeking.

It is unknown at this time to what extent NGBs will adopt the new IQA rulebook.