Dressed in round Harry Potter glasses along with a striped Gryffindor tie, Mayor Joseph Solomon delivered exciting news that Warwick will host the Northeast Quidditch Championship for 2019 and 2020. Games last about a half hour and are fast paced. The tournament will be played Oct. 26 and 27.

Quidditch?

“Since its inception in 2005, Quidditch has grown into 170 official teams, 4,000 players, nine annual championship events, and garnered hundreds of thousands of fans nationwide. For the first time ever, the Northeast Championship series is coming to our great City of Warwick,” Solomon said for those who might wonder as he addressed the media Tuesday at the Warwick Public Library.

Executive Director of the Rhode Island Sports Commission John Gibbons said, “I think we’re going to have good crowds.” While the president/CEO of the Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau, Kristen Adamo, noted, “This doesn’t happen in a vacuum, and working together with everyone to make this happen has been a lot of fun.”

The U.S Quidditch Organization decided to hold their North East Regional Championship in Rhode Island for the next two years. The games, to be held at Confreda Sports Complex are free to attend. Additionally, during that weekend Warwick Public Library Director, Chris LaRoux, has Harry Potter-themed events for people to enjoy at the library. Anytime between 1 and 3 p.m. people will be able to “Create a Howler” in the Idea Studio, and participate in Harry Potter board games, and Quidditch cornhole in the larger meeting room.

The sport of U.S Quidditch started in 2005 at Middlebury College in Vermont by students Xander Manshel, and Alex Benepe. Together they sought a variation from their normal Sunday activities and gathered friends to layout the foundation for the game. In 2008 the sport was featured on MTV and in USA Today, and two years later U.S Quidditch incorporated a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.  

Quidditch’s rules follow a similar strategy of that in the Harry Potter books, in that each team has one Seeker and Keeper, two Beaters, and three Chasers. The goal of the game is to earn as many points as possible by each Chaser throwing a Quaffle worth 10 points into one of the three hoops. Each team has two Beaters whose role is to disrupt other players by throwing Bludger balls at them. The game only ends when the Snitch worth 30 points is caught by the Seeker. Since Muggles do not possess the use of magic, some of the rules have been altered. For instance, the Snitch is a runner dressed in yellow who wears a Velcro tail attached to their shorts.

At Tuesday’s announcement, the library meeting room was decorated with a flying broomstick, Harry Potter character banners, and Harry Potter house teams like Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw.

Gibbons said “Warwick is the perfect place to host this event” because, “They have great field space, reasonable prices, and a nice hotel package right here in the community with everything close by.”

Gibbons also told the audience how this past weekend, the girl’s RI State Hockey Tournament run by Olympic gold medallist Sara DeCosta-Hayes, “Had over 100 hockey teams in attendance, and that event generated over one million dollars in economic impact.”

Solomon added that, “The quidditch tournament is likewise expected to have a great impact on the local economy as we bring this popular event here. We are expected to see over a quarter of a million dollars of direct spending and some 200 room nights booked here in Warwick alone.”

He said, “Our convenient location makes us an essential hub for those looking to explore New England and take advantage of our terrific recreational facilities. We are thrilled to welcome the Northeast Regional Quidditch Championship to not only the 2019 season, but the 2020 season as well.

In closing, Adamo noted that, “Without the fields and flexibility that Warwick shows, some of these events wouldn’t be booked. It’s a free event and we’re trying to get a couple food trucks, but it’s a great way to show kids about athletics and encourages kids to read.”

Although it was not known if the University of Rhode Island’s team the “Rhody Ridgebacks” would be participating, Gibbons hopes that they would. He stated that many colleges including “Harvard University, Emerson, and Boston University” and other New England colleges and universities would be involved. “Warwick is a really budget friendly option,” Adamo said. “From Warwick, you can visit all over the state. It’s great for our sports businesses because a lot of our hotel rooms have double beds so families can stay together. We probably place about 20,000 hotel room nights a year in Warwick and that results in about $7 million in direct spending.”