Broomsticks up! NYC's Central Park Hosts Muggle Quidditch Games for College, High School Teams
New York, May 31st

In J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books, Quidditch is a game like soccer played by wizards and witches on flying broomsticks. The real-life version played by non-magical people known as Muggles stays earthbound, but the matches can be exciting nonetheless. The International Quidditch Association staged an exhibition on Sunday in New York's Central Park, with high school and college teams from around the Northeastern U.S. competing.

Youngsters then got to play, with coaching from Quidditch veterans. Nine-year-old Jivan Galper said he came to watch but thought it was pretty cool that he got to play Quidditch himself. Muggle Quidditch started in 2005 at Vermont's Middlebury College. The commissioner is Alex Benepe, the 23-year-old son of New York City Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe.

[Duchess Note - Many thanks to Josee in Canada who shared this article.]