SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio is home to so many unique sports teams and now the Alamo City will be represented in Major League Quidditch.
What was once known the magical game from Harry Potter is now a competitive full-contact sport played by over 600 teams in 40 countries.
“I played basketball in high school, I played some football,” said Louis Sanchez, a member of the Soldados. “I think basketball helps me the most because when I played basketball it is a very pass-first kind of game. So here there's like a lot of opportunities to find your teammates and pass them the ball. So knowing like lanes and stuff like that, it kind of helps.”
Sanchez has been playing Quidditch since college he said he has seen a couple of the Harry Potter movies, but that’s not why he joined the team.
“I saw it on Twitter. They posted they're having tryouts so I was just sitting on my bed and then just decided to go up and try out. I made it. I been playing ever since hearing about it,” said Sanchez.
“I would say if you heard of Harry Potter before I would try to forget that aspect because it's not really the same thing,” said Bailee Fields, the Saldados team manager.
Like most sports, Quidditch is a combination of strategy and athleticism with the main objective getting the ball through the opponents hoop. It’s fun, but it's intense.
“They initiated the two-hand tackle. So now you just see people getting laid out left and right. So it's kind of it's kind of crazy how intense and how physical can get,” Sanchez said. “Like you think it's a bunch of nerds just coming out here doing having fun but people will get laid out and it's interesting.”
The rules may seem complicated, but again, it’s all about scoring on the opponents’ goals with some other challenges.
“We will have a bludger which are the players you see with the dodge balls there. If you get hit by the bludger then you have to just not from your room go to your side of the hoops. Touch it and then come back down,” said Fields.
And like Harry Potter, you have an opportunity to catch the golden snitch.
“The golden snitch is worth 45 points so that'll just put whoever on top,” said Fields.
If you’re interested in the teams schedule, gear, or how to get tickets to see them live, checkout the website by clicking here.