Velkommen til Oslo! MuggleNet Attends the European Quidditch Games 2017!

by · July 10, 2017

by Kjersti Brovold

Another European Quidditch Games in the books, and this one was definitely one to remember!

The games were held at Haraløkka Idrettsanlegg in Oslo, Norway, on July 8 and 9, and teams from 15 different countries competed for the top prize.

That atmosphere of the games was electric, and the abysmal weather didn’t keep the players and fans from having a fantastic time!

Day 1 was full of excitement, with 24 different matches happening throughout the day. At the end of the day, the Netherlands had the highest scoring game of the evening during their match with Sweden, besting them 210*–50. The Poland vs. Ireland game lasted 45 minutes and 48 seconds and managed to have 19 cards, three double yellows – one for Ireland and two for Poland. This became quite the topic of conversation during the rest of the games!

Sweden also set a record for having three cold-catches throughout the tournament (meaning Sweden caught the Snitch, but the other team still won). Rotten luck for Team Sweden!

In a short interview with Emily Oughtibridge, Head Coach of Team UK, she explained that Team UK trained by bringing in players from all over the UK to try out, and they had monthly training of about 35–40 players and chose the best players from that group. Team UK definitely were in it to win it, with Oughtibridge stating they really wanted to take home the gold this time.

The silver from 2015 still stings, and we’re definitely going for the gold. We just have to manage the roller-coaster of matches.

On Day 2, the competition really started heating up! Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Germany, Norway, Turkey, and the UK all advanced to the quarterfinals. Austria, Germany, Italy, and Turkey were all knocked out while Belgium, France, Norway, and the UK went on to the semifinals.

Team Norway and Team UK went head-to-head in the semifinals. Team Norway fought a good fight, and had a bit of a home field advantage, but were ultimately beaten by Team UK. France ended up taking Belgium out of the game and advanced to the finals against Team UK. Norway didn’t get completely knocked out of the medals, though, and ended up taking home third place in the Bronze Match against Belgium.

The finals were a nail biter! It was such a close game, but in the end, the champions of the European Quidditch Games 2017 were…

TEAM UK!

 

 

Team UK caught the Snitch and came out a mere 20 points over Team France, for a final score of 90*–70.

The energy and friendliness of these types of tournaments are really what makes them so special. There is so much fair play involved, and team coaches would often correct the scorekeepers, telling them the opposing team needed more points! There were also some trading cards available that people collected and traded with each other that featured players from each team! These cards are made by members of Team UK, Jan Mikolajczak, and Luke Twist and are available to buy online here! (They do ship internationally!)

The volunteers of the tournament also deserve a standing ovation for all their hard work. Volunteers often ran from pitch to pitch nonstop. Everything was very well organized, and everyone was easy to approach and welcoming if anyone had any questions.

Congratulations to Team UK for taking home the gold and to every person and team who participated and helped make European Quidditch Games 2017 kjempebra! Check out the gallery below for exclusive pictures of the games, as well as a list of each game and outcome!

While we may come from different places, and speak different tongues, our hearts beat as one.

 

 

European Quidditch Games 2017 Match List
* Indicates that the team caught the Snitch

Winning Team Losing Team

 

Day 1

France 100* Turkey 60

UK 70* Norway 60

Netherlands 100* Ireland 40

Germany 70* Catalonia 40

Spain 130* Italy 90

UK 80* France 20

Turkey 150* Belgium 120

Spain 180* Catalonia 110

Norway 140* Turkey 80

Slovakia 120 Sweden 50*

Poland 200* Ireland 140

France 140* Belgium 130

Netherlands 90* Poland 80

Ireland 120 Sweden 60*

UK 130* Turkey 30

Belgium 80* Norway 50

Germany 120* Spain 20

Slovakia 120* Ireland 60

Netherlands 210 Sweden 50*

Austria 100* Germany 90

Belgium 80* UK 70

France 150* Norway 50

Slovakia 110* Netherlands 60

Germany 170* Italy 40

 

Day 2

Round of 16

Belgium 200* Ireland 10

Germany 180* Poland 30

Italy 110* Spain 100

Turkey 160* Slovakia 20

Austria 100* Catalonia 40

Norway 190 Netherlands 60*

France 290* Sweden 10

 

Quarterfinals

France 280*  Italy 40

Belgium 120*  Germany 50

UK 140 Austria 30*

Norway 190* Turkey 120

 

Semifinals

UK 110*  Norway 40

France 80* Belgium 50

 

Bronze finals

Norway 140* Belgium 80

 

Finals

UK 90* France 70

Did you attend the European Quidditch Games in Oslo? Let us know in the comments below!

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Don’t forget! Tickets to MuggleNet Live! 2017: Nineteen Years Later are still available for purchase, and we would LOVE to meet you in Orlando for an amazing Potter fandom experience! Check out our website for details and then get your ticket to have a private, magical evening with MuggleNet and the awesome talent from the Potter films!