The UCLA Club Quidditch Team is a co-ed organization affiliated with UCLA Recreation Club Sports. Our players come from all backgrounds: from those who enjoyed the Harry Potter series as children, to those simply looking for an exciting sport to participate in while in college. In fact, our founder has never even read the Harry Potter books!
UCLA Club Quidditch is one of over 200 official teams registered with US Quidditch, the sport’s governing body dedicated to organizing regional and national tournaments across the country. We have 60 active members across two teams: UCLA Quidditch and the Wizards of Westwood. The Wizards team focuses on developing the skills of newer players, while UCLA aims to set competitive goals and accomplish them during tournaments.
Unlike most club sports, we are 100% student run— our officers do all of the work of a coach without payment. Our president, Nicole Finegan, estimates that she and the other officers spend around 10-15 hours per week on managing the club, which includes coordinating travel to tournaments, communicating with UCLA Club Sports, fundraising, and organizing community service opportunities.
We have humble beginnings as a modest group of nerds led by Tom Marks, our founder, who stored equipment in their tiny dorm rooms and scraped together a group of friends for a game every once in a while. Since then, UCLA Quidditch has been a force to reckon with, procuring the Western Regionals Championship in 2013, coming in second place at our national tournament against 77 teams (from four countries), qualifying for our national tournament for 6 years straight, and having our very own Netflix documentary called Mudbloods. To this day, our quidditch program has dedicated itself to honoring True Bruin Values and improving our skills as athletes, while providing an inclusive space for students of all skill levels to excel in.
This year, UCLA Quidditch has a full roster of 21 amazing individuals that battled it out against the top 25 west coast quidditch teams in the US Quidditch West Regional Championships for 9 bids to go to Nationals. UCLA Quidditch went 6-1 at the tournament and handily earned their spot. We will continue to push this momentum towards the national tournament in Florida, competing against the nation’s top 60 teams in April.
Outside of the game, we prioritize giving back to the Los Angeles community whenever possible. This has included volunteering at local schools and events to teach children as young as six all the way through high school about the sport. We bring equipment and spend several hours explaining the game and playing with them to encourage a love for sports at a young age, as well as to bring the magic of Harry Potter to our local community. UCLA Club Quidditch has volunteered all over Los Angeles, including at the Commerce Public Library, Cub Scouts Pack 311, Barnes and Noble at The Grove, and the YALLWEST Santa Monica book festival. More locally, dozens of our players donate blood every quarter to the UCLA Blood and Platelet center.
Last year, our expenses were roughly $18,000. This includes the cost of flights, rental cars, tournament fees, replacing broken equipment, and more. UCLA Club Quidditch receives the vast majority of its funding from its members— dedicated students who often have barely enough time to play outside of classes, part-time jobs, and preparing for their futures. While getting the opportunity to go to Nationals is exciting, flights alone can be over $400 per player.
When you donate to UCLA Club Quidditch, your money will go to making US Quidditch Cup 10 more affordable for our players. Our team is a tight-knit family that unfortunately lacks the funds to send all of its players to Nationals every year, and our goal this year is to bring our full roster of 21 players.
Use the levitation spell to raise our total sum by $3!
We'll mail you a postcard from Nationals signed by the whole team! (A $7 tax-deductible gift)
We'll send you a cool action shot of a signed photo of the player of your choice! (A $10 tax-deductible gift)
Terrify one of the UCLA Quidditch Players by having them pied in the face! Choose one player to have pied in the face! We will upload a video on social media for the world to see! Just make sure to name the player you want pied in your donation.
We'll mail you a UCLA quidditch t-shirt! Choose from two designs. (a $10 tax-deductible gift)
We will mail you an item of your choice from Harry Potter World in Orlando, Florida under $10! Includes shipping. (A $20 tax-deductible gift)
Get your own UCLA Quidditch Calendar filled with your favorite Quidditch Players and dates. ($35 for a calendar with only pictures of your favorite UCLA Quidditch player)( A $10 tax-deductible gift)
A cool gift for our fellow quidditch teams also going to nationals! You get: 1. A set of team hair bows! Choose two colors and you get up to 15 homemade hair bows for the ladies of your team. 2. Choose one of your games and we'll come cheer you on (as long as it's not during one of ours) ( A $15 tax-deductible gift)
We will mail you a broom signed by the whole team! (A $30 tax-deductible gift)
We will mail you a quaffle signed by the whole team! (A $28 tax-deductible gift)
We will mail you an item of your choice from Harry Potter World in Orlando, FL under $30! (A $30 tax-deductible gift).
Two great perks for the price of one! You get: 1. The team will volunteer at the Los Angeles-based organization of your choice for the WHOLE day! 2. A UCLA quidditch t-shirt (A $60 tax-deductible gift).
We will bring our equipment to you and teach your private group how to play quidditch! We teach kids ("kidditch"), adults, and do birthday parties! Please reach out in advance for more details. Must be within 35-mile radius of UCLA. If you are out of this range, please email us at uclaquidditchfundraising@gmail.com and we can discuss your situation. (A $100 tax-deductible gift)
Our very own Zachary Chiu, a dedicated chef who has worked all over the world in famous kitchens such as Gordon Ramsay's, will cater your private event of up to 5 people! Please reach out in advance to uclaquidditchfundraising@gmail.com for more details. (A$190 tax-deductible gift)