J.K. Rowling invented Quidditch as the wizarding world’s broomstick sport in Harry Potter.
Quidditch is played by two teams of seven players flying on broomsticks. Each team has three Chasers, two Beaters, one Keeper, and one Seeker. Chasers score with the Quaffle, Beaters use bats to redirect Bludgers, and Seekers pursue the Golden Snitch.
The fictional game first appears in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, where Harry becomes Gryffindor’s Seeker. Catching the Golden Snitch usually ends a match and awards 150 points, although the team with the higher score does not always win if the opposing team has accumulated more points beforehand.
Rowling has said the name was inspired by the word “quaffle,” and the game’s rules developed as part of the series’ world-building. Real-world adaptations later changed the name in some settings, with “quadball” used by organizations that wanted to avoid trademark issues.