Quidditch pitch

"Zacharias Mumps describes the fourteenth-century pitch as oval-shaped, five hundred feet long and a hundred and eighty feet wide with a small central circle (approximately two feet in diameter) in the middle"

— The fourteenth-century pitch

The Quidditch World Cup Final Pitch in 1994

A Quidditch pitch was the area where a Quidditch match took place, typically in the shape of an oval, five hundred feet long and a hundred and eighty feet wide, with a small central circle of approximately two feet in diameter. At each end there were three hooped goalposts of different heights, surrounded by a scoring area. The early barrel-goals had been replaced by baskets on stilts, but whilst these were practical, they did carry an inherent problem: there was no size restriction on the baskets, which differed dramatically from pitch to pitch.

By 1620, scoring areas had been added at each end of the pitch, and an additional rule in the game dictated that only one Chaser was allowed in these areas at any given time. In addition, the size of the baskets themselves had reduced considerably, although there was still a certain amount of variation between pitches. Regulations were finally introduced in 1883, which replaced the baskets with hoops of a fixed size.

Description

At the time of the introduction of the Golden Snitch, a standard Quidditch pitch consisted of an elongated oval playing area five hundred feet long and a hundred and eighty feet wide. It had a small circle at the centre, approximately two feet in diameter, from which all the balls were released at the start of the game. Because Quidditch is an aerial sport, Quidditch pitches usually feature spectator seating at high vantage points, whether in towers (such as at Hogwarts) or in a fully-encircling platform style (such as the British stadium that held the 1994 Quidditch World Cup).

History

Anti-Muggle security

"Choose areas of deserted moorland far from Muggle habitations and make sure that you cannot be seen once you take off on your brooms. Muggle-repelling charms are useful if you are setting up a permanent pitch. It is advisable, too, to play at night."

— Zacharias Mumps emphasising the need for anti-Muggle security on pitches

A diagram of a seventeenth-century pitch, included in the book "The Noble Sport of Warlocks", by Quintius Umfraville

Quidditch pitches were built in places where they will not attract Muggle attention. This began in 1398 when the wizard Zacharias Mumps emphasised the need for anti-Muggle security while playing the game. The advice of Mumps must not, historically, have always been followed as, in 1362, the Wizards' Council outlawed playing Quidditch within fifty miles of a known Muggle town. This was amended in 1368, possibly due to the growing popularity of the game. This amendment made the playing of the sport within one hundred miles of a Muggle town illegal.

The International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy of 1692 made all Ministries of Magic responsible for the consequences of magical sports in their territories. The Department of Magical Games and Sports was created for this purpose. Quidditch teams that flouted Ministry guidelines were disbanded. One such instance was the Banchory Bangers.

Burning Baskets

"Bring Back Our Baskets! This was the cry heard from Quidditch fans across the nation last night as it became clear that the Department of Magical Games and Sports had decided to burn the baskets used for centuries for goal-scoring in Quidditch"

— The Daily Prophet

In 1883, baskets were removed from the game and replaced by goalposts, much to the anger of Quidditch fans in Europe. The Quidditch pitch has not been altered since.

Known Quidditch pitches

Historic pitches

Queerditch Marsh was the location where Kwidditch (a primitive form of Quidditch) evolved.

School Quidditch pitches

Hogwarts Quidditch pitch

The Hogwarts Quidditch pitch

An undecorated Hogwarts Quidditch pitch

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry had its own pitch where Quidditch teams could practise, hold try-outs and play matches against each other. Each year would see a total of six inter-house matches (each house competing for the Inter-House Quidditch Cup), along with numerous training sessions by each house team. The stands surrounding the pitch would be decorated differently for each Quidditch match at Hogwarts. Every second stand would be decorated with the colours of one team, and every other stand with the colours of the opposing team. Spectators would sit in between these stands.

In 1994, tall hedges were grown on it, in order for it to be used as the location of the Triwizard Tournament's Third Task, the Maze.

Hogwarts training pitch

The Quidditch Training Pitch was a Quidditch pitch located in the Hogwarts grounds, smaller than the Quidditch Stadium where actual games are held. A noticeable difference is that this training pitch does not contain any goal hoops, rendering it unusable to play actual matches, and this is presumably why team Captains prefer to use the Stadium instead. It does not, however, have any spectator stands, preventing students from other Houses spying easily on the training.

Beauxbatons Quidditch pitch

The Beauxbatons Quidditch pitch

The Palace of Beauxbatons featured its own Quidditch pitch, which had a view of the Pyrenees, and large, palatial stands.

Durmstrang Quidditch pitch

The Durmstrang Quidditch pitch

Durmstrang Institute's Quidditch pitch had a view of the Scandinavian mountains, the Durmstrang Ship, and wooden stands.

Ilvermorny Quidditch pitch

The Ilvermorny Quidditch pitch

Ilvermorny's Quidditch pitch had a view of the forests on Mount Greylock and wooden stands.

British and Irish Quidditch League pitches

Five known stadia used by the British and Irish Quidditch League are as below:

Stadia	Locations
Bodmin Moor Millenium Stadium	Bodmin Moor, Cornwall
Ellis Moor Quidditch Stadium	Ellis Moor, Great Britain
Exmoor Quidditch Stadium	Exmoor, England
Ilkley Moor Quidditch Stadium	Ilkley Moor, Yorkshire
Yorkshire Moors Quidditch Stadium	North York Moors, Yorkshire

Quidditch World Cup Stadia

1994 Quidditch World Cup Final Stadium

"The pitch looked smooth as velvet from their lofty position. At either end of the pitch stood three goal posts, fifty feet high [...] "

— The Quidditch World Cup pitch

The Quidditch Trillenium Stadium

In 1994, the Quidditch World Cup final was held in England. It was surrounded by a forest and had certain protections around it so that Muggles would not be able to perceive, approach, nor penetrate the location. The stands for viewing surrounded the entire pitch, and rose dozens of stories into the air. There was also a Minister's Box, higher and in a better location than all the other seating areas. Cornelius Fudge, Lucius Malfoy, Draco Malfoy, Ludo Bagman, the Bulgarian Minister for Magic, and several others sat in this box.

National pitches

The following pitches are those associated with respective National Quidditch Teams:

Stadia	Region	Notes
American National Quidditch Stadium	United States of America	Located in the New England area with a strong autumnal, colonial American feel. The stands are coloured in the American flag colours, red, blue and white. On these stands jack-o-lanterns are lit. Small pumpkin patches spring on the field below.
Australian National Quidditch Stadium	Australia	Set in a rocky canyon hidden in The Central Australian Outback. Most of the pitch including the stands are the colour orange. There are flags set around the stands that bear the colours white and red with two kangaroos.
Bulgarian National Quidditch Stadium	Bulgaria	Set in a dark castle.
English National Quidditch Stadium	Great Britain	Set in an old, ivy-covered British castle. The stands are made of brick, small flags are set across the stands bearing the colours red, white and, on some flags, yellow.
French National Quidditch Stadium	France	Resembles the Palace of Versailles, with opulent gardens covering the field.
German National Quidditch Stadium	Germany	Resembles a medieval walled city. It even has a fountain within its walls. The Neuschwanstein Castle can sometimes be seen in the background beyond the forest.
Japanese National Quidditch Stadium	Japan	Set in a palace, with a massive koi pond replacing the field and the stands set in pagoda towers. The stands are huge, and green, gold and red in colour.
Nordic National Quidditch Stadium	Scandinavia	Set in a massive glacier crevasse, within which small stands are located. The goalposts are greenish-blue, as is the outline of the pitch.
Spanish National Quidditch Stadium	Spain	Resembles a Bull Fighting Arena. It has huge stands that are made of stone. The whole pitch, including the goal posts and stands, is a rocky brown-colour.

Behind the scenes

• In the films, the layout of the pitch is different from the books. It is much wider and has a larger centre circle with a halfway line.
• In Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup, all nine featured national teams have their own pitches.

Appearances

Quidditch pitch as seen in Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells

• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
• Quidditch Through the Ages
• Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
• LEGO Harry Potter
• Pottermore
• Harry Potter: The Character Vault
• Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery
• Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells
• Harry Potter: Magic Awakened
• Hogwarts Legacy
• Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions