Quidditch referee

Warning!

At least some content in this article is derived from information featured in Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions. Spoilers will be present within the article.

"While there have been no proven referee slayings since [1357], there have been several incidences of broom-tampering over the centuries, the most dangerous being the transformation of the referee's broom into a Portkey, so that he or she is whisked away from the match halfway through and turns up months later in the Sahara Desert."

— Kennilworthy Whisp on the dangers of being a Quidditch referee, Quidditch Through the Ages^[src]

Rolanda Hooch match 2 — Rolanda Hooch refereeing the 1991–1992 school year Quidditch game

A Quidditch referee (also known as a Quijudge during the early days of the game) was the individual responsible for adjudicating a Quidditch match. Referees were usually extremely brave wizards and witches, and in Great Britain are selected by the Department of Magical Games and Sports. Each referee had to be an excellent flier, and capable of watching the antics of fourteen players at once. They were required to take rigorous flying tests, and written examination on the rules of the game, and prove — through a series of trials — that they will not jinx or curse offensive players even while under pressure.

Referees had to deal with broom-tampering over the centuries, with the most dangerous example being the turning of a referee's broomstick into a Portkey. The referee was subsequently found months later in the Sahara Desert.

Despite the dangers involved with the job, only one referee, Cyprian Youdle, was ever killed during a Quidditch match.^[1]

Some Quidditch referees owned Referee Helmets, and some used whistles as well, used to signal the ends of games, or any pauses or breaks needed.

Known Quidditch referees[]

Cyprian Youdle
Cyprien Alesi
Dietrich Frenzen
Erika Ostensen
Hassan Mostafa
Herman Junker
Josiah Plunkett
Leopoldina Smethwyck
Nugent Potts
Rolanda Hooch (at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry)
Severus Snape (at Hogwarts, one game in 1992)

Appearances[]

Notes and references[]

↑ Quidditch Through the Ages, Chapter 6 (Changes in Quidditch since the Fourteenth Century)

Game of Quidditch

Officials: Quidditch referee
Player positions: Beater • Chaser • Keeper • Seeker
Playing equipment: Beater's bat • Bludger • Broomstick • Golden Snitch • Quaffle

[1] Quidditch Through the Ages, Chapter 6 (Changes in Quidditch since the Fourteenth Century)

[1]