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USQ Update

10th Edition of Rulebook Released

US Quidditch Rulebook 10 is now available and will be in effect for the 2016-2017 season.

The US Quidditch rules team has been hard at work on this release for the last year, and USQ is excited to announce the release of the 10th edition of the rulebook. The USQ rules team, comprised of year round USQ volunteers and referees, has been meeting weekly throughout the 2015-16 season to go over potential changes and additions to the rules of quidditch. Between the team, they have over 35 years of experience as both players, officials, and volunteers in the sport.

US Quidditch Rulebook 10 can be accessed online here. The print version of the rulebook will be available for sale later this summer.

This rulebook will go into effect for the 2016-2017 season in the United States. To view the full changelog from the ninth edition, please view Appendix E in the rulebook.

Summary of Major Changes

US Quidditch makes changes to the rulebook for several different reasons: to improve the clarity of existing rules, to make the game safer and flow better, and to make sure the rulebook is consistent with the way the game is evolving.

Player Area Size

Rulebook 10 reduces the length of the player area from 84 to 72 yards. This reduces the distance between the backpoint of the pitch and the ends of the player area boundary from 12 yards down to 6 yards. The width of the player area, as well as the dimensions and markings of the pitch (pill shape), are unchanged, save for a small adjustment to the placement of the initial ball marks.

Snitch Handicaps

Rulebook 9 provided for the inclusion of snitch handicaps, and provided a suggested list of such handicaps for tournament directors to use, without providing suggested times at which to implement them. Rulebook 10 mandates the handicaps, their order, and the game time of their implementations for all official games. Additionally, it disallows tournament directors from implementing additional handicaps.

Declining a Snitch Catch

Rulebook 10 provides a limited option for the catching team to decline their catch when the head referee changes their call on a goal. This option may only be exercised if all of the following are true: the catch occurred after the initial signal of the incorrect call from the head referee (signals from other officials do not count), the catch occurred before that call is corrected, and the 10 point change in the would-be final score from the adjusted call affects whether the period ends in a tie. To clarify the meaning of the last provision, if the change of the call on the goal or non-goal only affects the margin of victory or defeat, then the team cannot decline their catch. However, if the change of the goal call turns a would-be win or loss into a tie, or turns a would-be tie into a win or loss, then the catching team is provided with the option of declining or accepting their catch.

Right of Way

Rulebook 10 establishes a standard of right of way for interactions between players of different positions who are not allowed to interact.

Gender Maximum Rule

Rulebook 10 adjusts the gender maximum rule (renamed in accordance with the change). Seekers will no longer be excluded when applying the gender maximum rule. During the seeker floors of regulation and overtime, teams will be restricted to a maximum of 4 players who identify as the same gender in play at any one time. At the end of the seeker floor, that maximum will be increased to 5.

To improve transparency, Appendix F (not included in Rulebook 10) provides basic reasoning for several notable changes and is available here. Also, a large version of the field lining diagram that appears page 30 is also accessible here.