As major tournaments across the Northern Hemisphere wind up and all eyes turn to the World Cup in Florence, teams in Australia have only just started their seasons and have a long wait before Nationals later this year. Quidditch Australia has just closed the QUAFL bidding process, and QA Today can exclusively reveal the bids that QA is mulling over.

Where do you think QUAFL will be in 2018? An announcement is expected this Friday on the Quidditch Australia Facebook page, so keep an eye on that.

Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia

The picturesque Perth skyline

Every QUAFL thus far has been held in South-East Australia – so why not give the West Coast some love? Centred in Curtin University, this bid promises more than just a whole new state, with a river cruise mooted as the post-tournament social event!

With Edinburgh Park as the nominated playing venue, the long travel time for many Australian players would be more than made up for by fantastic playing fields and the promise of a Wheelchair Quidditch Tournament.

Perth is an absolutely lovely city, and the growing WA Quidditch community is ready to show the country that they can run Australia’s biggest Quidditch tournament.

University of Sunshine Coast, Sunshine Coast, Queensland

USC has promised a Beach Quidditch event as a part of their bid

From one side of the country to the other, there is a bid from another state that has never hosted a QUAFL – the beautful Sunshine Coast. Hosting one of the biggest clubs in the country, USC is now hoping to host the biggest tournament in Australian quidditch history.

USC Quidditch Club have offered their regular playing fields, which are on-campus at Sippy Downs. Having hosted multiple events there – from the regular USC Quidditch League internal competition, to QAQ Rounds, to Sunshine Coast Fantasy – these fields have seen plenty of Quidditch, and the club has plenty of experience running tournaments.

With a stellar event lineup planned, including Wheelchair Quidditch, Kidditch, and a wind-down beach quidditch event on the Monday, this promises to be a fantastic destination for QUAFL if QA chooses this bid.

Victoria Park Minto, Sydney, NSW

The spacious fields of Victoria Park, with adjoining Kayess Park having even more space

Out of the hustle-and-bustle of central Sydney, the suburb of Minto and the Macarthur Weasleys could play host to QUAFL at Victoria and Kayess Parks, potentially bringing Australia’s biggest tournament back to the Harbour City.

Both Victoria and Kayess Parks are huge, and could fit dozens of pitches – meaning a centralised tournament. The Weasley’s have hosted two NQL rounds at the location, so they know what they’re doing when it comes to running a large tournament.

Despite the distance from Sydney city, the parks are accessible by train and with plenty of car spots, this will be an easy tournament to get to for locals – and for those travelling from interstate, the Weasley’s have offered billeting options as well, making it an attractive destination no matter where you’re from.

AIS, Canberra, ACT

The pristine AIS fields, that can hold up rain, hail or shine.

For the past two years QUAFL has been hosted at the pristine fields of the Australian Institute of Sport, and QA could easily take the tournament back there for a third time.

A more central location for many of our teams with plenty of cheap accommodation, Canberra is a great spot to make the sport look professional as well. Don’t forget the options for social events – who isn’t keen for another trip to Mooseheads?

The facilities at AIS are incredible, with plenty of high-quality fields and amenities. Despite the horrendous weather last year the fields (mostly) held up and the event ran fine, so if it isn’t broke, why fix it?

Keep an eye on the Facebook page of Quidditch Australia to see which of these locations will host QUAFL 2018.