By Cameron Caccamo, QA Media Director

Quidditch Australia has today announced that the 2018 State Shield will be played in Newcastle over the weekend of October 13th and 14th. The games will take place at Wanderer’s Oval inside Magic Park, the home ground of Broadmeadow Magic Football Club.

Newcastle Quidditch Club has successfully hosted the annual Midwinter Cup tournament for several years, most recently just this past weekend. With plenty of tournament management experience and a fantastic location, 2018’s State Shield will be an event to remember.

With a capacity of 1000, Magic Park makes for a fantastic place to host State Shield 2018

The State Shield is Quidditch Australia’s premiere tournament. Each year, the best players around the country gather to play for their state and for glory. Last year, the Victorian Leadbeaters emerged victorious in Brisbane, seeing off the NSW Bluetongues and the Queensland Thunderbirds.

More details about the event, including which teams will feature this year, are to be announced shortly.

Magic Park has a top-quality surface and floodlights for night time playing!

The President of the Newcastle Quidditch Club, Eleonora Leopardi, is excited to see such high-level Quidditch come to Newcastle, saying that this tournament “will showcase the best of Quidditch to the students at the University and the local community.”

“We are confident that with the assistance of Quidditch Australia, as well as the effective collaboration with Magic FC and the University of Newcastle, we will be able to provide a great tournament experience for teams and spectators”

– Eleonora Leopardi, Newcastle Quidditch Club President

Leopardi also highlighted that the entire weekend will be a spectacle, as the Club will “focus on ensuring that everyone travelling to Newcastle for State Shield has a pleasant stay, before, during, and after the competition.”

Quidditch Australia’s Events Director, Merryn Christian, was very happy to have secured an excellent location for this year’s State Shield Tournament; saying “Newcastle offers a chance to engage the local community with our sport and show off the highest level of competition we have to offer.”

“After a successful inaugural year in Queensland, we are excited for what 2018 will bring as we continue to expand our sport across the country.” 

Quidditch Australia will be making a call out for volunteers to assist in the running of the event over the next week. Keep an eye on the Quidditch Australia Facebook page and this website for more information on the event.