The British and Irish Quidditch League

• Type: Professional Quidditch Sporting League
• Location: Great Britain and Ireland
• Governing Body: Department of Magical Games and Sports
• Number of Teams: Thirteen

The British and Irish Quidditch League is the premier professional Quidditch competition for teams in Great Britain and Ireland. Established in 1674, the League brings together the thirteen top professional teams to compete annually for the coveted League Cup. (QTA) The format consists of a season-long tournament where each team plays all other competing teams. The team that accumulates the most points by the end of the season is declared the champion. The league is overseen and regulated by the Department of Magical Games and Sports, which sets the rules and ensures fair play. For instance, the Department has had to intervene to enforce regulations, such as preventing teams from using wands against their opponents during matches. (QTA) For many young witches and wizards, playing in the League is a major ambition, and the teams command fierce loyalty from supporters across the wizarding community. Success in the League is often a stepping stone for players to be selected for their national teams to compete in the Quidditch World Cup.

While the League's matches are not directly depicted in the novels, it forms a significant and ever-present part of the wizarding world's culture and background. The allegiances of main characters to specific teams reveal much about them, most notably Ron Weasley's long-suffering and passionate support for the Chudley Cannons. His bedroom at The Burrow is decorated with the team's bright orange posters. The League represents a tangible career path for talented Hogwarts players. After graduating, Gryffindor Quidditch Captain Oliver Wood is signed to the reserve team for Puddlemere United. Following the Second Wizarding War, Ginny Weasley becomes a famous Chaser for the all-female Holyhead Harpies before retiring to become the senior Quidditch correspondent for the Daily Prophet. Furthermore, a key figure in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Ludo Bagman, is the Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports and a celebrated former Beater for the Wimbourne Wasps. His past fame as a professional player is a defining part of his character.

There are thirteen professional teams that compete in the League. All information regarding these teams is primarily sourced from the supplementary book Quidditch Through the Ages. (QTA)

• Appleby Arrows
• Ballycastle Bats
• Caerphilly Catapults
• Chudley Cannons (Ron Weasley's favourite team)
• Falmouth Falcons
• Holyhead Harpies (An all-female team that Ginny Weasley later played for)
• Kenmare Kestrels
• Montrose Magpies
• Pride of Portree
• Puddlemere United (The team whose reserves Oliver Wood joined)
• Tutshill Tornados
• Wigtown Wanderers
• Wimbourne Wasps (Ludo Bagman's former team)

The most comprehensive information about the British and Irish Quidditch League comes not from the main seven novels, but from the supplementary book Quidditch Through the Ages, written by J.K. Rowling under the pseudonym Kennilworthy Whisp for the charity Comic Relief. (QTA) J.K. Rowling confirmed Ginny Weasley's professional Quidditch career with the Holyhead Harpies in interviews following the publication of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. This information was later detailed on the Pottermore website, adding to the lore of the League beyond the original series. (J.K. Rowling interview), (Pottermore)