It started off as the pastime of fictional young wizards but the sport of Quidditch has well and truly been brought to life.

And the regional team - Southwest Broadside - are through to the Quidditch Premier League Championship.

The Championship will be hosted at KCOM Craven Park Stadium in Hull - this is a non-ticketed event which anyone can attend, with food vendors, a Harry Potter shop and bouncy castle for spectators to enjoy.

This is a landmark occasion for the sport of Quidditch, the first time it has been played in a professional sports stadium in the UK.

This will be attended by the UK’s eight divisional teams, the Eastern Mermaids, the London Monarchs, the Southwest Broadside, the Southwest Knights, the Yorkshire Roses, the East Midlands Archers, the West Midlands Revolution, and the Northern Watch.

Quidditch is a competitive, inclusive sport with thousands of players worldwide. Many players play in university teams with a growing number of community teams in the UK.  

This summer, Hull will be hosting the Quidditch Premier League Championship, to determine the strongest teams in the UK and set their ranking in the Quidditch Premier League. This is the first time the sport has been played in a professional sports stadium and is a landmark in the sport’s history.

The Championship follows six divisional fixtures that have taken place throughout the UK since June. It will see eight teams battle it out for the title of national champions, marking the end to the QPL’s inaugural season. With time and development, the QPL is acting to develop the sport to new heights in the UK.

Southwest Broadside player Tom Ower has previously played for the University of Bristol’s quidditch team - the best university team in the UK. He said: "The QPL’s inaugural season has brought about a big change in UK quidditch, showcasing the nation's best players. I’m really excited to be playing in a professional stadium and can’t wait to show the other teams how far Southwest Broadside have come since our last fixture. We’ve been training hard and expect to cause some upsets at the Championship."

Jack Lennard, the league's director is also looking forward to seeing the teams attend the championship. He said: "This is the moment that all the teams have been working towards. We’ll be crowning the first Quidditch Premier League Champions; after watching the divisional fixtures this season, I know that whoever lifts the trophy will have earned it! The fact that they’ll be doing so in a professional sports stadium, a first for UK quidditch, makes this event truly momentous."