Our Crowdfunding Groups
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About Us
The UCLA Club Quidditch Team is a co-ed organization affiliated with UCLA Recreation Competitive Club Sports. Our players come from all backgrounds: from those who enjoyed the Harry Potter series as children, to those simply looking for an exciting sport to participate in while in college. In fact, our founder has never even read the Harry Potter books!
UCLA Club Quidditch is one of over 200 official teams registered with US Quidditch, the sport’s governing body dedicated to organizing regional and national tournaments across the country. We have 60 active members across two teams: UCLA Quidditch and the Wizards of Westwood. The Wizards team focuses on developing the skills of newer players, while UCLA aims to set competitive goals and accomplish them during tournaments.
Unlike many club sports, we are 100% student run— our officers do all of the work of a coach without payment. Our president, Jacob Metevia, estimates that he and the other officers spend around 10-15 hours per week on managing the club, which includes coordinating travel to tournaments, communicating with UCLA Club Sports, fundraising, and organizing community service opportunities.
Last year, our expenses were roughly $18,000. This includes the cost of flights, rental cars, tournament fees, replacing broken equipment, and more. UCLA Club Quidditch receives the vast majority of its funding from its members— dedicated students who often have barely enough time to play outside of classes, part-time jobs, and preparing for their futures. While getting the opportunity to go to Nationals is exciting, it's also expensive and isn't within the budgets of most of our players.
That's where you come in! By donating to our campaign, you'll be helping fund the rental cars, hotels, and flights for our 21 players to travel to Texas for Nationals. If we can raise $5,000, our players will be able to sleep easy, knowing their flights are discounted and their hotels and rental cars are paid for. If we manage to raise a whopping $12,100, our players will fly care-free all the way to Texas!
Our History
We have humble beginnings as a modest group of nerds led by Tom Marks, our founder, who stored equipment in tiny dorm rooms and scraped together a group of friends for a game every once in a while. Since then, UCLA Quidditch has been a force to reckon with, procuring the Western Regionals Championship in 2013, coming in second place at our national tournament against 77 teams (from four countries), qualifying for our national tournament for 6 years straight, and having our very own Netflix documentary called Mudbloods. To this day, our quidditch program has dedicated itself to honoring True Bruin Values and improving our skills as athletes, while providing an inclusive space for students of all skill levels to excel in.
Gameplay
For the 2017-2018 season, UCLA currently ranks at 29 in the nation, with a record of 18 wins to 9 losses heading into the West Regional Championship. At West Regionals, UCLA battled it out against the top college teams in the West, competing for 5 bids to the US Quidditch Cup 11. UCLA went 5-2, effectively securing our bid with a win over the Utah State Quidditch Club. We will continue to push this momentum towards the national tournament in Texas, competing against the top 32 teams in April.
Volunteering
Outside of the game, we prioritize giving back to the Los Angeles community whenever possible. This has included volunteering at local schools and events to teach children as young as six all the way through high school about the sport. We bring equipment and spend several hours explaining the game and playing with them to encourage a love for sports at a young age, as well as to bring the magic of Harry Potter to our local community. UCLA Club Quidditch has volunteered all over Los Angeles, including at the Commerce Public Library, Cub Scouts Pack 311, Barnes and Noble at The Grove, and the YALLWEST Santa Monica book festival. More locally, dozens of our players donate blood every quarter to the UCLA Blood and Platelet center.
Use the levitation spell to raise our total sum by $5! You'll also get a shoutout on our Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/UCLAQuidditch/ . (a fully tax-deductible gift)
We'll mail you a personalized thank-you card signed by the whole team! (fully tax deductible)
Terrify one of the UCLA Quidditch Players by having them pied in the face! We will upload a video on our Facebook page for the world to see-- just make sure to name the player you want pied in your donation by making your gift 'in their honor'. (a fully-tax deductible gift)
We'll mail you a UCLA quidditch t-shirt! We'll reach out to you once the campaign has ended to ask about your preferred design and size. (a $15 tax-deductible gift)
Do you miss the old UCLA Quidditch jerseys? Then don't miss this special opportunity to take one home! Disclaimer: it may still contain particles of sweat from the last player who wore it. (A $50 tax-deductible gift)
We will bring our equipment to you and teach your private group how to play quidditch! We teach kids ("kidditch"), adults, and do birthday parties! Please reach out in advance for more details. Must be within 35-mile radius of UCLA. If you are out of this range, please email us at uclaquidditchfundraising@gmail.com and we can discuss your situation. (A $238 tax-deductible gift)
This perk is for the most magical among us! We want to thank you for being so interested in sponsoring our team! You'll receive a special shout-out and personalized thank you video on our Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts for your generous contribution. (A fully tax-deductible gift)
Two great perks for the price of one! You get: 1. The team will volunteer at the Los Angeles-based organization of your choice for the WHOLE day! 2. A UCLA quidditch t-shirt (A $919 tax-deductible gift).