The announcement of a student exchange program between Durmstrang Institute and UC Riverside has led to the formation of a Highlander Quidditch team. The student exchange program is part of the Muggle Studies school of Durmstrang, and is the first program of its kind in Muggle-Wizard relations. By playing the Wizard sport of Quidditch, the organizers of the program hope to not only excite the muggle students at UCR and nearby universities but also help muggles gain a better understanding of Magical culture.

The headmaster of Durmstrang, Igor Karkaroff, said he would be happy to let the Highlander team compete in the Professional Wizard University league, and will provide a substantial grant to the team to buy equipment and take care of other Quidditch related expenses. He also restated that he hopes to share Wizard values with the muggles of UCR. Karkaroff went on to say one main reason UCR was chosen was because of its Scottish roots.

The Highlander Quidditch team will not take part in the sport Muggle Quidditch, however.  The sport Muggle Quidditch has been popular in universities especially on the East Coast, where Muggles have formed teams to compete against other Muggle Quidditch teams. Muggle Quidditch has proved popular, however, since it requires no flying broom, which muggles cannot use. The popularity of Muggle Quidditch has lead to the formation of the International Quidditch Association, which boasts team across the globe.

However, the Highlander team will actually be playing the original semi-contact flying sport that Muggles have read about in books by renowned author J.K Rowling. That means flying broomsticks and three types of flying balls. The plan for now is for the team to practice on the Glen Mor soccer field and compete in games overseas in England. While some details are still in the preliminary stage, the wizard students from Durmstrang will arrive at the end of summer where they will hold tryouts for the team. This is part of an assignment for the Durmstrang students, requiring them to teach and show the students on how to play their traditional game of Quidditch. This assignment will also add to their Muggle Studies research while their stay at UCR.  As of right now the team will need to fill seven spots: three chasers, two beaters, one keeper and one seeker, along with seven back up players.

The official Quidditch team Sweetwater All-Stars, one of two teams based in the United States, has had internal discussion of making a visit to UCR once the Highlander team is up and running. As of now tryout dates and regulations will be announced once everything is finalized. Organizers of the committee have said they expect to see some wonderful Quidditch talent, and that they encourage everyone to practice flying on their broomstick at home.


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