Frequently Asked Questions
New questions will be added to the FAQ often, so if your question still hasn’t been answered, please let us know! The FAQ has recently been edited to include questions about the registration process.
Registration FAQ:
Can I pay for my membership/my team’s membership by check?
Can I make a bulk membership purchase?
How do I register a tournament team instead of as a basic team?
How do I add players to my roster?
I’m an individual member! Can I play on a basic team?
Help! I’m a 17-year-old college freshman on a university-affiliated team! Which membership do I purchase?
I’m studying abroad in the spring. Can I pay half the membership fee for one semester?
General Program FAQ:
Why is the IQA changing the structure of membership?
What is league-wide liability and accident insurance, and why does the IQA need it?
How does accident insurance coverage work?
What if I already have insurance?
I’m not located in the US. Do I get insurance?
What events does the insurance cover?
Why can’t I just sign a waiver to promise that I won’t hold the IQA liable for anything?
What does the insurance cover?
What tangible benefits do we get for these increased fees? Are they necessary?
What other events will be held in my region?
How do you expect new teams to pay for this?
Can my school or team still pay for individual membership?
Do I have to pay the $50 all at once?
Is World Cup registration included in my membership fee?
My team is based in a country new to quidditch. Is it still worthwhile to become an official member if there are only a few teams in my country?
Will the membership structure change again next year?
What does the team fee pay for?
Where does the money go?
Can I pay for my membership/my team’s membership by check?
Yes! Email to get mailing information. If your university needs an invoice or tax form in order to complete the payment process, we can provide those as well. As soon as we receive payment, we’ll set your team and individual memberships up on the website.
Can I make a bulk membership purchase?
Yes! When you register as an individual member, you have an option to select the number of individual memberships you wish to purchase. You will only be able to make a purchase once per site account, though, so make sure you make the bulk purchase at the same time you are purchasing your own membership. Once purchased, you’ll be provided with coupon codes to distribute to your members.
How do I register a tournament team instead of as a basic team?
In order to register a tournament team, you must first pay for your own individual membership. A "free member" (which you become once you create a free website account) cannot be a part of a tournament level team. When doing so, please keep in mind the above question.
How do I add players to my roster?
If you have been granted administrative privileges for your team, after you login you should click “team” on your dashboard. On the right hand side, you’ll see a link for “information” and “roster”. Once you click roster, you should be able to approve or deny individual member requests to join your team. Right now, only tournament teams can select players to the roster, so if you don’t see the appropriate link, your team is probably registered as a basic team. If you would like your team to be upgraded, please email . In the coming weeks, basic teams will be able to create rosters in the same way.
I’m an individual member! Can I play on a basic team?
Yes! Basic teams can be made up of non-members and individual members!
Help! I’m a 17-year-old college freshman on a university-affiliated team! What membership do I purchase?
Any player on a university team must purchase an adult membership. Anyone under the age of 18 years old must make sure their parents sign off on the registration waiver, though.
I’m studying abroad in the spring. Can I pay half the membership fee for one semester?
No. The IQA offers annual memberships, not temporary or part time memberships. Even if you will only be playing on your team for a few months, you will still be an IQA member for the entire year. We do offer a payment plan for those that cannot afford the full payment at once, but we will automatically charge the second $25 installment to your credit card or paypal account in the spring to complete the annual fee.
Why is the IQA changing the structure of membership?
There are several reasons why the IQA is changing the structure of membership. Over the last several months, we have researched the membership policies and programs of many other amateur sports leagues, including USA Rugby, USA Lacrosse, USA Hockey, US Gymnastics, USA Track and Field, USA Baseball, High School AAU, and the Ultimate Players Association. All of these leagues offer membership on an individual as well as a team level. This allows those leagues to accurately track their players, purchase league-wide liability and accident insurance, provide services, events, and perks that benefit every player, and give them the operating budget they need to carry out their missions. At the rate that quidditch is expanding, and in order to give our player base the level of quidditch that they deserve, the IQA needs to adopt membership policies like other successful sports leagues.
What is league-wide liability and accident insurance, and why does the IQA need it?
In order to work closely with outside partners and to be seen as legitimate in the eyes of the world outside the existing quidditch community, the IQA needs to begin acting like the nonprofit business it is. Quidditch is a dangerous and risky sport, and the league is currently unprotected if a player or spectator gets seriously injured at an IQA event. If anyone tried to sue the IQA, we wouldn’t have the resources to protect ourselves. A lawsuit would make maintenance of the league impossible and likely result in the IQA being unable to continue operations.
Therefore, the IQA needs to protect itself with general liability insurance coverage. This means that if the IQA was sued, we can use that insurance to pay to fight it. The IQA is also getting directors and officers insurance, which protects the hardworking upper-level volunteers and employees from being held personally liable for any injury or other lawsuit. Without it, these volunteers could personally owe thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars if any such lawsuit was lost. Every company has directors and officer’s insurance.
Insurance companies will not provide general liability coverage to sports leagues unless the league has a uniform accident insurance policy in place. Players without accident insurance are a much higher risk to the insurance company because if they get injured, they won’t be protected and the league itself would be liable for the costs. Accident coverage for participants means there will be fewer liability claims. We tried to get liability coverage without accident insurance last year, and no insurance company would do it.
In addition to protecting the league, accident insurance, of course, protects the players.
How does accident insurance coverage work?
IQA players, coaches, and officials participating in official IQA matches or IQA-sanctioned events will be covered by the accident insurance policy in the case of serious injury, dismemberment, or death at the event. Care for serious injuries often costs more than an individual’s existing health insurance will cover. The IQA’s accident insurance will assist after this point, supplementing an individual’s primary health insurance plan to increase the total amount of coverage.
Certain exclusions are in place, such as if the individual has been consuming alcohol prior to attending the event (or during the event) or if fire is involved, but general activity-related (ie, quidditch) serious injuries will be covered. IQA individual members will receive more detailed information about exclusions and coverage limits in the coming weeks, as well as in their welcome packet sent upon registration.
What if I already have insurance?
Insurance companies will not provide general liability coverage to sports leagues unless the league has a uniform accident insurance policy in place. For this reason, we cannot allow individuals in the United States to “opt out” of that part of our new membership program.
To clarify, accident insurance is not medical or health insurance, although it does work in similar ways. The IQA accident insurance coverage provided to individuals at IQA official matches and sanctioned events is not a substitute for individual health insurance. Care for serious injuries often costs more than an individual’s health insurance will cover. The IQA’s accident coverage will assist in aiding an individual after this point, supplementing your existing coverage to increase the total amount for which you’re covered.
I’m not located in the US. Do I get insurance?
At this point the IQA has only acquired insurance coverage within the United States (including Puerto Rico), which is why the individual membership fee for those located outside the US is cheaper than it is for those within the US. As part of the national league building process, the IQA national league directors will work with IQA management staff to procure insurance within the nation.
What events does the insurance cover?
All official matches are covered by the accident insurance policy. This means all IQA-sanctioned events, and also any stand-alone official matches.
Practices, scrimmages, or unofficial games are NOT covered by the insurance policy.
Why can’t I just sign a waiver to promise that I won’t hold the IQA liable for anything?
There are a few reasons: First and foremost, it is the IQA’s responsibility to protect its players. The individual fee to ensure coverage is a small price to pay compared to the potentially catastrophic costs of major surgery. Also, in order to be eligible for league liability insurance, the IQA is required to have its players covered uniformly with accident insurance. Waivers alone are not sufficient for the IQA to receive the coverage it needs to continue to operate at a sustainable level. Finally, waivers simply do not always hold up in court, and could be challenged by a family member or a player with a change of heart.
What does the insurance cover?
See the insurance summary here.
What tangible benefits do we get for these increased fees? Are they necessary?
In our research of other sports leagues, we found that every league offered much the same benefits: a player ID card, a newsletter subscription, merchandise discounts, eligibility for events, and accident insurance coverage. These benefits help legitimize quidditch and will make players feel more connected to the quidditch community at large.
One tangible benefit of the player ID card is that it will make checking in at tournaments much easier. When you register as an individual member at the beginning of the season, you will sign a waiver. This waiver will be good for every IQA-sanctioned event you attend that season. So when you check in at a tournament, just by having a player card the event staff will know that you have signed a waiver.
Because we will have a database of all individual members and their contact information, the IQA will be better able to organize interested players in common areas to play quidditch during the summer months. The IQA regional directors will help procure playing fields, referees, and equipment to facilitate play, if there is enough interest in the area. The IQA did a pilot program for summer quidditch in New York City last summer and it was a huge hit. Depending on the amount of interest, summer quidditch could be anything from weekly pick-up games to putting players on rec teams that will play against each other each weekend and culminate in a rec-league tournament at the end of the summer.
Another huge benefit from the individual fee is that for the first time, the IQA will give modest salaries to several staff members, starting with CEO Alex Benepe, COO Alicia Radford, and membership director Katie Stack. Right now, the people who do the most work for the league often have other full-time jobs. The IQA has a reputation for having trouble meeting deadlines, and this isn’t because our staff lack dedication or because we procrastinate on important decisions. It’s simply because our staff do not have the time. By allowing these staff members to work full-time for you, there will be an immediate and noticeable increase in the IQA’s productivity. We will be able to focus not only on developing the sport and running events, but on marketing the sport and looking for more and better partnerships with cities and companies that can give the IQA more financial support (which means less costs for the players). We will also have more time to work with and help newer teams, and especially teams at the high school level (who are the next generation of college players, after all).
Of course, one of the most notable tangible benefits will be the variety of events that are run, sponsored, or endorsed by the IQA. The quality and number of these events will drastically increase as a direct result of your individual membership fees.
What other events will be held in my region?
In addition to helping ensure the quality and safety of (and sometimes providing funding to) team-organized tournaments this season, IQA regional staff will be bringing new, unique events to their players. Different regions will host a variety of events based on team interest, geography, and availability. These may include invitational events, bottom-of-the-bracket style tournaments, fantasy tournaments, inter-regional events (such as this past year’s WxSW event), and themed events (like New York’s zombie quidditch tournament). Taken together, these sanctioned events will increase the quality and number of events for players across the spectrum in every region. Of course, there will be plenty of competitive events, since the most competitive players will be among those paying the individual player fee that will subsidize these events.
How do you expect new teams to pay for this?
We understand that there are quidditch teams of all levels out there, and we want to make sure there are opportunities for everyone to play high-quality quidditch. The IQA’s goal is to have a full season of rich, great tournaments and events all over the world that teams will enjoy going to.
For teams at the top of the spectrum, the established highly competitive teams that travel often, we developed tournament level membership. All players on tournament member event rosters need to be individual members. These teams get free registration for regional championships to try to qualify for the World Cup. They also get reduced or free entry fees to all other IQA-sanctioned events.
Members of basic teams do not have to become individual members of the IQA (although they’re welcome to!). Tournament membership isn’t intended for every team. Newer or smaller basic teams will be able to attend one non-regionals event for free, and any other sanctioned event for a per-player registration fee that will vary depending on the budget of the event. These teams should use their seasons as basic members to develop their quidditch programs and recruitment so that they can become tournament members when they’re ready. Basic member teams will get the same level of support from the IQA.
Very new teams, of course, may remain unofficial and still compete at a variety of events run by different teams throughout the year by paying a per-player registration fee.
The simple answer to the question up there is that we don’t expect new teams to pay for tournament membership. Tournament-level membership is designed for established teams that have the resources for their players to become individual members.
Can my school or team still pay for individual membership?
Yes! There will be an option to purchase individual memberships in bulk, so if a school or a team would like to submit payments for all players, it may do so.
Do I have to pay the $50 all at once?
No. During registration players will have the option of paying all at once, or paying $25 in the fall and $25 in the spring.
Is World Cup registration included in my membership fee?
No, a separate World Cup registration fee will be announced during the season. The World Cup is the largest tournament of the year, and since not all teams will be competing in it — nor will Division 2 teams be attempting to qualify — we don’t want to pass that cost on to our members who are not participating.
Tournament members will receive discounted registration to other IQA-sanctioned events, included in their membership fee. Even though not every team will be attending every event, teams will not have to qualify for these events as they do World Cup, and so every membership fee in a particular region will go towards funding events throughout that region.
My team is based in a country new to quidditch. Is it still worthwhile to become an official member if there are only a few teams in my country?
Congratulations! You’ve completed the hardest step — starting a team! The IQA will work with you to expand quidditch in your country so that you will reach the five active team minimum in order to start the national league-building process. The IQA will also assist you in planning events in your country and attending events in neighboring countries, so that you can experience the most high-quality quidditch possible.
We recommend that you become a basic level member team. This team fee will be put directly back into your region and still guarantees you the privileges and benefits (most importantly for a new team, and especially one in a new country — the legitimacy) of an IQA official team. You’ll be able to apply for an equipment grant to enhance game play in your area, become a part of the mentor and penpal programs to facilitate discussion with other teams, and you’ll receive free entrance into one of the IQA events near you.
Will the membership structure change again next year?
The IQA management staff, in conjunction with the IQA business advisers and board of directors, have developed this new program after months of research and discussion in order to set the IQA on a sustainable growth track. The IQA staff realizes how difficult it is for teams to plan and grow if they are unable to predict the membership structure and fee structure for the coming season, and so the plan is for the new membership program to be in place for the long-term.
What does the team fee pay for?
100% of each team fee goes straight to your region to fund regional championships and other regional events.
The money from the individual player fee will support a variety of things, and members will be able to see growth across the organization in these areas as a direct result of the support of the membership fees. Some of the major things include league-wide insurance, regional championships, more regional events, funding for each of the seven main IQA departments proportional to their needs (teams, membership, HR, IT, marketing, development, and game play), general administrative costs (web hosting, PO box, filing taxes, postage and shipping, etc), and modest salaries for several staff members so they will be able to work full-time on making quidditch better with no distractions.
CEO Alex Benepe, COO Alicia Radford, and membership director Katie Stack will be the first staff to receive salaries. All three have been working full-time for the IQA on a completely volunteer basis since before 2010, and right now other job commitments make it very difficult for the people doing the most for the IQA to be able to give all the time and dedication that the league needs in order to grow. Simply put, the IQA is reaching the limit for how much improvement and expansion can be made with an all-volunteer workforce.
