With the conclusion of our final divisional fixture, we are pleased to reveal the bracket structure for both Division 1 and Division 2 at the Championships at the end of the month. Both days will feature eight teams, instead of Division 2 featuring nine teams as planned. This is explained below, along with details on the bracket, the schedule, streaming, and more.
Photo credits (from left to right): Tiny Mel Photography, LN Graphics and Photography, and Leila Bee Media
Lille Géants unable to attend Championship
Unfortunately, due to injuries and limited player availability, the Lille Géants will not be able to attend the 2019 Quidditch Premier League Championship or participate in Division 2.
However, a small number of Lille players are able to attend, and the managers of other teams collectively and unanimously agreed with the League to permit those players to join the (also depleted, and at risk of non-attendance) Brussels Atoms, who will be participating in Division 2.
We’re incredibly grateful to our managers for their gracious cooperation, and can’t wait to see those Lille players who can attend experience the thrills of a Quidditch Premier League Championship!
Brackets Released
Below are the brackets for both Division 2 (held on the Saturday), and Division 1 (held on the Sunday). Both days will be held within the AJ Bell Stadium complex in Greater Manchester, with Division 2 held on external pitches, and Division 1 held inside the stadium itself, as announced in December 2018.
These were decided through ranking by the official tiebreakers, which can be found on our policies page. Specifically, we ranked teams by wins, and then by point differential, limited to 120 per game either positive or negative. We averaged the European division mathematically, since there are five teams playing there, as opposed to four in our UK divisions. We felt that this was the fairest method to pair teams into matchups outside their division, while still provoking exciting games throughout the weekend.
The seeding of the 16 teams is as follows:
The Division 1 bracket is, therefore, as follows:
And the Division 2 bracket is here:
Schedule
The brackets can also be seen on the game order and schedule document, which is available here. This spreadsheet will be updated with volunteers and officials in the next week. We have made handy game order graphics for both days:
Streaming
We are delighted to welcome back Cheers Mate Productions, who will be streaming both days of the Championship, and, as last year, bringing their high quality camerawork, professional commentary, and innovative approach to the event. Having seen their success last year, we are so excited to work with them again! Both pitches of both days will be streamed, and you’ll be able to find the live footage across our social media channels and on our YouTube.
Volunteer
Got a day non-playing during the weekend? Just want to help make the event great in between your games? Volunteer and official sign ups are still open, and we’d love to have you helping us out! You can find the form here.
Social
We will be hosting our traditional Championship after party in Manchester on Sunday evening! As in previous years, expect dancing, fun, and lots of cheesy music. More information will be released shortly.
In addition to this, we are currently finalising plans to offer those sticking around on Monday some action and adventure in the form of a surprise additional social during the day! We don’t want to spoil it for you, but don’t bring any clothes you wouldn’t want paint on…