Brooms aren’t just for sweeping the floor anymore. Just ask the Muggle Quidditch League of Oakland University.

University insurance adjusters may be happy to know they have yet to find a way to get the brooms to fly, but most of the other rules for the game, as played by the witches and wizards of the Harry Potter series, remain consistent.

President of the MQL, Yahawa Ashaqua, a sophomore majoring in biology, explained how the team, the Oakland Owls, plays have been modified to be played safely on terra firma. It’s less painful than the magical version, too.

“We have to have one hand on the broom at all times,” Ashaqua said. “Therefore, you have one hand to throw, catch, tackle, etc. As for the bludgers (small iron balls you see knocking people off their brooms in the movie), we actually use a much less painful ball — a kickball. And when a player is hit with the ball, they have to go back and touch their team’s set of hoops before they can continue playing.”

When it comes to the golden snitch, Muggle Quidditch works more like flag football. The snitch is actually a person — typically a long distance runner — who dresses entirely in yellow and tucks a golden snitch (tennis ball inside of a sock) into the side or back of his or her waist.

The team practices in the grassy area between Kresge and the Oakland Center on almost all Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays during the summer.

“We do tend to cancel when it rains due to the fact that none of us know how to cast a proper water repelling charm,” Ashaqua said.

The team participates in competitions held during the spring and summer, and hopes to attend a tournament on March 31 held at Michigan State. They played the Spartan Spitfires last year at The Henry Ford.

Although inspired by the books, it is not necessary that someone is a Potter fan to play the sport. The team’s captain, senior Greg Webb, a studio art major, is an example of this.

“Believe it or not, I only read the first book as a child, and (I’m) not a really big Potter fan,” Webb said. “I heard through a friend that they needed some players for the team and I jumped all over the opportunity. I’ve always wanted to be involved in some sort of sport here at Oakland, and now I’m honored to be captain for our team.”

The team’s practices are open and no prior experience, or extraordinary level of athletic ability is required to play.

For Ashaqua, the crowd makes it all worth it.

“The best part of the game, for me, is the puzzled looks we get from people who pass by while we play or the excitement in children’s eyes when they see us play and recognized the sport from the movies and books,” she said.

To watch the Owls at practice, go online to bit.ly/oaklandowls

Contact  Staff Reporter Kevin Graham via email at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter   @KevinGraham