14
Taking Quidditch to the Far East
Alumnus Keith Jones explains how
his experiences at Keele led to him
representing his country at a World Cup
My Keele journey started in 2011 when
I arrived from Hong Kong to study
International Business and International
Relations. Like many of my fellow alumni,
I chose Keele due to its flexibility in the
dual honours degree system, as well as
its location in the centre of the UK with
convenient transport links to the rest of the
country.
Whilst at Keele, I joined many societies in
order to broaden my horizons, experience
new things and learn new skills. Those
societies really helped me to develop my
character and outlook of life. By the time I’d
graduated, my list of societies included the
Keele Model United Nations, Oxfam, Keele
Global Affairs and Capoeira, to name but a
few. However, it was the Quidditch society
that has had the biggest impact on my life so
far.
Founded in 2011, the Keele Squirrels
Quidditch team were one of the first such
teams in the UK, and really helped to
establish the activity as a genuine sport and
not just a fictional reference in JK Rowling’s
Harry Potter stories. I was honoured to be
part of this team and it ignited a passion that
has resulted in what is probably my biggest
achievement since leaving Keele.
When I returned back home after my studies
in 2014, I was proud to play a major role
in introducing Quidditch to Hong Kong. As
well as promoting and organising Quidditch
sessions to teach the basics to new players,
I became a founding member of the HKU
Quidditch Club, co-founder of the Hong Kong
Quidditch Association and Assistant Coach
for Team Hong Kong.
The return of Concourse
Alumni stories wanted for the relaunch of the campus newspaper
We are incredibly excited to announce the
return of Concourse - the student magazine
for students and staff at Keele University.
With support from the Keele Key Fund,
KeeleSU and the University’s 70th
Anniversary team, the Concourse team are
looking to hear from alumni to help contribute
to a special 70th section which will feature
in the first relaunched edition, due out in
September 2019.
The Concourse team are specifically looking
for short anecdotes from former students and
staff about their time at Keele - they want
the funny, the emotional, the gossip and the
random stories that make Keele Keele.
The target audience for the first edition will
be primarily new students so if anyone also