Yes, everyone looks forward to the first game of the season, new signings, new beginnings and all those months without their rugby fix. Best time to do it, who gives a stuff about Yawnion ?

When you're trying to get the game in the RU heartlands during their most prestigious tournament and trying to entice the local population it makes a big difference. The idea is to try and create a spectacle, to promote the game, I think that would be lost playing the match in Cardiff in the middle of a six nations campaign.

We also want to be impressing on people that RL is a summer sport which you can't when the games are played in February.

Pro and cons with every scenario, maybe the best bet really is to just scrap it.

I've not thought this through and it's just popped into my head as I type this but.......

Given that the playoffs are not particularly well attended why not take a full round of playoff games on the road?

Take the first round of games as the top two deserve the home advantage their finishing place has earned. Also, will give the lower placed teams a chance to play in a Grand Final-esque atmosphere in a big stadium with, hopefully, a big crowd. They will be meaningful and not contrived games between the better teams in the league.

I thought it was all yawnion and wendyball down there.

Great idea,i would like it to be played at say Bramall lane or maybe Eastlands.

Not for me thanks, it would only be 3 games max and gives less importance on finishing 3rd, also not sure how many neutrals would go.

IMO Newcastle in august would work better.

How many neutrals go now to the event as it is?

Hardly any of the competing teams fans go as it is. If it were a playoff game I bet you'd get a bigger contingent of the teams supporters there.


Why?

No SL team neutrals have to go because every team in the league plays as it is.

Newcastle can be done in a day for those who don't want to or cannot commit to a full weekend away plus it has plenty of facilities for those who do want to stay the weekend.

Early august was just so the weather might be bearable to sit out in for 8 hours unlike february or the end of sept.

Not that I dont agree with you here, but again I point you to my earlier post. If the RFL choose to go somewhere like Newcastle, which is still out of the heartlands, they will probably have to pay for it all themselves.

At the moment the city where it is held is paying for the event. With the benefit of people staying over, shopping, and drinking, giving them the funds to pay for this.

If people are going to go to the match and go, then no city is going to pay for it, it will have to be the RFL.

It's a fair point and we are all just guessing here.

Maybe if it was in Newcastle the same people who went to Cardiff & Edinburgh still stayed over but even more day trippers attended.

Leeds vs Wakefield at headingley got nearly 14,000. The attendance at the first day of Murrayfield Magic for the same fixture plus three other was 26k. 26k for four games. Basically on average 3,200 fans of each club went.

As the table stands at the moment the first round of playoff games would feature Saints Hull Leeds Huddersfield Bradord and Hull KR. I see no reason why we couldn't get 40,000 through the gates for a meaningful playoff game rather than a contrived mickey up mid season. plus, it should be easier to sell playoff matches to the locals of Cardiff, Edinburgh etc than the present "wacky" format.

Maybe so looking at those figures

How many people could afford or would want to have another away day in between the cup final and grand final.

Its got to be Blackpool in August.

Newly in the Premiership, nice compact ground that could be filled and a great venue for all the family, plenty of accomodation,

a CARNIVAL

Blackpool where the streets aren't so much paved with gold as stale beer, urine, vomit and STDs.

It would seem fair to say that the idea of the magic weekend isn't quite dead in the water just yet, judging by the positive ideas that are being posted. Somewhere with a beach nearby sounds good, as Finglas pointed out we are a summer sport and should be promoting ourselves as such.

Bloomfield road only holds 12'555

A good point and probably the reason the playoff games are not that well attended. That's part of my reasoning. This would enable supporters of the clubs at the lower end of the league table to have their own little "grand Final" and might tempt more of them out maybe?

Correct me If im wrong

Wasn't the original concept of the Magic Weekend to test the waters of citys which could eventually have a Super League franchise?

Anywhere except Dublin.

Dont be silly.

sgtwilko will love it then.

maybe five/six years ago! I'm all settled down now perp!

I thought that was part of the published rationale, alongside the wider aims of generating publicity and supporting grass roots rugby in development areas.

One approach that i had ben thinking about was keeping the concept of the event and tweaking it.
As much debate exists about the validity of a 3rd 'SL' fixture.....derby/not derby matches/mismatches etc....

What about the principle of taking the quarter finals of the Challenge Cup 'on the road'.Benefits to me are that the matches are all meaningful,with something to play for.It elevates the prominence of the CC which is needed.The competition has marketability even outside 'the corridor' i believe.
Benefit is that it reduces the SL season by a week which could be used to simply start later or conclude earlier to give International preparation extra time.
Those are the pros the cons would be ...TV contracts=does the BEEB have ABSOLUTE exclusivity.Would the event need the draw tweaking(as has been suggested in the past) to bring 100% SL representation/would the CL support it?Does 2matches per day or 4 per day make a problem?

I am sure there are othe bugbears.