Bumper Crowds for Manchester Magic #magicweekend The upper tier of the East Stand at Etihad Stadium has been opened for the opening day of Magic Weekend to meet the massive demand for tickets from Rugby League fans. From today, a further 2,500 tickets have gone on sale for the sporting spectacular which sees a full round of First Utility Super League fixtures played at one venue over two days on May 17 and 18. READ MORE ON THIS STORY...

Bumper Crowds for Manchester Magic #magicweekend The upper tier of the East Stand at Etihad Stadium has been opened for the opening day of Magic Weekend to meet the massive demand for tickets from Rugby League fans. From today, a further 2,500 tickets have gone on sale for the sporting spectacular which sees a full round of First Utility Super League fixtures played at one venue over two days on May 17 and 18. READ MORE ON THIS STORY...

The amount of times we have been told tickets are selling well for something, only to end up with half-empty stadia.

Probably just means the fans will be spread around a further area of the stadium.

Hopefully we can get a decent crowd on, its always a fantastic day/weekend out at MM. The hull tigers final will surely knock a few thousand of the attendances though.

Think it's partly to do with fans only watching their own game then leaving. Why fans do this baffles me! Must make the RFL a pretty penny this magic weekend.

Think they are telling the truth this time, there has been much more promotion with adverts the length of the M62, the SL Trophy Paraded at a Man City game etc

yes the ground will still have gaps on the day due to people leaving or getting drinks in the concourse, but this a big step in the right direction for the event.

the only bad bit for the RFL is that as the event finally starts to grow at the Etihad...the Etihad is getting expanded to 60k which adds yet more empty seats.

is it me or do people always talk negatively every year about the Magic weekend and then it turns out to be a fantastic weekend?

We get far too hung up about empty seats. Every week games are played at the ANZ (84,000 capacity) with 20,000 or so in attendance. We never seem to hear Billy or Gutters hyperventilating over that though.

It's not just you. It's the way we do things here.

I'm looking forward to the annual complaint threads about beer and food prices at the weekend.

They will still sell out if beer though! Weather forecast looking good again for it.

One of the main reasons Man City like hosting it, apparently they sold a record amount of food and drink for any event there.

another 2 blocks of the upper tier open for Saturday, still looking relatively sp for the Sunday if the stadium map on the ticket website is to be believed though.

Remind me again, what is the aim of the magic weekend?
Who is to benefit and how is this measured?

Hasn't the Hull derby been moved to 7:15 with the Hull City playing in the FA Cup final ?

I believe the current aim is to put on a 'festival of rugby league'. To allow supporters of all clubs to see a selection of games involving their own teams, and matches not involving their club over the course of two days. It aims to bring together all rugby league fans, and allow fans and players to experience playing in a fantastic stadium, where there is plenty of entertainment to the fans.

It obviously aims to give fans of clubs an opportunity to see there club play, usually against a rival. It also intends to attract new fans to the sport, by showing the best of what our sport has to offer, both on and off the field. I'm guessing this is measure by the feedback surveys the RFL seem to distribute following the event each year.

Leave me out of it thanks. The RFL announced they were 60% up on ticket sales for MM a few weeks back.......I've no issue with 35/40k a day for this event........regular season rounds of games generate an average of 60k or so, so well done to the RFL for clipping the ticket and generating a wedge out of nothing!

No.

It's aim is to generate revenue, both directly and indirectly. It's something that the game sorely lacks.

It's success is measured on how much revenue it generates.

Anyone by any chance got 2 spare unreserved tickets for saturday?

Application of historical blinkers duly noted.

Having failed spectacularly in its original purpose to spread the SL gospel far and wide to non-converts by staging the event outside the RL heartlands in Wales and Scotland. It has now been reduced to a locally-staged event primarily targeting SL season ticket holders (the already converted) via half price ticket offers.

As an acknowledgement of it's failure, this meaningless event no longer even pretends to appeal to any outsiders (potential fans) either within or beyond it's M62 borders. As an exercise in the rewriting of history, the event shall be measured solely by how much revenue it generates.

Yes, really.

The staging of mass moonie wedding ceremonies by the Unification Church probably appeal to more outsiders.

Personally I agree with Leaguefan & William. The RFL love to conveniently forget that Magic has failed in terms of its original aim. I've never attended one and I doubt I ever will. Too costly to watch a regular game of RL, and what really bugs me is them making it 'local' derbies. For someone from Hull (say) to have to make a 200 mile-round trip to watch the Hull derby in a regular match is a p*** take IMO, and something I personally don't feel like I'm missing out on by not attending. I am very confident that the atmosphere there is not even close to a real derby in the right city / town, so to me they're basically just exhibition matches (like the Harlem Globetrotters I guess?!) with two points put at stake as a carrot to fans.

The original purpose of the Magic Weekend was to help the Welsh tourist board fill hotel rooms in Cardiff.

HTH.

Personally, I thoroughly enjoy the Magic Weekend. Then again, I'm not a miserable git.

edited for 100% accuracy

He he.

Take it you're not in Manchester this weekend either then?

I take most of your points on bored but I haven't heard from any one that has been that hasn't had a good time me included.

I beleave and I have no figers to back this up but seems each year there has been more ppl going (don't know if this is more ppl going or more ppl sticking around for all the matchs).

On that point Manchester is better compared with Cardiff as in Cardiff you are so close to the city it was so easy to watch your game then in stadium then go in town and watch other games in pub. This leaving the stadium looking and feeling empty.

I have enjoyed every one iv been to and am going this year looking forward to it a lot!