Well that's where I think It should be headed next.Get more people in London exposed to RL and help boost the profile of the Harlequins,they need it. Don't you think?


2 days @ Wembley probably would attract more fans to the game,then what they normally get in wales or scotland.

Actually that's quite a good idea. Lots of hotels. Lots of pubs. Good transport links. Tie in with the Olympics.

Appart from the fact its in Feb, can you see fans getting a tad cold outside all day in an open stadium and add to that the chance of rain in Feb, the FA would not want their luvverly pitch cut up by 7 games in 36 hours. I am afraid if its held as the season opener it has to be a statium with a roof and there is only one in the country, my only gripe is the fact it is not on a bank holiday weekend so it reduces the crowds as we all have to be at work or school on the monday.

Eastlands would be better imo

Eastlands in July. Job sorted.

Clearly you are unaware of the cost of hiring Wembley for a weekend.

Well tell us,since you know!

eastlands for me too....but its unlikely...not for 7games anyway

but i think the concept of getting people to watch 7 games is wearing abit thin...

i think i'd be more inclined to turn the magic weekend into a 7's comp and then having a series of big double headers held at football stadiums during the summer ie wigan v saints + salford v warrington @ eastlands , leeds v bradford + huddersfield v castleford @ elland road, hull v hull kr + 2 other teams @ brammell lane or hillsborough....you get the idea

Leave it in Cardiff and let it grow.

If it can't suceed in a City like Cardiff with a venue slap bang in the middle of the City centre then it won't anywhere outside of the heartlands.

I'd give it a few years in Cardiff before making any decisions to move or scrap it.

Between £250k and £750K for the day, depending on how much of it you want opened and what your event is.

Eastlands is pretty much a non-starter, because there is a planning limit on the number of non-football events that can be held each year. I would imagine 60K people watching U2 or Take That is more lucrative than a smaller number watching RL.

Will the next person who says it's too cold to watch RL in february, please put their testicles in this fluffy pink basket.

I would have thought that if MM is going to kick off the season, it'd be better closer to the heartlands.

In 2013, I'd definitely have the event at the Olympic Stadium (assuming it's ready).

Magic weekends are currently an away-day for existing fans. They can be that, but I'd rather have 20k travelling fans and 30k new customers, and potential future fans, each day than 50k travelling fans for the weekend.

If you have the event in London and properly market AND MOST IMPORTANTLY give away thousands of tickets to schools, then you're getting new fans through the gate. There would be no problem getting 60k crowds each day if 40k of the tickets are free. How do you think Saracens and Wasps "sell out" Wembley?

Also for travelling fans, the hotels aren't going to put their prices up specifically for the event as they do in Cardiff and Edinburgh, and if you are making a holiday of it there's a hell of a lot more to do.

Will everybody stop just picking out random stadiums in randon cities without first considering the time of year the event is staged and the likelyhood of a premier football club allowing 7 games of to be RL played on it

Considering the amount of fans involved they could just about manage with the LSV , a weekend out in a small town in w1g4n anybody ?

No No No! The people in Cardiff are friendly, and everyone has a good time. The locals in London, well they are COCKneys. No way would I want to go to an English rugby union heartland for magic weekend. Everyone hates English RU and with good reason. At least the Welsh RU fans have an ounce of respect for RL

That superbowl stadium in Texas looked a 1/2 decent venue!

Lot dearer in London. I paid £57 inc breakfast at Cardiff this year, tried to get a price for the premier inn near wembley for the CC and it was £150 & no brekky.
I know one was in Feb and the other in August but 3 times the cost shows what a rip off London is.

I totally agree.

I also reckon the RFL have made a total balls of the promotion of this event. i do business with a bloke in Cardiff who is a mad Welsh RU fan, and he knew nothing whatsoever of this event, and neither did his mates.

It's all well and good making TV ads and showing them on Granada and Yorkshire - preaching to the converted won't make a scrap of difference. RL Fans are aware that Magic Weekend is happening and will make the decision to go based on whether or not they fancy it. We don't need fancy advertising to influence us.

What you need is to promote the event in the area it's being staged in - and with the Welsh loving rugby of either code, and with places like Bath and Bristol within p155ing distance, why not put the advertising money into those areas? At least then you stand a chance of getting people coming last minute, IN ADDITION to Yorkshiremen who have to plan it all in advance.

Quote ="manly4ever"icon_wink.gif Well that's where I think It should be headed next.Get more people in London exposed to RL and help boost the profile of the Harlequins,they need it. Don't you think? 2 days @ Wembley probably would attract more fans to the game,then what they normally get in wales or scotland.'" These might be able to help. www.tarpaulinsdirect.co.uk Then we can pull it over the roof at Wembley. Leave London for the Cup final. Cardiff is the only place it "can" be played in Feb. Its cold outside ok not for one game but the poor buggers who go and watch all the games in the day. (Like it should be) And no football club either close or in season will allow this to be played. I'm waiting for the day after Wigan first home game to hear the media talk about the mess of the DW pitch is shocking at the moment.

Quote ="manly4ever"icon_wink.gif Well that's where I think It should be headed next.Get more people in London exposed to RL and help boost the profile of the Harlequins,they need it. Don't you think? 2 days @ Wembley probably would attract more fans to the game,then what they normally get in wales or scotland.'" These might be able to help. www.tarpaulinsdirect.co.uk Then we can pull it over the roof at Wembley. Leave London for the Cup final. Cardiff is the only place it "can" be played in Feb. Its cold outside ok not for one game but the poor buggers who go and watch all the games in the day. (Like it should be) And no football club either close or in season will allow this to be played. I'm waiting for the day after Wigan first home game to hear the media talk about the mess of the DW pitch is shocking at the moment.

oh well ive got my hotel booked for next year for Cardiff because i hoping it is. had a brilliant time when i went a few years back but its a bit to chilly to camp for me in Feb.
I personally think no matter where it is its the people that go the make the weekend its the same at every rugby game the fans make the attmospher not the location. If ya sing loud enough your having a good time

St James' Park?

FFS, what part of no football club will allow 7 games in 2 days on their pitch no matter if it is in the off season or not, are you having trouble with?

Do you know what date it will be next year, cos I wanna book already. The manager at the wetherspoons said he had been told it was to be in Cardiff for 3 years. Have they released the dates for next years event?

i would play it the last weekend in may, the bank holiday weekend. most football clubs would be happy to let us use the ground because of off season revenue. also we could use 30-40,000 seater grounds which would look a lot better than a 1/4 full cardiff.
nottingham maybe, leicester?

Amazingly insular Northern attitude you have there. Quite simply the reason why northerners get a bad name. You have clearly never spent any time outside of your little world in the north. You will certainly hardly ever find a cockney in London anymore and certainly not in North London. As for English Rugby Union heartland you are closer to that in Cardiff than in London. How many London Rugby Union clubs are there. Thats London not the south east by the way.
London is one sport and one sport only. FOOTBALL. Every other sport is battling for the crumbs, including Harlequins and RL.
The sport loving fans in London have respect for the sport of RL as was shown by the interest that was apparent in the early 90s. Its the total lack of marketing of the sport which has been its undoing in London. Or the right type of marketing at the wrong time. For example last week for two days the Metro newspaper had 2 4 1 vouchers for this weeks match at the Stoop Quins v Crusaders. Last week ffs. Nothing so far this week. Someone might have seen the voucher last week and will probably have forgotten about it now.
I personally think MM in London would be far more beneficial for the sport and put it in the shop window in London and just might attract people to the Stoop. What are they hoping to attract in Cardiff in the long term?
The Challenge Cup Final does not do that as the stands are full of ardent RL fans and equally thats not advertised in London either. MM might work even better if there wasn't a full programme of RL going on elsewhere. You need the amateur clubs to be free and teams making weekends of it like Wembley. You might also see NL supporters supporting it instead of Northen Rail Cup matches.