Don't know why there is a need for constant faffing about.

When I've been I've enjoyed the atmosphere of the MW and it's still a good idea.

However, it's also laughable that it's possible in the first place. I remember Eddie Hemmings a few years back spouting how good it was and no other sport does this and how brilliant sL is because of it etc etc. Why is this laughable? The fact that when all the hardcore fans of all SL clubs get together we still barely fill a 60k stadium. If the premier league tried it, the stadium would probably need to hold about 300k+.

So whilst it is good and spreads the word etc, its also very sad.

The MW promotes Rugby League in a positive way and for that reason we should all back it where ever its played.
I'm sure its raised Rugby League awareness in Newcastle and other cities where its been played.

yep, how many will be in the ground watching the first game on sunday , hudds v catalans???

wont be 30k anyway i know that

supposed to be a celebration of rugby league...yet empty seats all over, even for the latter games too

Can't see why they've never let under 16's in for free with each adult or something like that. Even if only for the NE postcode. After all this time, is it a money maker, is it a way to hit new markets. We will never likely find out.

you could give tickets away for free to anyone, still wont come

football they would though

Why bring football into the equation? Football is a multi-billion pound, global sport and is our national sport. There are many things football can do we can only dream of, lets just scrap RL all together with that logic. Lets scrap the WC as footballs is much bigger



As others have said, it is what you make of it. It's a good weekend with good banter and a marathon of RL to watch and makes a fair bit for money for a sport that needs it (although you still found a negative with that) We get exposure all weekend that we just won't get at all for the rest of the season apart from the GF and CC final.

The only problem i have is the unfair extra fixture. But it's good thing for the sport after taking some time to find it's feet. It started out as a way to expand which didn't work out but now i think it's a great EVENT for the fans and brings exposure and some much needed brass.

Bingo. There doesn't see to be a strategy behind the concept (or at least they're not telling us & executing it poorly).

no problem with the rfl making money from the event, just dont try telling us its to spread the game because the evidence is that where ever its taken its doesnt sell out and doesnt form a new club in that area of bring a new investor into the sport

Since the Magic Weekend moved to Newcastle, Gateshead Thunder has a new owner (an investor if you will), moved to and carries the name of the very city that hosts the event.

And is anyone actually on record as saying that the purpose of the Magic Weekend is to spread the game to the North East? Nobody is "telling" me that's the purpose of the weekend.

In 2006 the original concept was to continue with development of the game in Wales, following the hosting of the Challenge Cup Finals: "The 'Millennium Magic' initiative is the result of a partnership between the RFL and Cardiff Council and follows the sell-out crowds for the 2004 and 2005 Challenge Cup finals in the Welsh capital. Richard Lewis, the RFL executive chairman, said, "We want to build on both the rugby league supporters' liking for the Millennium Stadium and the progress rugby league is making as a sport in Wales." www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/othe ... ic-2313005

In 2006 the original concept was to continue with development of the game in Wales, following the hosting of the Challenge Cup Finals: "The 'Millennium Magic' initiative is the result of a partnership between the RFL and Cardiff Council and follows the sell-out crowds for the 2004 and 2005 Challenge Cup finals in the Welsh capital. Richard Lewis, the RFL executive chairman, said, "We want to build on both the rugby league supporters' liking for the Millennium Stadium and the progress rugby league is making as a sport in Wales." www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/othe ... ic-2313005

Newcastle media should be blitzed with offers for the weekend eg Newcastle Utd ST holders family of 2+2 from £10 per day until its sold out - come to the party

Quote ="shinymcshine"In 2006 the original concept was to continue with development of the game in Wales, following the hosting of the Challenge Cup Finals: "The 'Millennium Magic' initiative is the result of a partnership between the RFL and Cardiff Council and follows the sell-out crowds for the 2004 and 2005 Challenge Cup finals in the Welsh capital. Richard Lewis, the RFL executive chairman, said, "We want to build on both the rugby league supporters' liking for the Millennium Stadium and the progress rugby league is making as a sport in Wales." www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/othe ... ic-2313005'" "to build on the progress rugby league is making in Wales" hardly seems like MW is being used as a vehicle for some form of aggressive expansion policy. At the time, Celtic Crusaders were establishing themselves in Wales, but there's not a single suggestion that MW was designed to turn them or any other club into some form of huge 'Super Club'. The big reason we went to Cardiff was a £1m cheque from the Welsh Tourism Board. And that comment is more than ten years ago. We've moved on and, importantly, so has the concept of MW.

Quote ="shinymcshine"In 2006 the original concept was to continue with development of the game in Wales, following the hosting of the Challenge Cup Finals: "The 'Millennium Magic' initiative is the result of a partnership between the RFL and Cardiff Council and follows the sell-out crowds for the 2004 and 2005 Challenge Cup finals in the Welsh capital. Richard Lewis, the RFL executive chairman, said, "We want to build on both the rugby league supporters' liking for the Millennium Stadium and the progress rugby league is making as a sport in Wales." www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/othe ... ic-2313005'" "to build on the progress rugby league is making in Wales" hardly seems like MW is being used as a vehicle for some form of aggressive expansion policy. At the time, Celtic Crusaders were establishing themselves in Wales, but there's not a single suggestion that MW was designed to turn them or any other club into some form of huge 'Super Club'. The big reason we went to Cardiff was a £1m cheque from the Welsh Tourism Board. And that comment is more than ten years ago. We've moved on and, importantly, so has the concept of MW.

Maybe, just maybe, primarily it doesn't serve any purpose other than offering supporters another event (because there's only the CC and GF) to go to and mingle with other clubs fans. Obviously the financial benefits play a part.

You say that "We've moved on and, importantly, so has the concept of MW".

I'd suggest that the opposite is true.
Back then there was a plan to expand the game into new areas and attract new fans.
At the time The Crusaders were a SL club, trying to grow their support base and whilst you could argue that we are trying to establish the sport in Newcastle and the North East, Wales was a far more exciting prospect but, like so many other ideas, it has been allowed to, all but, wither and die.

#with the benefit of hindsight, maybe the £1million should have been used to prop up and grow RL in Wales and what we may have had now, if that had happened ??

MW has just become a cash generator for the RFL and we shouldn't kid ourselves that it is anything other than this.
Btw, I'm not knocking the event in itself, just its flawed aims.

The problem is that the £1m was never an RL development cheque. It was an inducement from the Welsh tourist body for the RFL to host an event that would put bums in hotel beds in Cardiff.

When I say we've moved on, I mean that we have moved on from that episode of expansion and it seems to be that the RFL is trying to grow the game more organically. I don't know if it will work any better / worse, but that's where we are.

I've got no problem at all with the Magic Weekend effectively becoming a 'trade conference' for RL, where the game lets individual cities or regions do their best to intice us to their venue. We need more big events, we need more revenue in the sport - Magic Weekend ticks those boxes and we shouldn't let this flawed notion of it being an expansion project be the death of it.

Brierely said that MW doesn't bring new investors to the sport and that it doesn't lead to an RL presence in that market. Newcastle Thunder shows that he's wrong on both counts.

Quote ="shinymcshine"In 2006 the original concept was to continue with development of the game in Wales, following the hosting of the Challenge Cup Finals: "The 'Millennium Magic' initiative is the result of a partnership between the RFL and Cardiff Council and follows the sell-out crowds for the 2004 and 2005 Challenge Cup finals in the Welsh capital. Richard Lewis, the RFL executive chairman, said, "We want to build on both the rugby league supporters' liking for the Millennium Stadium and the progress rugby league is making as a sport in Wales." www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/othe ... ic-2313005'" there you go, thats what we were sold failed.

Quote ="shinymcshine"In 2006 the original concept was to continue with development of the game in Wales, following the hosting of the Challenge Cup Finals: "The 'Millennium Magic' initiative is the result of a partnership between the RFL and Cardiff Council and follows the sell-out crowds for the 2004 and 2005 Challenge Cup finals in the Welsh capital. Richard Lewis, the RFL executive chairman, said, "We want to build on both the rugby league supporters' liking for the Millennium Stadium and the progress rugby league is making as a sport in Wales." www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/othe ... ic-2313005'" there you go, thats what we were sold failed.

not interested im afraid

yeh newcastle thunder are well on the way to joining super league, just behind toulouse and toronto... we should take magic weekend to them!

or just make it a nines competition

its unfair anyway that some teams get easier games than others playing one team 3 times in a season

If it has to be changed it needs to be a nines competition IMO. Just like the Nines competition in Aus. If the plans are to bring a nines World Cup then we will be left behind.

Well they could have been had the RFL and Hull not had other idea's, same could be said for Sheffield as well.

Call me a traditionalist but I couldn't give a monkeys about any nines comp. It would basically be a 'friendly comp' and a comp 95%+ of proper league fans couldn't care less about. I'm not a big fan of pre season friendlies but at least they're 13 per side!

The Magic weekend currently pulls in around 65,000 over two days, a nines comp imo would be lucky to pull in over 30,000 in two days.

The concept is fine as it is. They may change the timing and I wouldn't be against that but there really isn't much wrong.

The MW concept isn't an issue. The way that the interest it generates isn't properly harnessed to deliver a lasting legacy in the area it's held is an issue.

They need to consider fans more, the hiking of hotel prices is ridiculous when a day trip is not practical, must be bank holiday if kept or Manchester for transport links and central location

What about taking it to Toronto, or Toulouse in the next couple of years?