I'm excited about this already, it's the next big event for me (well apart from the Trin season roller coaster to start). The world cup has given me a taste for it and when I've been before it's been brilliant, especially at Etihad. Are we all still keen on this gimmick?

Any ideas on what format it's taking? I'd like derbies again, get some atmosphere in, but i'm aware this hasn't been a roaring success previously, some think that taking there local derby all the way to Manchester is somehow a treasonous act by the evil Super League, rather than a chance to experience everyone's derbies while having a great and cheap weekend of RL . People also like to get home and get settled for the evening as soon as their game has finished which can dampen the atmosphere, the miserable sods!

It'd be great to get championship clubs involved as well, shame that the NR cup has gone because getting the quarters of semis tacked on would have done me a treat.

This needs to be out there and gathering interest already, ideally they would have pushed it during the World Cup, any ideas when they announce fixtures?

It's on the 17/18th of May this year.

FWIW the magic weekend fixtures should have been spread out and played at all World Cup venues as a taster to the World Cup.

This did not happen but to keep the "success" of the World Cup going there is a chance that doing it this year will keep the momentum going.

I will go out on a limb and say it would never happen. The efforts of all those who were employed to get the World Cup off the ground should be applauded (no main sponsor but that's another issue) but sadly it looks like that all that hard work may have gone to waste particularly in the "non RL" areas.

My reasons for saying this are simply that we had a World Cup Final at the end of November and the new season starts in February but the continuing media interest is............................................................. except for the already converted who know where to look for information.

Anyway , I know that previously they have played these games around the country to varying degrees of success but as a follow on and to keep the current interest going there are opportunities. The deafening silence emanating from the RFL/SL seems to indicate that again being positive and development are way way down the pecking order.

Ah well, one day I may be totally stunned at what emanates from the RL/SL organisations.

The magic weekend thing is an ideal opportunity to keep the World Cup success going.

bit of a logistical problem with there being 15 RLWC venues and only 7 Magic Weekend games

Bidding? I think host cities were a contributing factor to some world cup success.

An on the road round might capture some of those sponsors who we keep been told aren't interested in RL areas, are we really that tight in Yorkshire that we're not worth advertising to?

I'd still like it in one venue though because i greedily want to see all the games easily.

Fair comment, perhaps I should have added those areas that are basically non SL so Limerick, Bristol, Neath, Avignon, with probably Workington, Rochdale, Leigh and Halifax.

Now waits for the normal my club , I wont, too far, expense etc comments to arrive

I think every club should be encouraged to do an "on the road" game once a season to help spread the game to these areas. However that should be separate to the magic weekend which is now one the main events on the calendar and is a great weekend for fans.

Would kind of get rid of the MW idea if all the games where spread out across the country. It takes it from being a mini-tournement to basically an away game for everyone.

There is also no point bemoaning SL fans, if taking it on the road is with the idea of spreading the game, then it will not spread the game just to take all the usual fans to a new location.

I'd rather go with a 9's tournement, with it's own prize money, a shorter quicker version of the game. You need less buy in and fans are more likely to stay from game to game as their own team would only be on for a relatively short time.

You could take that pretty much anywhere you liked. Eithiad, Chelsea, Newcastle, Cardiff, etc etc...

Catalan v London
Friday night in Barcelona/Toulouse/Avignon

Hull FC v Hull KR
Leeds v Bradford
Castleford v Wakefield
Saturday at St James Park/Bramhall Lane

Wigan v Saints
Wire v Widnes
Salford v Huddersfield
Sunday at Anfield

I think the Etihad is worth sticking with (its expansion to 60K may make it move again though) but one easy change I'd make is to give the Championship & Championship1 clubs the weekend off to get their clubs fans to attend to. You could also maybe have the top Championship game (say Sheffield-Featherstone) as the first game on the Sunday as a showcase, making it 4 games per day.

there also needs to be better marketing, the World Cup team did a great job and I'd follow their lead with their use of social media. Also a few strategically placed TV ads would help.

on another note i'd like to see the bidding system used for the CC Semi finals with the venue announced months before the games. That way we could try and sell a few thousand to 'neutral' fans to boost the dropping attendances.

Unless the CC semi finals are played at completely neutral venues (ie not the home of any SL team) then the venue can only really be decided on once the teams involved are known.

The concept is great for MW but I wish that the fans would say for the full day rather than just their own match.

Im fine with the Magic Weekend, I think a 9’s Comp would be great aswell. I would do on the road too.

I’ve said before that instead of sharing the Bradford money out with clubs the RFL should have used it to guarantee one game every two years for each side to be made in to an ‘event game’, so it could be used to take Leeds v London to Elland road, Saints v Wigan to Anfield, The Hull KR v Hull Derby to St James’ park. The RFL money covers the cost of renting and marketing as a guarantee(and the loss of revenue for a home game), any profit which is made is split 50% back in to the RFL pot, 25% to each club. 1 game per week for 6 weeks during the summer when the football season has ended. Each done as the only game that day.

I also think we need more games to be played and to improve the ‘eventizing’ (to borrow a phrase from the NFL network) of them.

Id agree with all that, so long as we're careful about where we take the games to. The success of this World Cup has, in my opinion at least in part, been down to careful selection of where the games are played. Obviously marketing is key to it too. I'd try and partner up with a few football clubs. I think we might see more traction with them than with Union clubs. For instance for the Magic Weekend, why not give Man City season ticket holders a big reduction on entry price. Same goes for the "on the road" idea, if a game is played at Anfield why not give Liverpool season ticket holders a discount etc

Does anybody know who is playing against who

I agree with Having a top championship game introduced into the format but giving the Championship a weekend off wont bring many of there fans to the event. a lot of fellow championship fans I know aren't really bothered with S/L and that includes me being a Fax fan, its like most fans including S/L fans you only really want to watch your own Team, How many S/L fans stay and watch all off the MW games not many by looking at the crowds on tv.
Ps Sheffield would only bring a Taxi full.

Part of the problem is that 3 or 4 games is a lot to watch in one go, even for hardcore fans. Double headers are much better in my opinion, but I still like the Magic Weekend thing, especially having it in Manchester.

fc v kr will probably be one game nailed on, the drama of the last two occaisons at the etihad will guarentee that fixture

as for sitting through all games, its too much, two full games at a push is enough for us, thankfully this time around sat in the the vip area of the directors box should make my tush a little less sore after sitting on plastic seats for over 4 hours!

lve only missed one, the first at Edinburgh, and l always watch all the games, apart from the first in Cardiff , l dont think lve seen more than 15,000 in the ground at any one time, as a poster previously stated most fans turn up for their game, and then there off.
Of course if you held it at the Giants or Wigan, "sods law", 30,000 would turn up.

You want money AND sponsorship, make Magic Weekend a 9's tournament in a huge stadium like Old Trafford, Wembley, Emirates, Millennium or Murrayfield with a guaranteed sell out?

Simple

32 team knockout tournament with first round played on Day 1 (16 games)
Round 2, Quarters, Semi and final on Day 2 (15 games).

How you ask, it can't be done.

We have 16 League teams and....wait for it....16 Union teams

Steal/borrow the union marketing machine, get the sponsors to cough up a 500k winners prize.

The shared attendance money split 55/45 dependant on which code wins.

for all the people quoting St James Park or Anfield as potential venues for the magic weekend.. I was told by a member of the RFL during a meeting that there are only a few stadiums in the country that are viable for the Magic Weekend, because they need 2 sets of changing rooms. So that the teams that are on next can be getting ready.

Headingley has 3 sets. Problem solved. Could play 2 games at once. One on the rugby pitch, one on the cricket pitch. Get all the games done in one day.