I think the rather large gaps in the seats says it all, competing against 6 Nations RU, Valentines day (re Hotels in and around Cardiff being booked up) and the manchester Derby on TV coinciding with the first game wasn't exactly a great planning excercise. But then again some people think the RFL can do no wrong and that all its member clubs are treated the same, so I'm looking forward to the RFL extravaganza on the launch of the Championship and Championship 1 seasons, where is it being held again?

Think the expansion from roots up being displayed in your neck of the woods is great, think expansion too soon is normally doomed. Believe destroying what you have in the hope something better survives is a high risk strategy. Get P'd of with all the 100 years of wasted opportunity brigade when Sky have funded a few clubs for 16 years only. Would love to see 2 x 10 in SL, allowing expansion and not killing the couple of clubs most effected by no promotion.
Think the next few years in recession will sort the men from the boys.

I was there on Saturday. Had never been to a "Magic" weekend before and got discounted tickets as I work for the Co-operative so figured it'd be worth the journey. It turned out to be a disappoitning day. If there was more than 18 or 19 thousand I'd be very surprised. Not one section was full, the Wigan fans bit in the lower tier came closest. The whole top tier was shut, now considering that the stadium holds 74000 and the top tier makes up 33000 of that, you get some idea of how much the RFL are inflating it.

It got considerably busier for the last game but for the second and third games it was empty. The atmosphere was poor all day but there was absolutely no atmosphere whatsoever for the Catalans-Harlequins game. None. What were they thinking pairing these two up?

Also the stewarding was awful and I'll admit I took advantage of it. I was sat in the middle tier behind the sticks and it soon became apparent that the little atmosphere there was and all the noise, mainly from Pies and Wire fans, was coming from the lower tier. It was clear that that was the place to be. When you left the ground you were given a green stamp on your hand to get back in, it wasn't coulour-coded dependent on stand or tier. After the first game at least half, probably more, of the people in the middle tier left the ground and then entered again into the lower tier. I myself did this as it was clear nobody was bothered and it was dead in the middle tier after that.

For the first half of the second game we went across the road for a pint. I'd been in a few pubs in the city centre prior to the first game and they were fine. In this one they had the England/Italy Union game on, about 5 or 6 large screens showing it. No mention of the League games across the road and we were looked at like scum as we walked in, my mate in a Pie shirt and me in a Souths Rabbitohs shirt. The placed was packed with the Ra-Ra brigade so we thought better of it and left. Now I didn't really expect anything else but why did the RFL persist on hosting this event on a day when Six Nations, the Manchester derby and local football team Cardiff City were playing? No locals were remotely interested and the League fans were treated as an annoyance around the ground. I've been to Cardiff before and enjoyed it immensely for Challenge Cup Finals, but Saturday left a sour taste and I won't be going back.

The RFL need to seriously rethink this concept. Wigan vs Saints at the DW and Leeds vs Bradford at Headingley as opening games of the season would've attracted 30,000 plus easily combined, probably 35,000 or more. They need to consider that if they are to continue with this failing idea, is Cardiff appropriate? Maybe Anfield Magic or City of Manchester Stadium Magic would be a better idea.

On a brighter note I enjoyed yesterday's game much more. No 350 mile round trip, I can see the floodlights of the ground from my house and just a 5 minute walk and I'm there


A good win but we're gonna have to play better than that though against the more able sides.

The attendance was 30891 on Saturday, 29323 on Sunday.

Attendance at 10 NRC games was 11166.

so what? the attendance was only a fraction of what was on at the RFU comps or the FA matches, you can't compare the SL gates with Championship gates the two are as far apart as the RF is with the RFU or with the FA, and it isn't an issue anyway unless the RFL wishes to start funding the Championship with the same amouint of monies.
if the games had been played at the SL clubs home ground the figure collectively would have been a lot higher.

Can't argue with that but seven random games wouldn't present themselves as an attraction to people outside the SL or as a TV spectacle.

I include the total attendance for the NRC as a comparison to an earlier poster about those who "bother to go" to the "Magic Weekend". The same could be said for the NRC games.

Perhaps the RFL could rename it Millenium Marmite because its clear from numerous message boards that you either love it or hate it which is a shame really.

But if the RFL can afford to frustrate, exclude, or annoy a significant %age of RL fans with their approach then good luck to them. The game must be healthier than I give it credit for.

Balance sheets up and down the country say otherwise but hey, it's all free money at the end of the day so why worry about financial stability and the RFL contempt for middle tier rugby league - we've got Welsh ball boys you know. Ace. All in the world is rosy.

Why do you think that is though?

Is it because folk see them as glorified friendlies brought in by the RFL to pad out an otherwise wafer thin season? Or is it because each year fewer and fewer people are interested in RL outside SL? Expansion is great but show me 500 kids playing rugby in London (population god knows how many million) and I will show you 500 kids in Leigh (popluation about 40000) playing with anything but a rugby ball or 500 adults who have lost interest in the game altogether. We don't even have proper inter-schools competitions any more!!

Thats what happens when the RFL can't be d with middle ground rugby league. SL and expansion is all that matters to them. The rest is just an annoyance.

and which two teams were the main culprits conspicuous by their absence at the choo choo launch??

I think dewsbury wern't there.
Who was the other team ?.

Not being there myself I wouldn't know, please enlighten us?

The single most important post on this thread until TV viewing figures come in.

£1.25 million pounds in the RL bank - no matter who gets it - is the bottom line.

Would that money have been made on a normal derby weekend? Would the viewing figures have been as high? Somehow I doubt it.

All that said, the RFL organised this particularly badly, even by their standards. 6 Nations and a big North West football derby the same weekend? That was always going to make a huge dent in the attendance. Perhaps the football was unforseeable, I have no interest in the game so wouldn't know when the fixtures are announced, but the 6 Nations clash was unforgiveable.

No matter how much the regular fan sees empty seats at the ground as a sign of failure, the real measure of success is how much money the weekend made or lost.

£1.25 million isn't an amount to be trifled with, is it? The game is about being a sucessful business, not just a sport.

Who payed for the hire of the stadium ?.
Plenty of supporters didin't pay,i believe it was part of there season ticket package.Lots of supporters payed a tenner thats not counting concessions.
That magical £500 thousand pound figure is based on the first MM weekend,how much did they pay for the 2011 MM?

So how do they avoid 5 weeks of RU played from the 2 nd week in feb into March , and have this event as a season opener ?

Owd up.

If it costs them £500k and they are paid £500k then the net outlay is zero.

And this is without asking for VT standard 'link please' protocol to prove they get £500k. It might be a bag of spanners for all we know.

But one thing is for sure, you dont roll it over then add up some guestimated figure and shout 'Bingo!'



There may not be any money from the tourist board and the Stadium Company might want £1m a day. Ticket sales might not cover the clubs transport and hotel costs, promoting the event, policing, stewarding, the VATman....we don't know. I could guess at a load of figures in an attempt to show it lost money.

Nobody knows unless the RFL tell us. And they don't so until they do lets not kid ourselves otherwise.

still cant work out who the missing clubs where from the photo www.northernrail.org/northernrailcup/news/6600

still cant work out who the missing clubs where from the photo www.northernrail.org/northernrailcup/news/6600

20 Teams in the comp only 19 shirts on show there is a least one club missing.

As far as I can make out the missing team is Dewsbury

Thats what I thought not two.

AYE (flat cap voice) the RFL are forcing this expansion issue, without there being too much geniune interest. Actually YOU could place any town in the UK, into our premier/super league and they might do ok, how about Ipswich Jets ?
Though it wouldn't take a club that long to build a fan base similiar to salford/wakey/harlequins/wrexham etc, but is that a success ? I think their 'dream' is to see 8/9k averages for these NEW clubs - it's NEVER gonna HAPPEN.
Surely it's better to have a M62 team in SL, AVERAGING 4/5K, after all, they will produce/attract local players, rather than relying on mercenaries/overseas players.
Come SUPER LEAGUE season, everyone seems to forget how bad our national team is, WAY behind in 3rd place, and as for France, what good has Catalan Dragons done for their national team.
RUGBY LEAGUE is a struggling sport, not as bad as it was in the late 70's/early 80's, but MILLENIUM MAGIC does not kid anyone, except RFL/SUPER LEAGUE FANS.

It's all right saying all this negative stuff but the fact is that there were 7 entertaining rugby league games on the telly over two days. What sport other than tennis and footy does this? I personally think it's a great advert for our sport. Just needs the organising sorting.

Nowt do wi us , never will be

Perhaps as well, I can't imagine the forum curmudgeons actually enjoying something. Is there a local moaning gene?

I love my RL every sunday and thursdays on tv.