i haven't been to a magic weekend, but that doesn't mean that i, and others who haven't been to one, don't have a valid opinion on the event. just because i don't eat at mcdonalds doesn't mean that i can't have an opinion on how unhealthy the food from there is.

there are a number of issues with the magic weekend this year which in my opinion mean that the event was not a success.
1) the event was held on the first weekend of the season where teams are not playing at their best, hardly a good advert for our sport when trying to attract new supporters to our sport.
2) the event was held in wales the same day that the welsh rugby union team were playing.
3) we couldn't even half fill the stadium on either day of the event (in fact, the total attendance could have fit into the stadium at the same time and there would still have been empty seats).
4) there isn't enough accommodation in cardiff, if it's hard to find somewhere to stay when the event has sold less than half the available tickets, then where are other supporters supposed to stay if they turn up.
5) even if all the tickets are sold for the event, the stadium will never be filled due to fans coming and going whenever they want and only watching their own team and maybe one or two other games. this would not come across well on tv.

despite the above points, i'm not saying that the event should be scrapped (although that is my own personal view), but if it is to succeed then changes need to be made. firstly, move it closer to the heartlands of rugby league (not necessarily to lancashire or yorkshire, but somewhere closer than cardiff). this would reduce travelling time/costs making it more accessible to rugby league fans.

another option would be to have a host city rather than a host stadium, with games spread across multiple venues (situated close to each other so fans can attend all games if they wish). this would reduce wear and tear on the pitch and increase the likelyhood of finding suitable venues, particularly if the magic weekend takes place after the football season has finished.

one thing that would definitely not improve the event is giving away free tickets, this rarely works as a lot of tickets simply won't be used. if you look at wigan for example, they have a no free ticket policy, yet are the best supported club in the league.

i'm not claiming to have all the answers, in fact, i'm not claiming to have any of the answers, but i am suggesting that changes need to be made if the event is to be successful in the future.

Whoah, whoah. I have never said I dont like the Magic as a concept, in fact on this very thread I have said the complete opposite. I just think that there are better ways of doing it and after 5 years without any real progress in terms crowd size I think its now time to start trying something different. All I did was suggest more suitable sized stadia closer to where rugby league fans live and see if that works any better, as I dont see any reason why it wouldnt.

Wembley is miles from the heartlands and that eventually caught on (after some poor crowds for 10 years). I agree that a slightly smaller ground would be better until the magic concept catches on but it is the number of fans attending that really matters and not the number of empty seats.

But do you really think it is "going to catch on". Its had 5 years now and isnt showing any sign of it. This years aggregate crowd is actually lower than what it was in 2008 after which the RFL decided to try Murrayfield. I just think its time to try something different.

And for the last time, Wembley is for one of the most highly regarded trophies in the sport, not just a fixture added to the regular season as MM is.

And for the last time - Yes but moving the CC final to Wembley was not popular initially with the fans and was played with half empty stadiums. This is an historical fact. It is a good thing that the RFL didn't listen to people like you otherwise the Wembley experience would have been abandonded and moved to Maine Road or somewhere else near to the RL heartland.

you paying?? my brother in law is coming France this year for the first time and he asked me is it expensive when your there????? mmmmmmmmm just a bit

IF IT AIN'T BROKE DON'T TRY AND FIX IT!!