time to scrap the magic weekend,well past its sell by date.

Magic weekend is one of the few events that gets the media talking about RL in this country on a big scale, generate money for the RFL and is enjoyed by a high majority of fans who attend it. Showcases the very best of our sport, and personal opinion is that its a great knee's up.

Why would we drop it?

i've just had a look at the trailfinders on google maps, its a shocker - no stand at all on one side and only a tiny one behind one of the ends. i would have thought that as a minimum they would have to bring in a golf type stand behind one end as they did at rovers. its not just the size, its the image it presents to the nation, when it looks like something a conference team might play on, not much better than ionians ground. having said that the counter argument might be that a bigger stadium with loads of empty seats looks worse.

i wish london could get their crowds up to a decent level but i really can't see that happening, i fear they are going to be relying on travelling support

rl needs to focus more on the Wembley final and dump a magic weekend that was supposed to attract fans from other areas through the turnstiles,which it has failed to do.nearly all people who attend are fans from the clubs.i just cant see the point of it.another rl failed gimmick

There is nothing failed about Magic Weekend. It's a fantastic concept, where fans of all different clubs gather in the same place to watch a weekend full of our great game. It's a cheap weekend when you consider how much is it to go to the CC final as a neutral, and yes, I attend both every year.

The NRL will stage its version of the Magic Weekend for the first time next year in Brisbane(May) with all 16 clubs competing at Suncorp over 3 days. 2 matches on Friday night and 3 each on Sat and Sun.
Am really looking forward to being there. All UK 'Magic' matches are televised here live.

We must be doing something right if the NRL are doing it. I honestly don't understand where the thinking is behind the failed comment because I've had nothing but good experiences from them...apart from a few scorelines of course lol

how many locals attend?half a dozen?.

I wouldn't know, I don't tend go round checking out if they're talking with a Geordie accent

Am I right in saying that Dewsbury were refused promotion to Super League about 15 years ago because their stadium only had 2 stands?

it might be a good weekend out for regulars ,but it was originally to take the game to different areas and get the locals to attend.its amazing to think that a team from Canada is desperate to get into super league,yet I don't see them queuing up in Newcastle to get a sl franchise.

That would be because franchises don't exist anymore.

You cannot say that MW is a failure because it doesn't get locals involved. The fact that Newcastle bid yearly for the event shows how much the area loves having us there and tbh, I couldn't care less where the attendees come from postcode wise, it's a great event that showcases what's truly special about our sport and that's the fact that fans from all clubs can live together and have a great time both supporting their own clubs and others. That would never happen in football and it's something that I for one am very proud of.

Just checked, Hunslet were refused entry in 1999 because their ground capacity was 4,000. Dewsbury were refused entry in 2000 even though they had made arrangements to play at Don Valley, whilst Ram Stadium was developed. Will Broncos go back to the Stoop?

theyve been granted dispensation this morning to put extra seating in I believe.

It would be interesting on the Magic point to measure media coverage compared to normal weekly rounds, plus a guarenteed game on TV for every club with excellent viewing figures will be a cornerstone of any marketing plans by clubs for sponsors ( or should be)

Newcastle do well on the friday night and get season high attendances. I do agree however there should be an element of new people targeted to the game, not just from newcastle but the full catchment area. Providing tickets to all amateur clubs to experience it should be part of the concept too.

I liked the idea of the championship game last year Imagine putting a Newcastle game vs game saturday - two birds one stone.

It can improve, however it's successful as it is in my eyes.

As they have spoken about, seeding the Magic weekend, this will probably give Hull & Rovers a chance not to be left till last, and perhaps avoid the last Sunday spot, maybe they’ll leave that slot to London v Wigan

Hunslet weren't refused entry.
Back then they had the choice to either make the necessary ground improvements required for SL or take a 1 off payment and remain in the same division.
They chose the latter.

The reason Newcastle bid for it isn't RL related its simply economics as it brings in a lot of revenue to the area from outside so its win win for Newcastle.

The Magic weekend was we were led to believe at its inception a way to promote the game to areas and potential fans outside the M62 corridor which for me it has failed at doing and has now become a in reality just a gimmick. What purpose does it actually serve yes it can be said its a showcase of the sport of RL but for me thats not really true as it never seems to be marketed to target new fanbase instead relies on the people who are already fans of the game. So apart from giving Newcastle a revenue stream from the weekend being held at St James Park what real benefit does the Magic Weekend serve the game?

As I said earlier, without listening to every attendee's accent, we don't know how many are from the Newcastle area. What I do know is that it's a fantastic weekend, very cheap considering the amount of games you get to see, and a great way of showing off the sport. If it's not being marketed correctly, that isn't a flaw in the concept, it's a failing of the Marketing department at the RFL.

It brings money into the RFL coffers.
Newcastle just don't get the event for free.

I know Newcastle don't get the event for free but what real benefit does the Magic Weekend serve to the game as whole other than a money making exercise? As I said it was claimed at its inception it was a target new areas and fan bases to grow the game but has it really done that? Are Gateshead packing new fans into there ground, are the kids of Newcastle & Sunderland getting involved in the game, is the junior game developing well in the North East? Again what has it done for RL in Wales & Scotland?

Its fine saying its great as fan already and that it brings money in but the sport to continue to grow and be sustainable need fans to attend the games on a regular basis. Attendances have been falling so the RL need to ask why and look at ways to address this before its becomes a bigger problem. You can only get so much milk from the same cow before there is nothing left.

It makes money - that’s the core benefit of it. The rest is just PR sizzle I admit, and doesn’t stand up to much scrutiny. That’s why PR should be taken with a pinch of salt.

You’re right about the questions the sport needs to ask, but I don’t see why MW is an obstacle to that.

It’s worth bearing in mind that during the whole restructuring chairmen’s bunfight, not one of them advocated binning MW (that I saw, anyway).

For me, the Magic Weekend is a perfect vehicle in which to promote a vibrant and growing sport. That is not what rugby league is at the moment. Having Magic Weekend as an event to try to do that is a failed venture. The marketing of the sport, not just from the RFL but the clubs, the leagues, the international federations and the wider engagement with national and international media, needs to improve MASSIVELY before an event such as Magic Weekend can start to bring in new fans in new locations.

I was a student in Cardiff during the early inception of Millennium Magic. It was only because myself and a friend from St Helens were students in the city that we knew the event was happening, as the promotion of the event locally was abysmal.

This seems to be an inherent problem with the RFL. And I think it stems further than them, with the chronic attitude from a large proportion of 'flat-cap' fans who want to ignore growth opportunities in London, France, Toronto, New York etc. Sticking with rugby league as it has always been will get the sport nowhere. Yes, there's heritage in places like Oldham, Leigh, Widnes, Salford etc, but are those clubs really going to turn the sport into one that is as successful off the field as the product is on the field? They have a part to play, of course they do, but expansion teams are the ones that are going to give us as a sport the most scope to grow and find new avenues with which to promote and support ourselves.

Magic Weekend started in Wales, moved to Scotland and has meandered around through Manchester and now Newcastle. And as you say, rightly, what is there to show for it? A failed Super League club in Wales, nothing of note in Scotland in terms of club rugby and a Salford team within touching distance of Manchester City centre that have a woefully low fan base and regularly flirt with the lower positions in the league.

Personally, I'd halt Magic Weekend, give it a few years off, get the Hearn's involved and then improve the game in a multitude of ways. THEN relaunch the Magic Weekend (under a different name) once it's about more than just getting fans from the M62 corridor to travel to Wales, Scotland, Manchester or Newcastle for a glorified two day rugby festival.

The thing about Hearn is that he is good at self promotion. He’s a promoter, so it’d be worrying if he wasn’t. However, it does leave a gnawing doubt for me about what of real substance he can offer. And how do you find out - he’s not going to give his wisdom for nothing, but handing him the reins without a very good idea of what he’s planning is too much of a leap into the dark for me.

Leave Elstone to hire a marketing firm and give them a coherent remit, at the SL level. Then think about whether Sky are the future before they give us a take it or leave it deal. And ‘let’ clubs should look more to themselves for better gate and sponsorship revenue.

I don't know about in Hull, but more centrally, the radio channels are really pushing the Kiwi test series. Not sure if it's a coincidence or Hearn is already having an influence, but it's really good to hear.