Eddie mentioned it during the Saints game... don't believe it myself, I’ll put it down some convoluted obscure formula that the RFL are using to calculate ‘overall’ attendance figures.

Ne'er cast a clout till May be out

The double the attendance the Sky commentators mentioned a couple of times over the weekend was Saturday's attendance being double that which watched the Edinburgh 'Derby' football match on the same day or suchlike.

The comparison had nothing to do with last year's attendance at Murrayfield Magic.

Wow - the acid must have not been cut as much as usual

Eddie & Stevo at it again, Easter Road only holds 14,000 or there abouts and what with segregation etc i think it'll have had a reduced capacity of around 13,000.

Another stupid football comparison!

Wasnt it a weekend total of 59.000 last year? And 60.000+ the year before that? So 53.000 is a roaring success? someone at the RFL needs to stop using uncle Mo's calculator.

It does. They just dont open it for the magic weekend, meaning you have a walk on you if you want a pie, burger or in your case several pints.

Went for the weekend and enjoyed the experience yet again,having done all four MAGICs.
Economical accomodation can be found if you search sufficiently and in advance.But thats the same for any event.
Second year running that Murrayfield proved its colder than reasonabley acceptable to sit Four matches and be truly comfortable.SO i am afraid that although Edinburgh is a good palce to visit its not the palce to hold this event,certainly at this time of the year.To find the beer is more expensive than i recall Wembley to be last October is also not good.
I think the concept is great but needs tweaking again.
1/Fixtures--- either derby matches,though for some teams that will leave a tenous connection that wont leave some fans happy--Cru,quins,Catalans,Salford.
OR choose the fixtures once the season has started to find form guide.Some of this years games were woeful matchups on 2010 form as they were selected on 2009 placings i think.
2/Location-- i DONT like the play it in the M62 corridor as we do that for 26 other weekends thank you.It doesnt give it any KUDOS/buzz call it what you will.
3/Venue-- there is no way premier league wendyballers will have there turf trampted on for 2 days remotely near a season start or end.Already the PL is muttering about they must be dominant partners in shared stadium to control when its used and how.Ask wigan fans if that happens.Whether the turf is damaged or not its their perception it happens and thus they react adversely.
4/Tweak as is suggested the Challenge Cup for SL teams to enter a around later and theoretically have SL CC matches over a weekend.The win or go home aspect should surely encourage attendances,boost the status of the CC to what it once was AND reduce the sason length by a week.

PS-yes i realsie the tv contracts not Sky but i bet when tv sits round a table it could find an answer if encouraged.

That's exactly my point! I had to walk up and down several stairs to go fetch my beers last year. This meant that I was extra thirsty when I got back, and they didn't last as long!

They have "got your number" as it were then.

I don't understand the purpose of a magic weekend in Edinburgh.
Or Dublin, or anywhere that isn't at least a seed-bed for growing Rugby League.

Does it bring people to see games that otherwise wouldn't? I doubt it.
Does it stop some people from going, who otherwise would? Yes.

Nothing against places such as Edinburgh, it's a lovely weekend away ... but what is the RFL's actual purpose for the Magic Weekend?

To increase the media profile of the sport by creating another "event" to go alongside the Challenge Cup Final and Grand Final.

To spread the gospel to non-traditional areas and attract new fans to the game.

On the first point it fails spectacularly (Saturday didn't even get a mention on the BBC late evening news sports section). On the second part of the reason it was pulled from Cardiff is that targets for ticket sales to locals weren't being met. Not convinced they are much better in Edinburgh from anecdotal evidence.

If it's not achieving either of those goals then it has no need to exist.

Maybe it needs a bit of a rebranding to pull in the punters, how about "We all hate Leeds scum, we hate rharnos weekend?" its all we heard all weekend, so its already got a chance of spreading by word of mouth.

As said by a fair few, it is a good idea, but it does need to be looked at.

The location being the key, and I feel the midlands is the best choice Personally, I feel there is interest there from the people I know who are from the midland. The survey I did a while back actually showed that a fair few people in the midlands who follow rugby union also follow rugby league, and I feel hosting this at the City Ground in Nottingham will show the grounds full the majority of times. It is accessable to most supporters from the heartland where the sport is supported, and I feel it could be a success.


The RFL are known for being brave (but often claimed 'stupid' by some), and I feel something brave needs to happen for this concept to even be considered for next year imo.

And it has Hooters right near it.....winner!

A weekend in Nottingham kind of doesn't have the same appeal does it?

See above reply re: HOOTERS

But is a lot easier to get to, if you only want to go for the day ....

Isn't the Spring Bank weekend when the football play-off finals are held ?

Fantastic isn't it ?

I remember when our club used to be laughed out of court .... I'm with Millwall on this one : "No one likes us ... We don't care"

All those bitter, bitter Wakefield fans on Saturday night and having to choke on their beer for the rest of the evening. The 'best' they could come up with is a 'Melbourne' jibe (a team that needed to cheat to beat us).

The problem is with holding the game at Old Trafford is that Sir Alex Taggart hates anyone but his beloved Man U setting foot on the pitch and the only reason the GF is held there is that the RFL pays big bucks to the Reds to do so.

Remember when they had the World Cup Final there in October 2000 ? Taggart was still blaming League for a defeat about eight weeks later.

As an alternative Scottish Magic Weekend venue ... May I cordially suggest :



Ochilview Park - Stenhousemuir

It boasts the following great features :

- A bus service to Falkirk (which occasionally goes after 6pm on Sundays)

- A Premier Inn, so teams can be accomodated in comfort

- The Highland Toffee Factory next door

- Several branches of Greggs, so you need never go hungry.

- A Bank Of Scotland cash machine

- A world class stadium that can hold over 3500 fans

- Interesting roundabouts

- Keith Chegwin's never been there

So come on RFL, next magic weekend, why not give Stenhousemuir a go ?

Given the parochial nature of our sport, how big is the market to sit and watch SIX other games featuring teams you spent 99% of the rest of the time hating ?

Is there that big a 'casual' market for a round of ordinary league matches (especially, as CGH has pointed out, most of that time you're spent freezing your extremities off or suffering from cramp in the seats) ?

Haven't a clue mate - their fekkin' season seems to last forever.