I totally agree.

I also reckon the RFL have made a total balls of the promotion of this event. i do business with a bloke in Cardiff who is a mad Welsh RU fan, and he knew nothing whatsoever of this event, and neither did his mates.

It's all well and good making TV ads and showing them on Granada and Yorkshire - preaching to the converted won't make a scrap of difference. RL Fans are aware that Magic Weekend is happening and will make the decision to go based on whether or not they fancy it. We don't need fancy advertising to influence us.

What you need is to promote the event in the area it's being staged in - and with the Welsh loving rugby of either code, and with places like Bath and Bristol within p155ing distance, why not put the advertising money into those areas? At least then you stand a chance of getting people coming last minute, IN ADDITION to Yorkshiremen who have to plan it all in advance.

Quote: manly4ever " These might be able to help. www.tarpaulinsdirect.co.uk Then we can pull it over the roof at Wembley. Leave London for the Cup final. Cardiff is the only place it "can" be played in Feb. Its cold outside ok not for one game but the poor buggers who go and watch all the games in the day. (Like it should be) And no football club either close or in season will allow this to be played. I'm waiting for the day after Wigan first home game to hear the media talk about the mess of the DW pitch is shocking at the moment.

Quote: manly4ever " These might be able to help. www.tarpaulinsdirect.co.uk Then we can pull it over the roof at Wembley. Leave London for the Cup final. Cardiff is the only place it "can" be played in Feb. Its cold outside ok not for one game but the poor buggers who go and watch all the games in the day. (Like it should be) And no football club either close or in season will allow this to be played. I'm waiting for the day after Wigan first home game to hear the media talk about the mess of the DW pitch is shocking at the moment.

oh well ive got my hotel booked for next year for Cardiff because i hoping it is. had a brilliant time when i went a few years back but its a bit to chilly to camp for me in Feb.
I personally think no matter where it is its the people that go the make the weekend its the same at every rugby game the fans make the attmospher not the location. If ya sing loud enough your having a good time

St James' Park?

FFS, what part of no football club will allow 7 games in 2 days on their pitch no matter if it is in the off season or not, are you having trouble with?

Do you know what date it will be next year, cos I wanna book already. The manager at the wetherspoons said he had been told it was to be in Cardiff for 3 years. Have they released the dates for next years event?

i would play it the last weekend in may, the bank holiday weekend. most football clubs would be happy to let us use the ground because of off season revenue. also we could use 30-40,000 seater grounds which would look a lot better than a 1/4 full cardiff.
nottingham maybe, leicester?

Amazingly insular Northern attitude you have there. Quite simply the reason why northerners get a bad name. You have clearly never spent any time outside of your little world in the north. You will certainly hardly ever find a cockney in London anymore and certainly not in North London. As for English Rugby Union heartland you are closer to that in Cardiff than in London. How many London Rugby Union clubs are there. Thats London not the south east by the way.
London is one sport and one sport only. FOOTBALL. Every other sport is battling for the crumbs, including Harlequins and RL.
The sport loving fans in London have respect for the sport of RL as was shown by the interest that was apparent in the early 90s. Its the total lack of marketing of the sport which has been its undoing in London. Or the right type of marketing at the wrong time. For example last week for two days the Metro newspaper had 2 4 1 vouchers for this weeks match at the Stoop Quins v Crusaders. Last week ffs. Nothing so far this week. Someone might have seen the voucher last week and will probably have forgotten about it now.
I personally think MM in London would be far more beneficial for the sport and put it in the shop window in London and just might attract people to the Stoop. What are they hoping to attract in Cardiff in the long term?
The Challenge Cup Final does not do that as the stands are full of ardent RL fans and equally thats not advertised in London either. MM might work even better if there wasn't a full programme of RL going on elsewhere. You need the amateur clubs to be free and teams making weekends of it like Wembley. You might also see NL supporters supporting it instead of Northen Rail Cup matches.

no i dont know the dates yet just booked a few weekends in feb just in case can cancel without charge so hopfully will pay off because we left it to late this year to get a city hotel. they will probaly change the month and place knowing my luck lol

Yea clearly
I've lived in London - worst place I have ever lived. Dirty awful place, and the rudest people in the country
I have lived in Cardiff - Fantastic place. Fantastic people.

You might want to find out who you are insulting before doing so. As for insular northerner, I think you will find that most people in London have no clue what happens outside the M25 and some of it are proud of it! I go to London when I have to and never enjoy it.

Anywhere where I get abuse for wearing a rugby league shirt by a shandy drinking rah rah fan is not somewhere I want to be. Stick with Cardiff, you can have an intelligent conversation with them and there is always the common ground, our mutal contempt for English RU.

The Metro ad was ran again this week too apparently, Graham.

I have doubts that any PL football club would allow their pitch to be used for two days even in off season. Newcastle is a good shout but I cant see them allowing it.

Cardiff is a great venue, I would just move it to May or june and have the weekender as a summer event!!

Have it at the Olympic Stadium 2013 IN SUMMER
Reasons for

1) The travel links will be fantastic
2) Develops the game that is already developing at quite a rate down here (May help Quins gates)
3) Easier for the French to come over
4) Big new stadium, will attract people who want to experience the whole new site.
5) On the (lazy) media's doorstep
6) Plenty of hotels and other things to do
7) It's an easy sell for sponsors
icon_cool.gif It's the tourist hotspot of the UK



Lived here 10 years, i can count the 'Cockneys' i've met on one hand.

I've met a handful of union fans (there are all mainly in the South West/East of London) trust me it's just Football here

Good post, i, to a large degree, concur with that.