The current magic weekend.
To basically copy what I said in the other thread, Wire catalans played last year and got 18,000, if we market it to the Catalans public we could get a similar figure to that game, there's loads of space in a fantastic city, accomodation's cheap, flights arent bad and if the other teams took an average of 1000 each (topped easily by some) we'd have over 30,000.

Oh, and the weathers great. I'd be there; wouldn't you?

Carbon footprint?

You think we'd get around 35,000 fans out to Barcelona easily and cheaply?
Sleezyjet and Ryanair would jack the fares in an instant, at least Dublin has the ferry as an alternative.

For fans it probably wouldn't cost much more. For the RFL it would probably cost hundreds of thousands more. Would be nice though if Barcelona were willing to pay.

I know you're just trolling, but even so....

The COM planning permission at the time it was built specified a limit for the number of non-football events the stadium can be used for. They tend to use those slots for big pop concerts, which obviously generate a lot more cash than an RL event could. In any case, given the near 100 year history of playing internationals and championship finals in Manchester, it's kind of hard to see why playing a weekends fixtures would inspire the youth of Trafford, Tameside etc. to start playing RL.

"Visit Wales" stumped up half a million quid to get the RFL to hold the event in Cardiff. We don't know the terms of the Murrayfield deal (presumably much less advantageous), but I'd assume the RFL do get some money from Scotland for taking Magic weekend to Edinburgh. Can't see the Northwest tourist body wanting to spend big money on winning the event, as it's not exactly going to fill hotel rooms.

In a far off location almost all people that go will prefer to stay overnight (or at least in the eyes of a tourist board there is a greater likelihood). So close to home people will just go to the games and go home. Hotels in Manchester will not make money as ones in Edinburgh do and I don't think that any of the alternatives such as caravan parks and camping sites that persuade some people to stay around Edinburgh and Cardiff exist near Manchester. That decreases the tourism value for the city massively.

There is no evidence that people would attend in numbers much greater than they have at Cardiff and Edinburgh so that is just conjecture.

Families going along because it is cheaper are going to find it even cheaper to watch the games and drive home than to fork out for accommodation an hour away from home so they would go home.

The event is unlikely to make much more for Manchester than a single home game for United or City does as they would have attendances of 76k and just over 40k with one happening each week for every week of the football season. Given this and the fact that the city already hosts one large event (that it can base expected earnings on) I don't expect that Manchester will bid to host it. They will certainly not stand to earn as much from tourism as other cities so will not be willing to pay as much. Payment from a host city is guaranteed income for the RFL, a hoped for increased attendance is not guaranteed and I can only see them going for the guaranteed money from the host city's tourist board.

I wouldn't stay in Manchester as a Wire fan for 2 days. It's only 20 mins from my house. What would be the point.

i think they would struggle with the amount of airports within commutable distance to Barcelona. Im not sure 35k would be too much trouble for a city of barcelonas size considering over 5million people go there a year and they have hosted much much bigger events

the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys would be ideal in both size and infrastructure, it would also give us a fantastic opportunity to advertise to the people of Catalonia and southern france and give us a fantastic boost in spain.

Saying that, they dont seem to be offering us any money for it, and the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys would be quite expensive for us to pay to rent

Oh aye, I know that and I think it would be fantastic, but you can see the pound signs in Michael O'Leary's eyes at the thought of it.

its only a matter of time before he is charging for oxygen

The event left Cardiff for reasons unknown. The deal at Edinburgh is unknown, but ticket sales have dropped by 10,000 from 2008.

How many fans day tripped to Edinburgh and how many stayed over? The Scots gave the event plenty of promotion but given the drop in numbers, it appears to not have worked.

I personally think that a night on the beer in Manchester plus all the rugby will appeal to an awful lot of people. People who wouldn't normally have a night in Manchester.

What you may lose on overnights would, in my view, easily be made up on day trip spend. If you don't think an event sold as 'Magic Comes Home' or something along those lines, and the right mix of games would bring fans flocking in record numbers, I think you are kidding yourself.

As I said earlier, Saints are at Widnes next season, they could get 20,000 alone for the Wigan game at COM.

If , as you suggets the RFL would only go for guaranteed money, well that's not about developing the game is it? The AGMA region has a 2m catchment area, vastly untapped by rugby league.

Superb stadium, dead easy to get to, give the fans a break from the expense and build the event up again before looking at taking it elsewhere.

So the RFL may not make as much money, but the non financial benefits would easily balance that up.

Using the tourist angle alone, in it's current format the event really has nowhere else to go does it? Where else can it go that will get a bid you would deem enough and get the fans to go in sufficient numbers? The two avenues open have been tried and the crowds have dropped year on year.

Time to pay the heartlands some attention I think, even if it means earning less money from the event.

Only to you. To people who were paying attention at the time, the reasons were clearly stated.

No they weren't. Where is there anything said by the RFL that gives definitive reasons for the move from Cardiff? Maybe the Welsh Tourist Board did not want to pay for it any longer?

rlDown less than 8000rl

rlPoor ticket salesrl

rlLack of promotion and hotel pricesrl

Your first point as I said is conjecture, there is no evidence to suggest that an increased attendance would occur. Also it is doubtful that any increase in spending within the city would occur. People that stay over in Edinburgh pay for food and drink just as a daytripper would and they pay for accommodation as well. Day trippers to Manchester wouldn't so that income is lost.

It doesn't follow that because Saints are playing to a smaller capacity for their 'home' derby next year that their fans will turn out en masse for a game at a bigger stadium in Manchester. The DW has a capacity of 25k and 10k season ticket holders. If they wish there is nothing to stop the Saints support from travelling a few miles to purchase the spare 10k tickets in any of the home stands for that derby to make it more like a home game for them. That would give a large attendance with a better atmosphere in a stadium that is almost certain to be full.

As for development in Manchester (or AGMA as you put it) in 115 years the existence of clubs in Salford, Swinton, Oldham, Broughton, Belle Vue, Trafford and further back Stockport and Tyldeseley did not tap into the unconverted millions in the area. In the only areas that are interested in supporting RL, Wigan and Leigh it took off. Salford continue to plug away and get the level of support they do and good luck to them but if a succession of clubs, 4 of which at different periods fought it out for the honours within the sport could not break the stranglehold that soccer has in Manchester then one weekend of fixtures is not going to either. We have been trying to expand the base in Greater Manchester for the whole existence of our sport. We need to try to do the same in other areas of the country and that is why the Magic event needs to be and is taken well away from the 'heartlands'. The guarantee of income from the tourist boards is a nice bonus.