The original idea was to take it out of the heartlands to help develop the game.
Let's have a couple of goes in London and if it still doesn't take off, keep it, but just stick it in Manchester/Leeds/Newcastle or Liverpool and just make it about profit.
The majority of fans i would have thought would only attend the day their game is on anyway regardless of if it was Cardiff London or Manchester.

I reckon we should continue the idea but hold it in the South of France. Weather in Feb is around 16 degrees. Cost might be a bit extra but not much and you would get all the fans staying for the full weekend.

And people think 60k is a bad result
You'd get 40k absolute maximum.

From my own personal perspective, having attended with my wife and six year old son, I have to question who the RFL feel they are trying to attract to the event.

If they want coachloads of lads/men/teens drinking from noon until dusk, then its brilliant, keep banging the drum and you'll attract them.

If they want to attract a wider audience of people, and yes, there are people out there who don't feel it abundantly necessary to quaff large amounts of ale to get them through a whole weekend watching RL, then they really do need to re-visit the drawing board.

I'd be interested to find out how many of my fellow Wiganers were under the legal drink-drive limit after the game finished as a mere straw poll of attendees.

I went.

I can't say I loved it.

I didn't say I hated it but I certainly didn't [ilove[/i it.

Ergo, your second point is untrue.

It's ok for the gin dodderers at RL HQ. They don't need to worry about such things.

opening up with the ferocious derby steeped in tradition that is Wire/Hudds another masterstroke

I would have gone

Leeds/bulls
2 big teams, proper derby to open up

Crusaders/salford
Follow up with the 'local' team

Cas/trinity
wire Hudds

Sunday
Start of with a passionate
hull derby

Quins v cats
The 'filler'

Finish off with biggest Derby
Wigan/saints

So, using the same logic, playing the CC final at Wembley for the first ten years in a half empty stadium must also be classed as a failure in your eyes.

Stop banging on about 80 years ago! Like I have already said, there is clearly no talking to some people because they have just been to Cardiff and had a good weekend, which I can fully appreciate. I didnt go this year but have been to previous ones and enjoyed it. This doesnt automatically mean it has worked, or certainly not worked as well as it could do. At the moment the RFL have landmark events such as the GF and CCF which attract the supporters, now in 2011, and one event which doesnt, and means the biggest derby games in British rugby league are played in front of a quarter full stadium.

Oh so you agree then! We are making some progress at last.
You don't like the magic format which is your choice. Just don't again. You won't be missed with such a negative attitude.

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!!