Hi There,

Just a few comments here firstly if the RFL thinks that they can con the general public into thinking that 30000+ were at the MM on Saturday then they can dream on the apart from the RFL only the nazis would have come up with such tosh!!!!!!!

Max on Saturday was 15000 to count the same persons 4 times over only the RFL could have come up with this utter rubbish whoever came up with the idea of going head to head with the 6 nations needs a shrink yes the 6 nations is crap however its popular crap the RFL have made SL and the game look an utter joke yet again heads need to roll and the sooner the better Wood/Rimmer are so far away from the 8th ball its unreal what planet are these people living on the game and its surporters deserve better than this.

Finally to get it off my chest Jamie Peacock is right a 10 team SL is the only way for the game to go forward however we also need proper promotion and relegation between the SL and the Championshìp without this we are destroying investment and dreams.

Thats it rant over

The first we'd heard of the magic weekend opening the season was actually from Jamie Peacock.

10 teams would improve the quality of the competition but can't imagine it'd improve the tv deals and monies coming in.

Promotion and relegation wastes too many resources, money etc. RL doesn't have money to waste so it'll never happen, besides we're now producing kids as a consequence of no relegation.

Okay. Thanks.

I don't think 10 teams is a good move whatsoever! The 10 clubs would just take the best O/S imports from the 'relegated clubs' your Patten's, Chase's etc etc and harder for a British kid to get a chance.

But agree initially turnout didn't look anything like 30,000 especially when you see a distant view of how much of the stadium isn't being used!

what's its capacity, looked about 1/6th - 1/8th full.

ps was it a good idea to hold it middle of winter or would mid summer have seen more fans attending?

It's about 75,000 capacity. It has generated publicity but with no one in the ground is it good publicity?

Hoping the TV monies subsides the clubs as their first game of the season is historically well attended.

The RFL strategy and marketing needs improving, RU have grown their game so much in the last 15 years when their product is average.

There were more attending in Scotland last year in May, yet Cardiff is the better environment for the Magic weekend.

that stadium is too big and that city is too far away from the heartlands and its not the right time of the year....apart from that they have got it spot on.

Rebook/City of Manchester/Elland Road or similar in July please.

How can anyone complain about this event.... 14 teams, 1 stadium, 2 days.... rugby be on show after the off-season... cheap tickets.... great city.... what more do you want?

I love the magic weekend, best concept the RFL have come up with. What else can they do? The downfall is in the pathetic fans of Rugby League who will sit at home and complain about the empty stadium.


About a 10 team super league, I don't believe that is the way to go. 12 teams was the correct amount. Having 2 of the current super league teams in the league below would create much more competition to get into super league.

We can't be picky though, we only seriously have around 8 clubs good enough for the premier competition.

I was there yesterday...it was poor...nice concept that is poorly planned.

I was there, and although it was a bit flat for our and the quins game, the Saints Wigan and Cas Wakey games very good games - the atmosphere built up well, and it looked good. I would say that the City of Manchester is a good ground, but what about the Olympic Stadium, I heard them mentioning test events, if available, could be a coup for Rugby League to use it next season/season after?

In what way is it poorly planned?

Seriously, its the best stadium for the job and tickets are cheap as chips. All season ticket holders get discount.

What more do you want?

Embarrassingly empty seats, no atmosphere, even for the hull derby. And all on a weekend when 100s of thousands are watching the crappy 6 nations just drives it home even more.

Wait til the RFL spin doctors start. Best ever! 100,000 attended, 95000 being new fans. Let's all pat ourselves on the back and justify our massive wages.

Alienating supporters outside of super league is not boosting attendances either.

RIP rugby league. Switch the light off before you leave wood and lewis

Why isnt it a sell out then by your making? And dint just blame fans the idea has to be sold! Saw a comment elsewhere about a big RU fan in Cardiff not even hearing about it a few days a go! Is enough done to get 'the locals' in?

It's only a great concept if it comes off! And until 50,000 fans a day turn up I don't see it yet. Though will give it time!

It isn't a sell-out because of the pathetic Rugby League fans who won't get off their backsides because they would rather complain. RU fans get on board with their concepts and buy tickets and don't complain.

There really isn't anything to complain about due to the quality of the venue, the price of the tickets, the product on show etc.

Did you go

That is the question!

SL fans mate , get it right

Folk being unable to afford neither the time nor the finances makes them pathetic?

Cardiff is a a 400 mile round trip for a lot of folk. You also need to fork out for accomodation as well. Tickets might be cheap, but the overall cost is a lot of money for some folk. The push to sell tickets coincides with the close season, when supporters are buying season tickets and when they're forking out for christmas.

Cardiff might be a great city, but do you go to rainy, cold Magic or do you have a cheaper trip in London or get a bit of sun in Perpignan? Do you spend a load of money going to Cardiff for the weekend or do you use that money to go to a few away matches against teams where the atmophere will be a lot better?

As well season tickets, the increased costs for away matches over home and the long distance trips, you've got the price of jerseys and merch, not to mention your Sky and Premier Sports subscriptions. There's also Challenge Cup final, Grand Final, WCC, 4N's and Championship matches.

Magic this year is also at the beginning of the season. The standard of the first few rounds of a new season is not as good as later; the refs are always a lot more keen to enforce the rules and players are not match fit or still gelling.

We've all got bills to pay, people to feed and jobs to go to. If your disposable income is limited you have make to decisions about what you can afford and what will be worth going to. Forking out a fair bit of money to spend a large portion of your weekend travelling, stay in a Holiday Inn and sit in a stadium with little atmophere because it is a third full at best and watch what you know is a lower standard of rugby does not seem as appealing as the other options available to you.

If I remember rightly, you're studying Marketing. If I have remembered rightly the mind boggles trying to figure out why you would say this.

So you haven't answered the question then? You need to sell it and not just to SL fans but for Cardiff people otherwise why play it in Cardiff rather than in Leeds, City of Manchester, Anfield???

For a change even why not try Newcastle as well? Not as far North as Edinburgh etc. Also can attract locals and maybe send Gateshead's way for starters!

I don't know if it's been mentioned but i've seen suggestions of Reebok/city of manchester etc but i've always thought the perfect location would be Sheffield. Either of the stadiums would be of good size, it's close to the heartlands so there will be alot of fans there, but also it would promote rugby league in an area where it is not that popular. I say before we go off expanding we should focus getting more people watching the game in and around the heatlands. I definitely feel there is potential for rugby league in Sheffield.

Agree with that! If Wrexham Crusaders move has proved anything it's that 'expansion' on the heartland fringes is the way to go!

The Magic Weekend concept is just an overdrive of rugby league. I do wonder if anyone actually watched all seven games in the stadium this weekend. At home I switched over the Harlequins and Catalans game for the rugby union game between England and Italy. By the second half of the Wakefield and Castleford game I was falling asleep.

In fact I only watched three rugby league games fully this weekend – Huddersfield v Warrington, St Helens v Wigan and Leeds v Bradford. I was far too bored of the game by the time Hull FC and Hull KR came on. But that is a game I’d normally watch if I had the chance.

It’s far too much in one weekend for anyone to cope with. However this weekend should have been up north and ideally at Elland Road.