I dont have an opinion as you have made it for me. That said I will be in Manchester as I have been Scotland and Wales following this time, the Broncos. But thanks for thinking about me and the rest of us. I'm not privvy to the RFL strategy

Its just another city to have a weekend out in and enjoy 7 rugby games.

Ah i see you just wanted to make a smart a*sed remark without adding to the discussion, are you listers apprentice? I'll be sat in the pub getting drunk, instead of going to the magic weekend like i did in scotland and wales, and looking forward (if we havent already played them) to my away trip to catalans. Hope you have a good time.

So you wont be getting the train from Cas to Manchester for the day to see the Tigers plus a few other games and drink some beer due to principle-I see

shocker announcement about the magic weekend to be announced !!!!

thats all i can say , sorry

Oh go on, give us a little clue

Not at all, dont be deciding my opinion for me or east stander will be having a paddy.

Been a few years since i have been able to go to all of my teams away games for reasons of time and money, i have to pick and choose, i've gone to previous magic weekends because they have been in cities that i really like and nearly everyone stays over for the weekend which leads to a great party atmosphere. Having it in manchester means that it doesnt offer the things i like the most about it, so for me its just another away game and an expensive one at that,as i said earlier in the thread i will be spending the money on going to catalans away instead. Hopefully london too if i can get cheap enough flight to france as its been a couple of years since i visited.

sorry , dont normally do this , but will be announced in the next day
not long to wait, just felt i needed to say something if not much at all

So is this announcement alongside the fixtures tomorrow?

would think so

Would much prefer Cardiff again to manchester. There's nothing anywere near the ground so all the weekenders would get be swallowed up by locals in pubs. Most pubs in city centre dont allow colours so there'll be no party atmosphere. Its better if your just going there and back for your game, but then it becomes just another game. Bad move imo but maybe its just me with great memories of Cardiff 05

Been to all of them and loved them.

Yeah its a shame a think they will spoil a great weekend, hopefully they will see sense next year.

superleague.co.uk/article/manche ... agic/24016 Its official. Can't wait. Should be a cracking weekend; great city, great stadium, bigger crowds, summer weather, near the city centre, a real chance to get a good footing in a new area and will have a proper inclusive, family vibe, rather than the boys' boozy weekend. Should be the best Magic yet. Bring it on.

superleague.co.uk/article/manche ... agic/24016 Its official. Can't wait. Should be a cracking weekend; great city, great stadium, bigger crowds, summer weather, near the city centre, a real chance to get a good footing in a new area and will have a proper inclusive, family vibe, rather than the boys' boozy weekend. Should be the best Magic yet. Bring it on.

Whilst i think the number of tickets sold will be up i wouldn't imagine there will be more in at any one time due to most going only for the day/there clubs game.

I reckon the aggregate for the weekend will be up and the percentage of day passes will be up on the weekend passes, which is a good thing for the RFL because it means they will make more of a profit and more people will be able to experience Magic weekend. If there aren't any more in the stadium at any one time than at Cardiff or Edinburgh it doesn't really bother me because CoMS has a 47k capacity, not a 67k or 74.5k capacity. Its a better choice of stadium for that reason.

So you are saying it's a bad idea by the RFL, because you personally don't like Manchester very much? Maybe you should write to them and explain the situation while there's still time for them to change their mind...

I think its a bad idea because it doesn't expose the game to new areas (which was the whole point in the first place), will not have the festival atmosphere of previous magic weekends, will never be able to put down roots if we keep moving it and (imo) have less supporters in the stadium at one time leading to a poorer atmosphere.
The fact that it has put off me and several people who were going to go is a side issue, i have no particular dislike of Manchester, but no love of it either like i do Cardiff and Edinburgh.

There is no rugby league in Manchester, believe me. Most of my neighbours and people in my local don't know the first thing about it even though I live just 5 miles from Salford City Reds ground.

That's just an assumption for which you have no evidence whatsoever. The area around the ground has been developed by MCFC to develop a festival atmosphere at City matches - the cafes and bars and big screen at the northern end are great for fans to mingle. The fact that there are fewer bars than at Cardiff may improve the atmosphere because there'll be a higher density of fans.

...and so is that, although here you admit it is just your opinion. If rugby league supporters are so uninterested in their sport that they go home as soon as their club's match is over then there is no point in running this weekend anywhere.

Your concept of 'captive' audience is pointless. Is there any advantage in having fans sat in a stadium who don't really want to be there, who would rather be at home, and are only there because they can't face a 200 mile trip home? Does that improve the atmosphere?

If a fan who is not as interested in other matches knows that they can be home in 60 minutes, or home in 3 hours, after their club's match, how does that make any difference to their decision to stay or go?

Since the original MM was announced, there have been naysayers and generally miserable bu**ers criticising the event. That's going to happen with RL people whatever the RFL do or don't do. This year [iyour[/i upset by it, and a few others on here too, but that really isn't any different from any other year.

If you think introducing rl to mancs is as important to introducing it to the scots and welsh thats upto you, i personally dont, they have sl on there doorstep and choose not to watch, scottish people and welsh people dont so i think its more important to give them a taste of sl to spread the game outside the m62 corridor, having it in manchester will not do this.

I could equally point out you have no evidence to back up your points and that these are just your opinions, i think that people will spread out round manchester, wont arrive long before there club plays and wont stay as long due many of them being able to go the short ride home instead of hanging round outside the ground, leading to a less concentrated amount of rl fans, so we wont have the atmosphere of say rose street in Edinburgh, which was probably the best thing about the event in previous years.

There will be a big reduction on people going for the whole weekend as its much easier and cheaper (especially for lancastrian fans) just to pop down the road for the day, when people are there for the weekend they might not watch all the games but they will watch most of them and when they arent they will be mingling with other rugby fans, if they are there for the day there going to see a maximum of 3 or 4 games (depending on which day they go) so the ground wont have as many fans at any one time. In previous years most fans i spoke to were there for a full weekend, this will unlikely be the case this year leading to a poorer atmosphere inside and outside the stadium.

I agree you cant please everyone, some will always be unhappy, i've been a big fan of previous magic weekends and have talked them up as a great weekend away to the fans i have met, imho moving it to manchester has taken away the best reasons for having the weekend and i find myself asking what is the point in the magic weekend? And how do they ever expect the weekend the be a success if they keep moving it around and dont allow it to put down roots?

I'm really looking forward to it as I did Wales and Scotland. In fact Ive just booked 4 rooms for the Broncos massive!!!

A great concept no matter what you think Pyeman-You enjoy your cheap pint in the local club. I will report on Cas's performance for you.

I'm glad you are, no need thanks the match will be on the telly.

Still not happy that it's Wigan vs Saints again

One of these days, we might actually get an easy match like Wire/Leeds do every season...

How many locals attended the Cardiff and Edinburgh weekends? Very few, I would imagine.

Holding a round of SL games in a stadium is NOT exposing the local area to the game. Rather it's exposing the local businesses to RL fans' cash, which is precisely why those cities paid for the pleasure. Can anyone demonstrate any RL growth in Cardiff or Edinburgh following the Magic Weekends?

I find it odd you think a shorter journey will make people less likely to attend. I can see your logic, but it's a flawed argument. On one hand you say it's easier and cheaper for fans to 'pop down the road for the day', and then you complain there will be a reduction in weekend ticket sales as a result. That may be true, however, if (as you say) it's so easy and cheap to pop down the road for the day we will see a big increase in day tickets, which will more than make up any decrease in weekend ticket sales.

How many fans only bought day tickets to see their own clubs against how many bought the full weekend ticket at the Cardiff and Edinburgh weekends?

Don't come, that's fine. You probably won't enjoy it anyway. For me, it's a great stadium with an appropriate capacity, and it's handy for the majority of the heartlands. It'll be a great weekend absolutely regardless of any unsubstantiated theories you spout.

Good one Cronus, personnely l dont care what city its in, l,m going for the occasion
no matter where it is most of our beloved flatcappers will moan.
l once spent a night in a hotel in Huddersfield, and l live there, it was an "occasion" a change
l will be going to Manchester, staying overnight, watching ALL the games, because l love RL,
Why if you live in Wigan car,nt you and the missis have a night in a hotel somewhere in or near
Manchester, l,m sure you,ll enjoy it, lets face it one big city is pretty much like the next.
l know people who say they love Spain, they go to Benidorm, which for me is nowhere near Spain
Get your weekend tickets and enjoy the northern hospitality, the Rugby League and forget where you are

This will either go one of two ways; It will be a massive success where 30/40k are there each day or (like me) no-one fancies staying in Manchester (No offense) and just goes for there game and then comes home the same day.