Good to see they've used a picture of Salford there for the Manchester section, its not like theres a shortage of good architecture to choose from the city centre.

Great Idea



Think, RL takes over a city for the day, and Manchester/Sheffield is perfect, minimal travel for (most) fans of RL.

For weekends away or for going for the day?
If your happy with manchester good for you, i'll be happy to watch this one in the pub and go to france for the catalans game instead.

The idea wasn't about minimum travel, it was a celebration of RL in a place that offered us money to host it.
If all they are going to do is play it in Northern cities and towns they might as well give up.

They might as well give up, even if Manchester Council offer money or subsidised stadium hire to host it?

If Manchester Council offer more money than Cardiff, then they should play it there. If they do not, and there hasn't been any evidence to suggest they would, then they shouldn't move it to there.

Yes if it means them giving in to fans whinging and moaning when they are asked to travel beyond the end of their road.

But, would a move to Manchester not be a strategic one? Even though Manchester sits in the M62 corridor it isn't part of the heartlands as such. Despite the Grand Final taking place here there is no RL visibility whatsoever. With so many RL fans on the doorstep, Manchester being an international city, not a northern city, a city of sporting excellence and it being Britain's second city, it would seem a good idea for the RFL to take the event there and start getting a proper foothold.

The other point would be to work on the new BBC Sport department at MediaCity. With the department moving nearer to our heartlands and away from London, its more important than ever to start building up the contacts and garnering support.

If these rumours of Manchester are true then I think there is far more potential available to the game than Cardiff and Edinburgh. It can be more effective by being bigger, better attended and better contacted. And, for all that I hate how RL fans like to whinge about anything, they might have a point when whinging about a trip to Cardiff, when you consider how much it costs for Season tickets, jerseys, petrol, trip to Broncos, CC final, Wembley International, Catalans away and so on and so forth.

Says more about our game than anything else mate. Pathetic.

The other point would be to work on the new BBC Sport department at MediaCity. With the department moving nearer to our heartlands and away from London, its more important than ever to start building up the contacts and garnering support.



None of them are compulsory.

Nope, you've lost me now.

In over 110 years we've not managed to spread the game to Manchester, you think that is healthy?

I for one think Magic Weekend in Manchester will be a good thing. Usually clubs aren't able to capitalise on this as most people prefer to travel down to the weekend via car and stop overnight in the local venues.

In this instance, if the RFL make it so the clubs retain a certain percentage of ticket sales they sell through their own shops as well as them making money off coach travel it could bring some much-needed cash.

The game's inability to break out of the heartlands has always held the game back, but I would'nt have said its unhealthy or pathetic.

With a national media centre for sport moving there, Salford getting a new stadium, Swinton getting closer to their new stadium, Wigan being stronger than ever, the game as a whole being in a healthy position with better national participation, the national team potentially on the verge of winning a comp, the Grand Final being held there annually and the World Cup being held in this country in 2013..... would it not seem that next year would be a good opportunity to take our showpiece roadshow there, make it bigger and stronger and use it to woo this new media centre?

Then we could potentially gain more support in the national media and crack Manchester.

The only fans doing any whinging are those who are catatonic that it's being held in Manchester next year.

People scream "whats the point"? Entertainment? A big day out for the fans?

Sure, its a good idea to hold it in new areas for exposure but let's not go overboard just because one year they're playing it safe. Ultimately a more packed stadium will have its own positive affect.

I don't think so sweetie

So what would you call it then, its over 110 years we are talking about here and the furthest the game had gone with any success until the 80's was Castleford, that is staggering. It is halfd plans that are changed as soon as a few fans whinge and moan that holds this game back not the media.

I do. There was hardly any moaning about the event being held in Cardiff.

You're making it up!

Coldplay are playing at the stadium the following weekend which means that the pitch will definitely be relayed in any case. The Take That concerts last summer didnt do the pitch any lasting harm so MM + Coldplay will not be a problem.

Will the new tram service to/from the City centre be running by then? Might help the social side. The pubs around the ground aren't that great are they? But City Square is well suited for this type of event.

If MM is to be a success it needs to beheld in the same place for a long period of time, it needs to become a tradition. Right now it is something which people cant, and dont plan for. We dont know when, where or even if it will be held from one year to the next.

I think Cardiff was perfect as a location, and the RFL should have gone to the SMC and Visitwales and organised MM for the same weekend every year for the next ten years. Then announced that for the next ten years it will be held in this place, on these days.

But we arent, we have given up on the 'weekend away' aspect of it and I think we will see less of the 'carnival of RL' which we had in Scotland and wales just due to the geography of it, which is fine, if a little unambitious for mine (we lose the new fans aspect of it, this is simply going to be the same fans, paying less, for the same games). But what happens next year? the year after? the year after that? The RFL need the event to be stable if fans are going to really bother with it.

Spot on.

It's scheduled to open in "Summer 2012", however the Chorlton Line that was scheduled to open in spring this year didn't open until July.

Wasnt it suggested that the good hoteliers of Cardiff started ripping off RL fans in the second year, when they thought they were going to get a monopoly on the event?

I think its fine to move it around, see what works, keep the locals on their toes.

It will be a different crowd at Manchester. Probably a lot fewer going for the full two days, but more of those that couldnt afford the Cardiff / Edinburgh weekends. And it seems to me that those fans should also be catered for, at least every couple of years.

You mean like charging full rack rate? Hardly a rip off, they do that for every major event.
Book early get a good deal, leave it till late and you get what is left, simples.

The problem with moving it around and seeing what works is that once we find something that works, we immediately lose it. Keeping it in one place allows us to build, to put down roots and get people planning for it.