At a time when British rugby league’s long-term future has never felt more uncertain, the return of Magic Weekend should be the perfect break from the boardroom politics engulfing the game. In a way, though, the questions surrounding the event’s future underline the sport’s state of flux.
For the fourth successive year Magic Weekend will be staged in Newcastle: no other city has hosted the event for that long.
Three years ago Blake Solly, the Super League general manager at the time, told the Guardian that St James’ Park would be the best host yet for the annual jamboree. The crowd figures alone support his claim but, after four years in Newcastle, does Magic Weekend stick or twist?
Success has been achieved for more than a decade through well‑timed relocations for the event. This year, though, it may be about more than just where the sport packs its suitcases for next May.
With it widely acknowledged that some of Super League’s power brokers are pulling for major changes in the professional game, could Magic Weekend be an obvious place to start for any fixture cull in the domestic calendar?
“I think Magic, or a slightly tweaked variation of it, is always likely to be involved in any sort of fixture schedule and calendar the sport may decide to devise,” said Ralph Rimmer, the Rugby Football League’s interim chief executive.
Indeed, the fact the National Rugby League has opted to introduce its own Magic Weekend in Brisbane next year is proof of the format’s credentials. Newcastle this year could host a record weekend attendance, including a Saturday figure of more than 40,000 with fixtures such as Wigan v Warrington and Leeds against Castleford taking place.
“We’re vindicated by the NRL looking to replicate Magic,” said Jon Wells, the Sky Sports pundit who played in the inaugural Magic Weekend game in 2007 for Harlequins. “We’re a sport that needs exposure and Magic gives us something different – it’s hard to imagine our calendar without it.”
The RFL will not decide what – or where – is next until later this year but it is clear that Newcastle will face competition to host it again. With a projected cash injection of £3m into the local economy, it is not difficult to see why the event is in high demand.
“It’s fair to say there are a few left‑field options out there – and there are options for going abroad too,” Rimmer said. “We have people coming to the table wanting to host all the time.”
Wells, though, is adamant the event now has permanent roots in the north-east. “It transcends the sport, much like the Grand Final and the Challenge Cup final. I think Newcastle is our official home. I know the powers that be will base it on things like revenue, but it’s such a great fit. Critics bemoan the fact it’s the extra fixture in the schedule but take your eyes up from individual club matters and you can see that we need this.”
Success this weekend is likely to be monitored closely by two notable figures from outside of the sport. Barry and Eddie Hearn remain in discussions with the RFL about helping to promote the sport on a wider scale and it is not difficult to envisage a scenario where father and son are given a standalone event, such as Magic Weekend, to add their Matchroom company’s glitz and glamour to. Rimmer has invited both of them to St James’ Park – one of several subplots to track over the two days.
This Magic Weekend also has an international flavour, with the Championship fixture between Toronto and Toulouse opening up the event on Saturday lunchtime. On Sunday there is a noteworthy story, too, as the Wallsend-born Chris Thorman coaches Huddersfield in their Yorkshire derby against Wakefield, before the weekend closes with the return of the Hull derby. “I’m biased and think Newcastle is the best one by far,” Thorman said. “I think it’s important we spread the gospel but we shouldn’t change it until we have a better alternative.”
Can there be too much of a good thing? Probably. But if, as expected, the numbers stack up positively for the RFL come Monday, Magic Weekend is going to be with us for some time yet.
