Super League’s Magic Weekend looks as though it could be heading back to Newcastle in 2020 after top-flight clubs voted in favour of going back to St James’ Park instead of another edition held at Anfield next year.
TotalRL understands that despite a recommendation the event returns to Liverpool for a second year after it was held there in May, Super League clubs instead decided in force that they wanted to go back to St James’ Park: a venue which is widely believed by many to be the most popular Magic venue in the event’s history.
Anfield received mixed reviews this year from supporters, with many criticising the stadium’s lack of proximity to the city centre in comparison to St James’ Park, which is on the doorstep of Newcastle’s main tourist attractions and easily accessible.
But it looks as though those supporters will now have their voices heard by clubs, who will be going back to a venue which has posted the three highest attendances in Magic history: in 2015, 2016 and 2017. Last year saw over 64,000 fans attend – but only 56,869 made the trip to Liverpool this year.
And another boost for the event, if it returns to Newcastle in 2020, is that it looks almost certain to be held on Bank Holiday weekend, almost certainly ensuring that more fans will flock to the city for one of the leading events in the rugby league calendar. Recent years have seen Magic fall on the weekend before Bank Holiday, with the Championship’s Summer Bash weekend taking the Bank Holiday slot instead.
