Magic Weekend?

[JohnM]

Before I buy tickets and book our accomodation, is Beaumont allowing this to go ahead?

 

https://www.totalrl.com/leigh-leopards-owner-derek-beaumont-calls-for-scrapping-of-magic-weekend-and-advocates-radical-replacement/

[sam4731]

It's a controversial opinion but I fully agree with him. Vegas has shown us that we've got the product if marketed properly and why not start with a tournament that you can watch in a day/weekend to get people interested?

9s gets such a bad rep but the main draw for me is that it provides the opportunity for a team who wouldn't normally target a trophy to get themselves up for the day to make the most of the opportunity.

[Dave T]

6 minutes ago, sam4731 said:

It's a controversial opinion but I fully agree with him. Vegas has shown us that we've got the product if marketed properly and why not start with a tournament that you can watch in a day/weekend to get people interested?

9s gets such a bad rep but the main draw for me is that it provides the opportunity for a team who wouldn't normally target a trophy to get themselves up for the day to make the most of the opportunity.

To flip that slightly, rather than 9's getting a bad rep, I suppose the question is more around what the demand is and why people would be interested in it. 

I haven't seen too much that suggests there is a decent market here for this. 

[sam4731]

Just now, Dave T said:

To flip that slightly, rather than 9's getting a bad rep, I suppose the question is more around what the demand is and why people would be interested in it. 

I haven't seen too much that suggests there is a decent market here for this. 

Show me any research that you could sell 45-50k tickets to RL in Vegas from 2 years ago.

[The Masked Poster]

I don't personally dislike DB like some do on here but I don't think it's a good idea to scrap MW. It just needs to be done properly, like in the early days in Cardiff etc.

If they are just going to half heartedly have it at places like Elland Rd though, then it's possibly time to sack it. Not sure I personally see the attraction of 9s though. 

Edited March 14 by The Masked Poster

[Wollo Wollo Wayoo]

Already paid for my/our tickets but I would certainly want a refund if the proposed game v Castleford and the rest of the weekends fixtures were replaced with some alternative half baked rugby fun day. 

[Harry Stottle]

2 hours ago, Dave T said:

To flip that slightly, rather than 9's getting a bad rep, I suppose the question is more around what the demand is and why people would be interested in it. 

I haven't seen too much that suggests there is a decent market here for this. 

And there wasn't a market for it down under, the punters soon rejected it.

For me never liked 7's or 9's in my opinion they are diluted plastic types of Rugby League.

[Anita Bath]

3 hours ago, Harry Stottle said:

And there wasn't a market for it down under, the punters soon rejected it.

For me never liked 7's or 9's in my opinion they are diluted plastic types of Rugby League.

Alright for a post season booze up like the Headingley 7s was back in 1970s but that all disappeared with professionalism.

 

 

[Harry Stottle]

13 minutes ago, Anita Bath said:

Alright for a post season booze up like the Headingley 7s was back in 1970s but that all disappeared with professionalism.

 

 

The only one I ever liked was when t'other club in Wigan MBC showed the Rah Rah's up.

[phiggins]

7 hours ago, JohnM said:

Before I buy tickets and book our accomodation, is Beaumont allowing this to go ahead?

 

https://www.totalrl.com/leigh-leopards-owner-derek-beaumont-calls-for-scrapping-of-magic-weekend-and-advocates-radical-replacement/

Did you post similar when IMG recommended getting rid of it?

While I don’t care much for a 9s comp, I would like to think there are some events we could create and sell sponsorship and broadcast rights to, that could see us get rid of loop fixtures 

[The Masked Poster]

3 minutes ago, phiggins said:

Did you post similar when IMG recommended getting rid of it?

While I don’t care much for a 9s comp, I would like to think there are some events we could create and sell sponsorship and broadcast rights to, that could see us get rid of loop fixtures 

This is actually true and I'd forgotten about it. MW was supposed to be consigned to the bin.....but wasn't. So who's the villain here? I'm confused 

[JohnM]

44 minutes ago, phiggins said:

Did you post similar when IMG recommended getting rid of it?

While I don’t care much for a 9s comp, I would like to think there are some events we could create and sell sponsorship and broadcast rights to, that could see us get rid of loop fixtures 

No. Why should I? As consultants, IMG advised getting rid of it but the clubs rejected the idea.

This time, the Supreme Leader had decided to get rid of it, so rid of it we will be.

[The Masked Poster]

26 minutes ago, JohnM said:

No. Why should I? As consultants, IMG advised getting rid of it but the clubs rejected the idea.

This time, the Supreme Leader had decided to get rid of it, so rid of it we will be.

John, how is it the case that IMG  said it will go,(yet it didn't) but because DB *suggests* it, it definitely will? And you apparently would be ok with the first scenario but not the second. 

I'd argue we don't know anything about the future plans - whatever our suspicions.

[phiggins]

37 minutes ago, JohnM said:

No. Why should I? As consultants, IMG advised getting rid of it but the clubs rejected the idea.

This time, the Supreme Leader had decided to get rid of it, so rid of it we will be.

That’s a pretty pathetic take in all honesty.

[Wellsy4HullFC]

14 hours ago, sam4731 said:

It's a controversial opinion but I fully agree with him. Vegas has shown us that we've got the product if marketed properly and why not start with a tournament that you can watch in a day/weekend to get people interested?

So why not start by providing a completely different product?...

9s is a completely different game to watch. It would not sell as well as Magic Weekend.

[Worzel]

15 hours ago, JohnM said:

Before I buy tickets and book our accomodation, is Beaumont allowing this to go ahead?

https://www.totalrl.com/leigh-leopards-owner-derek-beaumont-calls-for-scrapping-of-magic-weekend-and-advocates-radical-replacement/

Some of the stuff in that article demonstrates precisely why Beaumont should be nowhere near the central decision-making of our sport.

He’s what you’d get if you ordered Maurice Lindsay from a Wish advert on Facebook.

Edited March 15 by Worzel
Typo

[Wellsy4HullFC]

Magic Weekend should be this round of the Challenge Cup anyway (but in May, not March). Same for quarters at one venue. 

Main reason being TV content. You can provide 8 games (and 4 for QFs) for relatively low cost. The combined attendance at the Last 16 is usually around 30k, and quarters about 24k. Could easily double that.

[Wellsy4HullFC]

As for Derek's 9s idea, he's free to fund one as a proof of concept if he's so sure it would be successful. 

Try a one-day tournament on the Sunday after the CCF somewhere in London whilst all the fans are there. 

[Eddie]

9s isn’t rugby league, I certainly wouldn’t be watching it. I do like the idea of taking games abroad however. 

[sam4731]

1 hour ago, Wellsy4HullFC said:

So why not start by providing a completely different product?...

9s is a completely different game to watch. It would not sell as well as Magic Weekend.

Yes but what Vegas has proved, is that if we just step out of our comfort zone for a second, we could reap the rewards.

Fine, if its a flop, it's a flop but why not try and fail rather than wonder.

[gingerjon]

6 minutes ago, sam4731 said:

why not try and fail rather than wonder.

Because it's a terrible idea and we have better ones to work through first.

[gingerjon]

I am very impressed that Beaumont has come round to the 'scrap Magic' idea, a mere three years after IMG suggested scrapping Magic.

[Wellsy4HullFC]

11 minutes ago, sam4731 said:

Yes but what Vegas has proved, is that if we just step out of our comfort zone for a second, we could reap the rewards.

Fine, if its a flop, it's a flop but why not try and fail rather than wonder.

It's about taking smart and calculated risks. This is neither of those. This is throwing Smarties at a hole in the wall and seeing which goes through. We don't have enough Smarties to risk like that.

[Dave T]

7 minutes ago, sam4731 said:

Yes but what Vegas has proved, is that if we just step out of our comfort zone for a second, we could reap the rewards.

Fine, if its a flop, it's a flop but why not try and fail rather than wonder.

I don't disagree with your point about trying stuff, but I still don't see why 9s is seen as a positive idea.

On your Vegas point, firstly, the big indicator was that we can get big crowds for well organised major RL games. We have fanbases that are prepared to travel to watch RL.

We don't have too much evidence that people want a watered down RL in this country.

RU is seeing their sevens stuff come under more challenge,and taking 180+ people to Spain for a bit of a jolly will see substantial costs - it's a big risk.

[Harry Stottle]

40 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

I am very impressed that Beaumont has come round to the 'scrap Magic' idea, a mere three years after IMG suggested scrapping Magic.

He also came round to thinking that he was wrong in voting for IMG in the first place, I was impressed that he did that.