SUPER LEAGUE’S Magic Weekend is a concept that has been a big hit with fans since its creation back in 2007.
Since then, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Manchester, Liverpool and Newcastle have all hosted the weekend event, with Newcastle in particular being incredibly popular.
However, with a 12-year-deal with IMG set to ‘re-imagine’ the sport, the Magic Weekend concept will no longer be running in its current format past 2023.
That being said, Rugby League Commercial managing director Rhodri Jones stated during the week at the Super League launch event that a new concept could well be introduced “to attract new fans”.
“It’s part of the loop fixtures, the view is that loop fixtures are disappearing,” Jones said.
“That was part of the recommendations but they’re not rubber-stamped immediately so we’re going through the process of looking at the calendar in totality.
“That’s including the Challenge Cup, including new events, which was something that IMG had as part of the recommendations.
“So it might not be Magic – it might be the new event – Magic might be the new event for example but a different type of Magic. It’s all on the table at the moment.
“It isn’t going to be our Hundred, but it’s being designed to attract new fans and that would probably mean new corporate partners and a new way of broadcasting perspective.”
