IT’S been all about the Super League Magic Weekend this week, with the concept heading for Elland Road for the first time.
That move itself has proved to be quite unpopular, with Newcastle United’s St James’ Park heralded as the ‘home’ of the Magic Weekend.
Looking back on the event since it was created in 2007, the Magic Weekend has been held at five venues. Here is how they have been ranked in success.
5. Anfield – Liverpool, England
Coming in at last place – with virtually nobody arguing against this ranking – is Liverpool’s famous Anfield. Back in 2019, Super League took the concept away from Newcastle where it had made its spiritual home. It’s fair to say that the experiment failed on fall fronts as just 56,869 people made the journey to Liverpool, making it the second lowest attended Magic Weekend ever. The great distance between the city centre to the stadium was raised as an issue by supporters before the event even took place and that apathy was reflected in the numbers.
4. Murrayfield – Edinburgh, Scotland
After two years in Cardiff, the Magic Weekend was taken to Scotland in a bid to drum up Scottish support for the 13-man code. Though Edinburgh’s Murrayfield held the event two years in a row – in 2009 and 2010 – it proved to be a disappointing affair with just 52,043 supporters making the journey for the second year, making it the worst attended Magic Weekend event ever. It’s fair to say that the Edinburgh experiment fell flat on its face, though it would be interesting to see the numbers if it was ever taken back to Scotland.
3. Etihad Stadium – Manchester, England
Moving the concept closer to home proved to be a shrewd choice by the RFL, with Cardiff and Edinburgh not doing it for the Magic Weekend. In doing so, Manchester was picked, which was a bold choice given the fact that Old Trafford already hosted the Super League Grand Final. That being said, United’s rivals City were given the nod as the Etihad Stadium became the host venue for three highly successful years. In 2012 – the first year at the Etihad – 63,716 people made the journey before rugby league fans set a new record in 2014 when 64,552 people flocked to the stadium.
2. Millennium Stadium – Cardiff
When Magic Weekend was first created as an idea back in 2007, Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium was picked as its home. It was another brave choice by organisers with rugby league struggling to take off in Wales. However, it proved to be largely successful with 58,831 people making the original trip to the Welsh capital. The concept was such a hit with the rugby league fraternity that the attendance number rose to 63,144 the year after. Cardiff was again chosen as the host in 2011 after a two-year hiatus in the Scottish capital of Edinburgh.
1. St James’ Park – Newcastle, England
It’s easy to pick the winner here with Newcastle United’s St James’ Park coming out on top quite emphatically. In 2015, the RFL took it upon themselves to shift from the north west to the north east – and what a decision it proved to be. Over 60,000 fans have made the trip to the Toon each year with a record 68,276 making the trip in 2016. Once again, Newcastle was the host for the 2023 version with the city centre’s proximity to the stadium being a major selling point of keeping the concept in the north east. However, last year proved to be the last with Elland Road taking over the reins for 2024.
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