MAGIC WEEKEND at St James’ Park in Newcastle drew a record Sunday afternoon crowd for the event in its 18th edition.
The attendance of 32,862 took the overall figure for the weekend to 64,156, with RL Commercial pointing out that the total attendance is the best since pre-Covid days in 2018.
The previous best Sunday attendance for Magic was 30,793 at Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium in 2013.
The Saturday figure was 31,294, a slight rise on the 30,810 who saw the Saturday games in the 2024 Magic Weekend, which was played at Elland Road in Leeds.
“It’s been a successful and enjoyable return to Newcastle for the sport and the Betfred Super League competition, and we are delighted to have attracted our highest Magic attendance for seven years, including the best-ever Sunday crowd,” said Rhodri Jones, the Managing Director of RL Commercial.
“It maintains the momentum that has been building since our record opening night attendance in February, the historic Super League fixture in Las Vegas in March, and a record-breaking Rivals Round in April.
“Magic is about more than numbers and statistics – the warmth of the welcome we have received from Newcastle United, Newcastle City Council, NGI and NE1 has been appreciated by tens of thousands of Rugby League supporters who have travelled from all over the country to celebrate the sport, in a weekend which remains unique domestically, and has now been replicated in Australia.
“As ever with Magic, we’ve added some new features in 2025, especially for fans in and around the stadium, and worked with Betfred on raising money for the MND Association through try celebrations – and also built on the elements which have proved so popular such as the Learning Disability Super League Festival in partnership with Community Integrated Care, and supported as ever by Sky Sports.
“We’ll review the weekend and look forward to making an early announcement about the 19th Magic Weekend in 2026.”
