http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugb...e/15819616.stmManchester City's Etihad Stadium is set to host rugby league's Magic Weekend in 2012, BBC Radio Manchester understands.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugb...e/15819616.stmManchester City's Etihad Stadium is set to host rugby league's Magic Weekend in 2012, BBC Radio Manchester understands.
Well its no longer a magic weekend... the whole idea behind The Magic weekend was to bring league to a different audience... sounds a bit like a cop out...
They're going to get better crowds there but.....I dunno, I think I'd just prefer the first round to be a standard first round now.
I wasn't a massive fan of the last magic weekend, and half the teams lost one of their home games for it
On one hand its bugger as I really enjoyed it last year. However my brother is at Uni in Salford so I might be able to still go.
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Just reading that article, they mention it hasn't done as well as they had hoped it would of done...
When it attracted the following attendances:
Cardiff 2007 - 58,831
Cardiff 2008 - 63,000 +
Edinburgh 2009 - 59,749
Edinburgh 2010 - 52,043
Cardiff 2011 - 60,214
The maximum they are going to reach in Manchester is 47,800, it doesn't leave much room to make money...
Just seems ridiculous to go to a Stadium which has a lesser capacity
Did it really bring rugby league to a new audience though? It seems to me like most of the visitors in any weekend were from traditional rugby league areas with few locals turning up. All that does is make your loyal fans pay more.
Those are aggregate crowds though, over the two days. City of Manchester could get 95,600 over the two days which would make it a far, far more successful tournament (from a revenue perspective) than any of the previous ones.
Last edited by TRF_Cymro; 21-11-11 at 09:30 PM. Reason: Merged
It didn't sell out, and almost definitely wouldn't this season either
They're likely to get bigger crowds through in Manchester than in Cardiff - probably won't sell out there though. They'll make more money in Manchester, despite the smaller stands, than in the Millenium
The idea is dead. Time to scrap it.
Come on you Saints