Magic Weekend
 | |
| Teams | 12 |
|---|---|
| First meeting | 2007 |
| Latest meeting | 2015 |
| Next meeting | 2016 |
| Broadcasters |
Sky Sports BBC Sport |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 9 |
| Most wins |
 Wigan Warriors Leeds Rhinos Hull KR Warrington Wolves(6 wins) |
| Largest victory |
 Salford 16-68 Warrington |
The Magic Weekend is an annual event organized by the Rugby Football League in which an entire round of Super League matches is played over a weekend at a single stadium to showcase the sport of rugby league.[1] The first event was held at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff in 2007, and subsequent events have taken place at Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh, and the Etihad Stadium, Manchester.[2] The 2014 Magic Weekend took place at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester for the third consecutive year,[3] and the 2015 Magic Weekend at St James' Park in Newcastle.
Concept
The first Millennium Magic round was confirmed in September 2006 for the weekend of 5–6 May 2007.[4][5] Richard Lewis, chairman of the RFL, cited both expansion and monetary reasons for the move to Wales, but the plan also allowed the Super League to be reduced by one round (critics had stated that the players were put under too much strain over the season). The event was funded and promoted by the Welsh Tourist Board, who were looking to build on the Challenge Cup finals which had taken place in Cardiff between 2003 and 2005 due to the rebuilding of Wembley Stadium. After the success of the first Millennium Magic in 2007, it became an annual fixture in the Super League calendar. The event was moved to Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh in 2009 following a bid from the Scottish Tourist Board, and was thus renamed to Murrayfield Magic, and later just the Magic Weekend.
History
2007: Cardiff
Three Super League XII fixtures took place on Saturday 5 May 2007, and a further three on Sunday 6 May 2007.
The games played were, where possible, 'local derby' matches in an attempt to maximise interest in the event. The two "non-heartland" sides in Super League at that time, Catalans Dragons and Harlequins Rugby League, were paired against each other. The teams will face their Millennium Magic derby opponents four times during the Super League XII season.
Celtic Crusaders opened the weekend against Oldham Roughyeds in a National League 2 game on the Friday night (4 May) at Brewery Field, Bridgend. This match officially celebrated 100 years of club rugby league in Wales as Oldham were the first ever opponents to Merthyr Tydfil in the first professional game in Wales on 7 September 1907. In an eventful match, Oldham came back from 26-6 down to win 34-26 in front of 3,441 fans, a record attendance for a National League 2 match. It was also the first National League 2 game shown live on British television, covered by Sky Sports.
A 58,831 aggregate crowd saw the Magic event at the Millennium Stadium.[6] Super League clubs agreed to repeat the event during the following season with Nigel Wood, the RFL's chief operating officer, saying: "The clubs and fans thoroughly enjoyed the day and our aim is to make next year's event even bigger and better."[6]
| Team | Score | Team | Match Information | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time | Crowd | |||
 Catalans Dragons |
28–32 |  Harlequins RL |
5 May 2007 15:00 BST | 32,384 |
 Hull |
10–14 | Hull KR |
5 May 2007 17:00 BST | |
 St Helens |
34–18 | Wigan Warriors |
5 May 2007 19:00 BST | |
 Huddersfield Giants |
36–12 |  Wakefield Trinity Wildcats |
6 May 2007 14:00 BST | 26,447 |
| Salford City Reds |
18–50 | Warrington Wolves |
6 May 2007 16:00 BST | |
 Bradford Bulls |
38–42 | Leeds Rhinos |
6 May 2007 18:00 BST | |
2008: Cardiff
As in 2007, three Super League XIII fixtures took place on the Saturday (3 May) and a further three on the Sunday (4 May).
The event again kicked off with the local south Wales team, Celtic Crusaders, but this time they were up against Featherstone Rovers at the Brewery Field, Bridgend in a National League 1 match. The Crusaders won the match by 28 point to 18. The match was held in front of a club record crowd of 6,152.[7]
| Team | Score | Team | Match Information | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time | Crowd | |||
| Huddersfield Giants |
34–36 | Warrington Wolves |
3 May 2008 15:00 BST | 30,628 |
 Castleford Tigers |
16–54 | Wakefield Trinity Wildcats |
3 May 2008 17:00 BST | |
| Bradford Bulls |
26–40 | Leeds Rhinos |
3 May 2008 19:00 BST | |
| Catalans Dragons |
18–16 | Harlequins RL |
4 May 2008 14:30 BST | 32,516 |
| Hull |
17–22 | Hull KR |
4 May 2008 16:30 BST | |
| St Helens |
57–16 | Wigan Warriors |
4 May 2008 18:30 BST | |
2009: Edinburgh
It was confirmed after the 2008 event that the weekend was to be moved in 2009 to Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh, Scotland. The event included matches based on a seeded draw, using finishing positions from Super League XIII.[8][9]
| Team | Score | Team | Match Information | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time | Crowd | |||
| Salford City Reds |
16–24 | Harlequins RL |
2 May 2009 15:00 BST | 29,627 |
| Wakefield Trinity Wildcats |
16–32 | Bradford Bulls |
2 May 2009 17:00 BST | |
| Wigan Warriors |
38–18 | St Helens |
2 May 2009 19:00 BST | |
| Huddersfield Giants |
40–16 |  Celtic Crusaders |
3 May 2009 12:30 BST | 30,122 |
| Hull |
24–16 | Castleford Tigers |
3 May 2009 14:45 BST | |
| Catalans Dragons |
16–32 | Leeds Rhinos |
3 May 2009 17:00 BST | |
| Warrington Wolves |
28–36 | Hull KR |
3 May 2008 19:00 BST | |
2010: Edinburgh
The 2010 Magic weekend took place on 1–2 May 2010 at Murrayfield. After fan criticism of the seeded draw, The RFL decided to ask all 14 Super League clubs whether they would like to revert to derbies. The result favored a seeding again where the top 8 teams faced each other, whilst the bottom six would face the remainders.
| Team | Score | Team | Match Information | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time | Crowd | |||
| Bradford Bulls |
0–19 | Crusaders RL |
1 May 2010 13:00 BST | 26,642 |
| Hull |
8–25 | Harlequins RL |
1 May 2010 15:00 BST | |
| Salford City Reds |
16–68 | Warrington Wolves |
1 May 2010 17:00 BST | |
| Leeds Rhinos |
34–30 | Wakefield Trinity Wildcats |
1 May 2010 19:00 BST | |
| Castleford Tigers |
34–18 | Catalans Dragons |
2 May 2010 14:00 BST | 25,401 |
| Wigan Warriors |
28–10 | Huddersfield Giants |
2 May 2010 16:00 BST | |
| St Helens |
54–0 | Hull KR |
2 May 2010 18:00 BST | |
2011: Cardiff
The Magic Weekend returned to its original location in Cardiff and its Millennium Stadium, and it saw the opening round of the 2011 Super League season on the weekend of 12–13 February 2011.[10] The event also returned to the original format with the majority of the games being local rivalry games.[11]
| Team | Score | Team | Match Information | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time | Crowd | |||
| Huddersfield Giants |
28–18 | Warrington Wolves |
12 Feb 2011 13:00 GMT | 30,891 |
| Catalans Dragons |
4–11 | Harlequins RL |
12 Feb 2011 15:00 GMT | |
| Castleford Tigers |
40–20 | Wakefield Trinity Wildcats |
12 Feb 2011 17:00 GMT | |
| St Helens |
16–16 | Wigan Warriors |
12 Feb 2011 19:00 GMT | |
| Crusaders Rugby League |
42–12 | Salford City Reds |
13 Feb 2011 12:00 GMT | 29,323 |
| Bradford Bulls |
28–32 | Leeds Rhinos |
13 Feb 2011 14:00 GMT | |
| Hull |
22–34 | Hull KR |
13 Feb 2011 16:00 GMT | |
2012: Manchester
The 2012 event was held at the Etihad Stadium, home of Manchester City Football Club,[12] and was the first time the Magic Weekend was held in England.
The date of the Magic Weekend was changed for 2012, reverting to a mid-season game week rather than as a season opener like 2011. However, unlike the first four Magic Weekends, the matches were played over a weekend at the end of May (after the end of the football season[13]) rather than during the May Day bank holiday weekend at the start of May. Although the last weekend of May is usually the Late Spring Bank Holiday weekend, the Spring bank holiday in 2012 was moved back a weekend as part of the Diamond Jubilee.[14]
Following on from the premise of the majority of previous Magic Weekend, the majority of the fixtures were local rivalry games.[15] 2012 was the first time that Widnes Vikings participated in the Magic Weekend.[16] The aggregate attendance of the weekend was 63,716 (the largest ever).
| Team | Score | Team | Match Information | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time | Crowd | |||
| Castleford Tigers |
26–32 | Wakefield Trinity Wildcats |
26 May 2012 13:00 BST | 30,763 |
| Warrington Wolves |
68–4 |  Widnes Vikings |
26 May 2012 16:00 BST | |
| Hull F.C. |
30–32 | Hull Kingston Rovers |
26 May 2012 19:00 BST | |
| Catalans Dragons |
42–18 |  London Broncos |
27 May 2012 12:00 BST | 32,953 |
| Huddersfield Giants |
34–38 | Salford City Reds |
27 May 2012 14:00 BST | |
| Bradford Bulls |
22–37 | Leeds Rhinos |
27 May 2012 16:00 BST | |
| St Helens |
16–42 | Wigan Warriors |
27 May 2012 18:00 BST | |
2013: Manchester
The 2013 Magic Weekend was once again held at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester, on Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 May.[17]
As in 2012, the 2013 Magic Weekend took place after the end of the football season in May, on the late Spring bank holiday weekend.
As in previous years, some of the matches were local rivalries with Castleford playing Wakefield and Hull F.C. Hull KR, both repeat fixtures from 2012. The other four matches were new fixtures for the Magic Weekend and included St Helens playing Warrington and Bradford vs Huddersfield, continuing the tradition of having local rivalry matches at the Magic Weekend.
| Team | Score | Team | Match Information | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time | Crowd | |||
| Catalans Dragons |
46–18 | London Broncos |
25 May 2013 12:00 BST | 30,793 |
| Castleford Tigers |
48–24 | Wakefield Trinity Wildcats |
25 May 2013 14:15 BST | |
| Hull F.C. |
22–16 | Hull Kingston Rovers |
25 May 2013 16:30 BST | |
| St Helens |
22–48 | Warrington Wolves |
25 May 2012 18:45 BST | |
| Salford City Reds |
28–22 | Widnes Vikings |
26 May 2013 15:00 BST | 31,249 |
| Bradford Bulls |
6–42 | Huddersfield Giants |
26 May 2013 17:15 BST | |
| Leeds Rhinos |
16–20 | Wigan Warriors |
26 May 2013 19:30 BST | |
2014: Manchester
On 31 May 2013, less than a week after the 2013 Magic Weekend, the RFL announced that the Magic Weekend would once again return to the Etihad Stadium, Manchester for 2014, with matches being played on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 May.[3]
On 23 January 2014, the fixtures were announced with, in a repeat of the 2013 fixtures, four matches set to take place on the Saturday with the remaining three scheduled for Sunday, including four local derbies (Huddersfield-Bradford, Hull KR-Hull F.C., Wakefield-Castleford and Warrington-St Helens RLFC) plus the meeting of the last two winners of the Super League Grand Final, Wigan Warriors and Leeds Rhinos. The other matches consisted of Widnes vs Salford and London vs Catalans.
Controversy was created in the city of Hull following the announcement that the 2014 FA Cup Final was to take place at exactly the same time and date as the fixture between Hull FC and Hull KR, this being the first FA Cup final Hull City had qualified for. The RFL announced on 15 April 2014 that they would not be changing the fixture.[18]
The aggregate attendance of 64,552 was the highest ever for a Magic Weekend, while the Saturday attendance of 36,339 was the highest ever single-day figure until both records were surpassed the consequent year in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.[19]
| Team | Score | Team | Match Information | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time | Crowd | |||
| London Broncos |
22–24 | Catalans Dragons |
17 May 2014 12:30 BST | 36,339 |
| Widnes Vikings |
30–24 | Salford Red Devils |
17 May 2014 14:45 BST | |
| Hull Kingston Rovers |
38–24 | Hull F.C. |
17 May 2014 17:00 BST | |
| Wigan Warriors |
18–14 | Leeds Rhinos |
17 May 2014 19:15 BST | |
| Wakefield Trinity Wildcats |
12–50 | Castleford Tigers |
18 May 2014 12:30 BST | 28,213 |
| Huddersfield Giants |
54–16 | Bradford Bulls |
18 May 2014 14:45 BST | |
| Warrington Wolves |
41–24 | St Helens |
18 May 2014 17:00 BST | |
2015: Newcastle upon Tyne
In 2015, the Magic Weekend was forced to move due to construction at the Etihad Stadium, which would commence immediately after the 2014-15 Premier League Season, which meant the Magic Weekend was due to be changed, with Coventry's Ricoh Arena and Newcastle upon Tyne's St James' Park being considered by the RFL. Blake Solly had confirmed that the Etihad and Super League did have a good partnership, but there were alternatives available to host the event.[20] On the 10th September 2014, it was confirmed that the Magic Weekend had been awarded to Newcastle for 2015, and would be played 30 and 31 May 2015. With the Super League Reformatting in 2015, the Magic Weekend featured twelve teams and six matches, as opposed to the seven games in previous years.
The event was considered the most successful to date, with a record aggregate attendance of 67,788, a record single-day crowd of 40,871 on the Saturday and an estimated benefit of £4.2 million to the Newcastle economy.[21]
| Team | Score | Team | Match Information | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time | Crowd | |||
| Salford Red Devils |
16-38 | Widnes Vikings |
30 May 2015 14:30 BST | 40,871 |
| Hull |
46-20 | Hull KR |
30 May 2015 16:45 BST | |
| Leeds Rhinos |
12-27 | Wigan Warriors |
30 May 2015 19:00 BST | |
| Catalans Dragons |
22-22 | Huddersfield Giants |
31 May 2015 13:00 BST | 26,970 |
| St Helens |
20-16 | Warrington Wolves |
31 May 2015 15:15 BST | |
| Castleford Tigers |
56-16 | Wakefield Wildcats |
31 May 2015 17:30 BST | |
2016: Newcastle upon Tyne
After a successful event in Newcastle in 2015, the Magic Weekend returned to St James' Park for the second year running with most fixtures being based upon last season's league standings rather than local derbies. The top four from last season play each other; Leeds Rhinos v Wigan Warriors and St Helens v Huddersfield Giants. Continuing with this trend, 5th placed Castleford Tigers play 6th placed Warrington Wolves and the two teams in the bottom four last season, Widnes Vikings and Salford Red Devils, play in a repeat of last year's fixture. Last season's bottom placed Wakefield Wildcats play Catalans Dragons: as the Dragons struggle away from home, this fixture is to give both teams a chance of winning. The only derby this year is the Hull Derby at the end of the weekend.
| Team | Score | Team | Match Information | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time | Crowd | |||
| Salford Red Devils |
– | Widnes Vikings |
21 May 2016 14:30 BST | TBD |
| Warrington Wolves |
– | Castleford Tigers |
21 May 2016 16:45 BST | |
| Leeds Rhinos |
– | Wigan Warriors |
21 May 2016 19:00 BST | |
| Wakefield Wildcats |
– | Catalans Dragons |
22 May 2016 13:00 BST | TBD |
| St Helens |
– | Huddersfield Giants |
22 May 2016 15:15 BST | |
 Hull F.C. |
– | Hull KR |
22 May 2016 17:30 BST | |
Team Statistics
| Club | Played | Wins | Loses | Draws | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wigan Warriors | 9 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 13 |
| 2 | Leeds Rhinos | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 12 |
| 3 | Hull KR | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 12 |
| 4 | Warrington Wolves | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 12 |
| 5 | Huddersfield Giants | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 11 |
| 6 |  Castleford Tigers | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
| 7 | Catalans Dragons | 9 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 9 |
| 8 | St Helens | 9 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 9 |
| 9 | London Broncos | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 8 |
| 10 | Hull F.C. | 9 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| 11 | Crusaders RL | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| 12 | Widnes Vikings | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 13 | Salford Red Devils | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 4 |
| 14 | Wakefield Wildcats | 9 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 4 |
| 15 | Bradford Bulls | 8 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 2 |
Venues
| City | Stadium | Years | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Manchester | Etihad | 2012, 2013, 2014 |
| 2 |  Cardiff | Millennium Stadium | 2007, 2008, 2011 |
| 3 |  Edinburgh | Murrayfield | 2009, 2010 |
| 4 | Newcastle | St James' Park | 2015, 2016 |
Attendances
Highest single day attendance
| Year | City | Stadium | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Newcastle | St James' Park | 40,871 |
Highest weekend attendance
| Year | City | Stadium | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Newcastle | St James' Park | 67,841 |
Lowest single day attendance
| Year | City | Stadium | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Edinburgh | Murrayfield | 26,642 |
Lowest weekend attendance
| Year | City | Stadium | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Edinburgh | Murrayfield | 52,043 |
Sponsorship
From 2016 the Magic Weekend will have a main title sponsor for the first time with Dacia becoming the sponsors.
| Year | Sponsor | Name |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Dacia | Dacia Magic Weekend |
See also
References
- ↑ "Magic Weekend heads to Murrayfield", Super League, 15 July 2008
- ↑ "RFL Hails Millennium Magic A Success", The Rugby Football League, May 2007
- 1 2 "Magic Weekend returns to Etihad Stadium in 2014". Super League. 31 May 2013. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
- ↑ Super League. Super League. (2013-08-16). Retrieved on 2013-08-20.
- ↑ "Super League could head for Wales". BBC News. 4 July 2006.
- 1 2 BBC Sport (2007-06-21). "New salary cap for Super League". BBC. Retrieved 2009-07-24.
- ↑ "Second-half blitz too much for brave Fev". Johnston Press Digital Publishing. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
- ↑ "Magic Weekend On The Move", BBC News, July 2008
- ↑ "Super League pulls plug on Cardiff", The Independent, July 2008
- ↑ BBC Sport
- ↑ Millennium Magic Weekend | 12-13 February 2011 | Engage Super League. Bigcardiff.co.uk. Retrieved on 2013-08-20.
- ↑ "Manchester City's Etihad Stadium to host Magic Weekend". BBC. 21 November 2011. Retrieved 25 November 2011.
- ↑ "Magic Weekend comes to Etihad Stadium". Manchester City F.C. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
- ↑ "New bank holiday for Queen's Diamond Jubilee in 2012". BBC News. 6 January 2010. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
- ↑ "Magic". Super League. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
- ↑ "Harrison Drawn In By Magic Atmosphere". Warrington Wolves. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
- ↑ Tickets for The Magic Weekend 2013 now on sale. Superleague.co.uk (2012-12-04). Retrieved on 2013-08-20.
- ↑ "Hull KR v Hull FC Magic Weekend game will not be moved". BBC Sport. 15 April 2014. Retrieved 15 April 2014.
- ↑ http://www.therfl.co.uk/news/article/30247/records-tumble-on-a-magic
- ↑ "Super League waits to discover if Magic Weekend can return to Manchester in 2015".
- ↑ Magic Weekend: Supporters make Newcastle sparkle as benefit to city is revealed
External links
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