So, that was the 2024 Magic Weekend. Compelling on the field without doubt, with some intriguing results that sets things up for the final five rounds of the Super League season and means that nothing, in any part of the table, can be predicted with a degree of confidence.
But the event itself? Well, there are some questions to be asked. Magic Weekend has been one of Super League’s great concepts since it first arrived on the scene in 2007: if the NRL effectively pinches your idea, you know you’re on to something good. This year, however, we appear to have reached a line-in-the-sand moment for the event.
The move to Elland Road was, all things being equal, never likely to hit the sweet spot. With the spiritual home of Newcastle and St James’ Park unavailable, Leeds was the only real option available to host Magic Weekend in 2024. It was a decision which had an air of malaise about it, largely because relocating Magic to the sport’s heartlands made little sense on the face of it.
And in the end, the final number on the attendance figure emphasised the disappointment. The second-lowest combined attendance for Magic Weekend in its 17-year history – 53,103 – suggests Elland Road has not been a success. Or has it? What does Super League want from its flagship event from 2025 onwards?
Leeds has clearly failed to whet the appetite of the public, but the event being relocated closer to home has led to it making a profit: albeit not a life-changing one. They would never admit this publicly but if there is one thing that motivates club owners more than anything, it is money on the bottom line.
Supporter mood? That’s great: but it doesn’t pay the bills. If Magic Weekend has indeed turned a profit in Leeds, it will at least pique the interest of some at boardroom level – even if the view from the terraces is undeniably clear.
Do we want a profit-making exercise, or do we want what Magic Weekend was originally intended for: an annual weekend roadshow of the great and good of Super League in a high-calibre, fresh venue that can attract new eyes and ears. Modest profit and malaise, or excitement with the potential – but certainly not a guarantee – of a loss? It’s the decision the sport faces. Risk versus reward.
And if not Leeds, where next? The options are plentiful, it seems. Rhodri Jones, managing director of Rugby League Commercial, has insinuated they will look outside the heartlands for 2025. That includes a potential return to Newcastle, but also Nottingham’s City Ground, Dublin and Cardiff are in the mix. All of those options come with risk: but more important, they come with excitement.
And really, isn’t that what Magic Weekend is supposed to be about? What has happened on the field this weekend has been compelling. Hull KR’s quest for a first major trophy since 1985 continued with a wonderful 36-4 win against Catalans Dragons to remain top of the table. London Broncos reignited the battle to avoid finishing bottom with a courageous victory against Hull FC.
Results across the weekend also injected new life into the race to make the top six, with the teams in fourth, fifth and sixth losing and Leigh Leopards, who sit just outside in seventh, reducing the gap to three points with five games left after an eye-catching 26-0 victory against Salford Red Devils.
These stories, and these players, deserve a befitting backdrop. Elland Road is a wonderful venue for live sport; the World Cup semi-final here between Australia and New Zealand two years ago was unforgettable. But you would consider it a fair assumption that really, it doesn’t quite the fit the brief for Magic Weekend: unless, of course, that brief has changed behind the scenes.
Only in the months ahead, when we learn what happens next, will we know for sure. For nearly two decades, Magic Weekend has been an event that has created countless positives for rugby league. Now, with IMG in charge, it is time to decide what it wants from its flagship event and plot an even brighter future for a concept that still has its place in the game.
