- Magic Weekend
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The 2009 Magic Weekend promotional logo
The Magic Weekend, previously Millennium Magic, is a concept by the Rugby Football League (RFL) to stage an entire round of Super League matches in prestigious and exciting cities to showcase the sport.[1]
The first Millennium Magic round, held at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, was played on the weekend of 5 May during the 2007 Super League season. Although the aggregate attendance was less than that of a regular Super League round, the event was hailed as a resounding success.[2]
Contents
Concept
Millennium Magic logos used for the 2007 event...
...and for the 2008 eventInitial Concept
Rumours of the Millennium Magic round first appeared in the Yorkshire Post in early July 2006. The report revealed the proposal to shorten Super League XII to 27 rounds and take one of those rounds to Wales.[3] Initial reaction from fans was positive, and the Wales Tourist Board was thought to be keen for the plan to go ahead after the success of the Challenge Cup finals that were held at the Millennium Stadium between 2003 and 2005.
Confirmation and Reasoning
The first Millennium Magic round was confirmed in September 2006 for the weekend of May 5–6 2007.[4] 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). After the success of the first Millennium Magic in 2007, reports suggest that it will become an annual fixture in the Super League calendar, especially after the second such event was held in May 2008.
2007
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 September 7 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.[5] 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."[5]
Fixtures
Team Score Team Match Information Date and Time Crowd 
Catalans Dragons28-32 
Harlequins RL5 May 2007 15:00 BST 32,384 
Hull10-14 
Hull KR5 May 2007 17:00 BST 32,384 
St Helens34-18 
Wigan Warriors5 May 2007 19:00 BST 32,384 
Huddersfield Giants36-12 
Wakefield Trinity Wildcats6 May 2007 14:00 BST 26,447 
Salford City Reds18-50 
Warrington Wolves6 May 2007 16:00 BST 26,447 
Bradford Bulls38-42 
Leeds Rhinos6 May 2007 18:00 BST 26,447 2008
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.[6]
Fixtures
Team Score Team Match Information Date and Time Crowd Huddersfield Giants34-36 Warrington Wolves3 May 2008 15:00 BST 30,628 
Castleford Tigers16-54 Wakefield Trinity Wildcats3 May 2008 17:00 BST 30,628 Bradford Bulls26-40 Leeds Rhinos3 May 2008 19:00 BST 30,628 Catalans Dragons18-16 Harlequins RL4 May 2008 14:30 BST 32,516 Hull17-22 Hull KR4 May 2008 16:30 BST 32,516 St Helens57-16 Wigan Warriors4 May 2008 18:30 BST 32,516 2009
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.[7][8]
Fixtures
Team Score Team Match Information Date and Time Crowd Salford City Reds16-24 Harlequins RL2 May 2009 15:00 BST 29,627 Wakefield Trinity Wildcats16-32 Bradford Bulls2 May 2009 17:00 BST 29,627 Wigan Warriors38-18 St Helens2 May 2009 19:00 BST 29,627 Huddersfield Giants40-16 
Celtic Crusaders3 May 2009 12:30 BST 30,122 Hull24-16 Castleford Tigers3 May 2009 14:45 BST 30,122 Catalans Dragons16-32 Leeds Rhinos3 May 2009 17:00 BST 30,122 Warrington Wolves28-36 Hull KR3 May 2008 19:00 BST 30,122 2010
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 favoured a seeding again, where the top 8 would face each other, whilst the bottom six would face the remainders. For fans' maximum enjoyment, it was decided that the four game day would be on the Saturday, so that fans who went for the Weekend, could enjoy the weekend more, without hassle of early rise for entertainment.
Fixtures
Team Score Team Match Information Date and Time Crowd Bradford Bulls0-19 Crusaders RL1 May 2010 13:00 BST 26,642 Hull8-25 Harlequins RL1 May 2010 15:00 BST 26,642 Salford City Reds16-68 Warrington Wolves1 May 2010 17:00 BST 26,642 Leeds Rhinos34-30 Wakefield Trinity Wildcats1 May 2010 19:00 BST 26,642 Castleford Tigers34-18 Catalans Dragons2 May 2010 14:00 BST 25,401 Wigan Warriors28-10 Huddersfield Giants2 May 2010 16:00 BST 25,401 St Helens54-0 Hull KR2 May 2010 18:00 BST 25,401 2011
The Rugby Football League have confirmed a revamp of the Magic Weekend, with it reverting to its original location in Cardiff and its Millennium Stadium, and it will see the opening round of the 2011 Super League season on the weekend of 12–13 February 2011.[9]. They have also gone back to the original format with the majority of the games being local rivalry games. [10]
Fixtures
Team Score Team Match Information Date and Time Crowd Huddersfield Giants28 - 18 Warrington Wolves12 Feb 2011 13:00 GMT 30,891 Catalans Dragons4 - 11 Harlequins RL12 Feb 2011 15:00 GMT 30,891 Castleford Tigers40 - 20 Wakefield Trinity Wildcats12 Feb 2011 17:00 GMT 30,891 St Helens16 - 16 Wigan Warriors12 Feb 2011 19:00 GMT 30,891 Crusaders Rugby League42 - 12 Salford City Reds13 Feb 2011 12:00 GMT 29,323 Bradford Bulls28 - 32 Leeds Rhinos13 Feb 2011 14:00 GMT 29,323 Hull22 - 34 Hull KR13 Feb 2011 16:00 GMT 29,323 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]
- ^ a b BBC Sport (2007-06-21). "New salary cap for Super League". BBC. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_league/6228796.stm. Retrieved 2009-07-24.
- ^ "Second-half blitz too much for brave Fev". Johnston Press Digital Publishing. http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/rl-match-reports/Secondhalf-blitz-too-much-for.4048118.jp. 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
- ^ [3]
External links
Super League Current Teams Bradford Bulls · Castleford Tigers · Catalans Dragons · Huddersfield Giants · Hull · Hull Kingston Rovers · Leeds Rhinos · London Broncos · Salford City Reds · St. Helens · Wakefield Trinity Wildcats · Warrington Wolves · Widnes Vikings · Wigan WarriorsFormer teams Crusaders · Gateshead Thunder · Halifax Blue Sox · Huddersfield-Sheffield Giants · Leigh Centurions · Oldham Bears · Paris Saint Germain · Sheffield Eagles · Workington TownSeasons: Season results: I · II · III · IV · V · VI · VII · VIII · IX · X · XI · XII · XIII · XIV · XV · XVIGrand Finals: Major events Awards Albert Goldthorpe Medal · League Leader's Shield · Man of Steel Award · Harry Sunderland Trophy · Super League Dream Team · Fairplay Index · Super League Ultimate 13: Grand Final TeamRelated articles Rugby Football League Championship · Super League Records · Super League war · 2009–11 licences · 2012–14 licencesCategories:- Rugby league in the United Kingdom
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