Super League

Decision made on future of Magic Weekend

by
Correspondent
August 13, 2024

We’re just days away from Magic Weekend, Super League’s major event, and amidst rumours that 2024 would be the last occasion it is held, new reports have confirmed it is on the calendar for 2025.

Those reports have come from Love Rugby League with journalist Aaron Bower revealing discussions with Rugby League Commercial’s Chief Rhodri Jones about the future of the event.

Magic Weekend was moved later in the season for 2024 with a new venue also selected as Elland Road became the sixth stadium to host the showpiece event in the Super League calendar.

Everything you need to know about Magic Weekend

The decision to move to Elland Road was a controversial one, particularly given the popularity of the event’s recent home at St James Park in Newcastle.

However, fans were ultimately grateful that it remained on the calendar amidst suggestions that the sport’s new advisers IMG wanted to remove the fixture from the calendar.

Those rumours have now been clarified by Rhodri Jones in the comments he has made to Love Rugby League.

Will Magic Weekend go ahead in 2025?

Credit: SWpix

The simple answer is yes. Magic Weekend will go ahead in 2025 but Jones has confirmed that whilst it’s pencilled into the calendar, the location is as yet undetermined.

Per Love Rugby League, he said: “It’s in the calendar next year, we know what the fans want which is a destination: and it’s now up to us to go out and try find that destination.”

Previous destinations have included Edinburgh, Cardiff, Liverpool, Manchester and most recently Newcastle before this weekend’s event at Elland Road in Leeds. It had been suggested recently by one Super League coach that the event could go to Las Vegas.

Jones also commented on the suggestions that Magic Weekend would be removed from the calendar completely as he clarified IMG’s intentions.

He explained: “I think it’s a bit of a myth, IMG’s thoughts on Magic Weekend. It’s a loop fixture but IMG don’t want to get rid of Magic, the recommendation was to get rid of loop fixtures. I think they see value in it.”

Should all loop fixtures barring Magic Weekend be removed then the Super League season would shift from a 27-game regular season campaign to a 23-game season.

The benefits of that would be the avoidance of such situations as Wigan and Leigh playing three games in ten days, whilst also opening the possibility for other events such as internationals.

Magic Weekend gets underway on Saturday with three games each day in what is expected to be a near-sold-out Elland Road. The fixtures and kick-off times can be seen below.