EDITOR'S CHOICE BRADFORD BUSINESS NEWS Shares fall as bank u-turns over funding BRADFORD CITY Stu will not tolerate City slackers BRADFORD BULLS McNamara demands Bulls earn their stripes THE DAILY CARTOON Cartoon LATEST VIDEOS Theatre group's smashing role Moor friends the merrier! Sea of orange on parade VOTE Should Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe be allowed to bid to win his freedom? Yes No Don't know GET OUR NEWS BY E-MAIL Just register

Most read Comments 1 'Sadistic' parents jailed for torture 2 Violent robberies spree ends as pair are jailed 3 Stu will not tolerate City slackers 4 Arson fears in flat fire 5 Bedroom blaze probed 6 Keep your pets cool in summer 7 Teenager locked up for street fight 8 McNamara demands Bulls earn their stripes 9 McCall gets a foot in door 10 Speeding teenager is locked up Today | 7 Days 1 Wetherall urges fans to sign up 2 City vice-chairman calls it quits 3 Platt chasing a triple tonic 4 Bulls 46 Catalans 16 5 Godwin pens three-year contract 6 Hull face threat of cup KO 7 McCall gets a foot in door 8 Rhodes: New appointment McCall's call 9 Macca hails Dragon-slayer Langley 10 'It all went downhill when Jewell left'

Comment | Read Comments (6)

I know why the RFL might be looking to move Magic Weekend' from the Millennium Stadium to Edinburgh but surely now is not the time.

I write Magic Weekend because all reference to Millennium Magic was mysteriously omitted from a press release issued just before the end of the sixth and final game in Cardiff on Sunday.

That saw plenty of substance added to rumours already doing the rounds that Super League's colourful bonanza might be shifted elsewhere - probably Murrayfield - for 2009.

The showpiece event proved a big success in its second year in Wales, illustrated by an overall attendance of 63,000 - a rise of more than ten per cent from last May's inaugural show.

Bradford supporters I spoke to were certainly lapping up the carnival atmosphere and excitement in and around the stadium, making the most of the warm welcome handed out by the local bars and restaurants.

The same can be said for fans from each of the other 11 Super League clubs and neutrals further down the divisions; they tend to like the colourful Millennium Magic experience.

Which makes it all the more strange why the RFL want to uproot.

There has been lots of talk about making Millennium Magic as big as the Grand Final. We all know the original Grand Final at Old Trafford in 1998 wasn't warmly received as supporters battled to get their heads around the play-offs - and not the traditional first past the post system - being the new way of deciding the champion team.

Just over 43,000 turned up in Manchester but since then the gate has grown and grown to the point where nearly 75,000 attended last season's finale. It is a real success story of which the RFL are rightly proud.

Millennium Magic has the potential to become an equally thriving date in the rugby league calendar but only if given time and, importantly, stability to develop.

Staging the event in Cardiff isn't without its problems, such as exorbitant hotel prices, poor train links with the north and the on-going issues surrounding the stadium's roof.

But the potential is obviously there and the building block laid by the game's governing body, its sponsors and the local authority would be wrecked if it all suddenly got moved lock, stock and barrel to Edinburgh or even Belfast, who are also apparently sniffing.

Representatives from both the Scottish and Irish tourist boards were in town over the weekend to witness the explosion at first hand and see how the arrival of more than 40,000 rugby league fans can give a massive shot in the arm to a local economy.

It's easy to see why they would want a piece of the action but they would have to start from scratch.

Many of the teething problems found last year were ironed out this time around but a new location would bring fresh obstacles and risk sending the occasion backwards.

Cardiff took the concept on board first and its boldness should be rewarded by being able to enjoy the benefits as it hopefully blossoms.

However, apparently, despite the Cardiff local authority fully backing the concept, the Welsh Rugby Union, which owns the Millennium Stadium, have been less than co-operative, particularly in the area of ticket sales.

That might have prompted the RFL to strive for a better deal elsewhere. Or maybe they are just looking to put some pressure on their hosts for improved terms next May.

Murrayfield did stage the Challenge Cup final in 2000, when the Bulls memorably won it for the first time in half a century, and again two years later - but I say don't change what ain't broke. Let's stick with the Welsh.

4:14pm Wednesday 7th May 2008

Print

Email this

Comment