Magic Round (NRL)
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{{short description|Rugby league weekend in which all fixtures are played at one venue}}
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File:Suncorp Stadium Brisbane Australia 01.jpg, the host stadium of the Magic Round]]
The National Rugby League's Magic Round is a weekend in which all fixtures are played at one venue in Australia. The concept is derived from Super League's Magic Weekend.{{cite news |last1=Proszenko |first1=Adrian |title=NSW keen to poach Magic Round from Queensland |url=https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/nsw-keen-to-poach-magic-round-from-queensland-20190509-p51ls5.html |accessdate=3 August 2019 |work=Sydney Morning Herald |date=9 May 2019}} The first Magic Round, in 2019, was held at Brisbane's Lang Park, in the ninth round of the season, from 9 to 12 May. The Government of Queensland paid approximately $2.1 million per year for the event to be held in the city in 2019 and 2020.{{cite news |last1=Polkinghorne |first1=David |title=New Civic Stadium would enhance Canberra's Magic Round chances |url=https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6116903/a-magic-new-stadium/ |accessdate=3 August 2019 |work=Canberra Times|date=10 May 2019}}
History
England's Super League first held its Magic Weekend in Cardiff, Wales, in 2007, in part as a bid to promote rugby league there.{{cite news |last1=Shea |first1=Julian |title=Rugby league looks to new horizon |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_league/super_league/6599487.stm |accessdate=4 August 2019 |work=BBC Sport |date=1 May 2007}} The event has been repeated on an annual basis, staged also in Edinburgh, Manchester, Newcastle upon Tyne and Liverpool. The second-tier Championship followed in 2015 with the Summer Bash, a full round of fixtures that in that year and each subsequent year have been played in Blackpool.
The NRL first announced a Magic Round in 2018, for the 2019 season. It selected Brisbane as the host for 2019 and 2021, with the NRL having the option to continue to hold the event there in 2022 and 2023. The hosting arrangements included an investment from the Government of Queensland.{{cite news |last1=Webster |first1=Andrew |title=From Bris Vegas to Las Vegas: the NRL's bold ambitions for Magic Round |url=https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/from-brisvegas-to-las-vegas-the-nrl-s-bold-ambitions-for-magic-round-20190508-p51lf2.html |accessdate=4 August 2019 |work=Sydney Morning Herald |date=8 May 2019}} The NRL declared the 2019 event, held from 9 to 12 May, to be a success; the total attendance for the weekend was 134,677.{{cite news |last1=Lutton |first1=Phil |title=Magic Round tricks every box as crowds respond to Brisbane event |url=https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/magic-round-tricks-every-box-as-crowds-respond-to-brisbane-event-20190512-p51mk4.html |accessdate=4 August 2019 |work=Sydney Morning Herald |date=12 May 2019}}
The second Magic Round was scheduled to be held in May 2020, but was cancelled due to the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic which affected the 2020 NRL season.{{cite web|url=https://www.nrl.com/news/2020/03/27/nrl-cancels-magic-round-brisbane-2020/?_ga=2.214261975.1746151395.1585289988-1994308006.1584940722|title=NRL cancels Magic Round Brisbane 2020|publisher=NRL.com|date=27 March 2020|accessdate=27 March 2020}}
After the success of the second Magic Round in 2021, it was announced that the event would be returning to Brisbane in 2022.{{cite web |last1=Layt |first1=Stuart |title=NRL Magic Round to stay in Brisbane in 2022 but after that it's anyone's game |url=https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/nrl-magic-round-to-stay-in-brisbane-in-2022-but-after-that-it-s-anyone-s-game-20210516-p57sen.html |website=Brisbane Times |access-date=17 May 2021 |date=16 May 2007}} After continued success in Brisbane in the following seasons, a new three-year contract was awarded to keep the round in Brisbane to at least the 2027 season. {{Cite web |date=2024-05-17 |title=Brisbane secures NRL Magic Round until 2027 |url=https://www.espn.com.au/nrl/story/_/id/40161331/brisbane-secures-nrl-magic-round-2027 |access-date=2024-05-19 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}}
Attendances
| class="wikitable"
|+ !Year !City !Stadium !Days !Total Attendance !Average Daily Attendance |
| 2019
| rowspan="9" |Brisbane | rowspan="9" |Suncorp Stadium |4 |134,677 |33,669 |
| 2020
| colspan="3" {{N/A|Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.}} |
| 2021
|3 |{{Decrease}} 130,019 |{{Increase}} 43,340 |
| 2022
|3 |{{Increase}} 130,122 |{{Increase}} 43,374 |
| 2023
|3 |{{Increase}} 147,105 |{{Increase}} 49,035 |
| 2024
|3 |{{Increase}} 149,196 |{{Increase}} 49,732 |
| 2025
|3 |{{Increase}} 149,326 |{{Increase}} 49,775 |
| 2026
|3 | | |
| 2027
|3 | | |
See also
- Gather Round, the equivalent event in the Australian Football League since 2023
- Super Round, the equivalent event in the Super Rugby Pacific since 2022
- Unite Round, the equivalent event in the A-League Men and women since 2024
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References
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External links
- [https://www.nrl.com/news/2018/06/17/nrl-brisbane-magic-round-to-be-staged-in-2019-at-suncorp-stadium/ NRL Brisbane Magic Round to be staged in 2019 at Suncorp Stadium]
- [https://www.nrl.com/news/2018/10/25/sunday-derbies-magic-weekend-headline-2019-draw/ Sunday derbies Magic weekend headline 2019 draw]
- [https://www.nrl.com/news/2019/04/01/magic-acts-for-nrl-magic-round-brisbane/ Magic acts for NRL Magic Round Brisbane]
- [https://www.nrl.com/travel/magic-round/ Magic Round]
- https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl-premiership/nrl-to-stage-magic-round-in-2019/news-story/ff125411f0a80e100cd6cfc4143b4867
- https://suncorpstadium.com.au/The-Venue/Latest-News/NRL-Brisbane-Magic-Round.aspx
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Category:National Rugby League