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St James' Park
will host the next Magic Weekend
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Newcastle has been chosen to host
the 2015 Magic Weekend, when a full round of fixtures in the First Utility
Super League are played over two days on the same pitch.
The Rugby Football League was forced
to look for a new venue after being told that Manchester City's Etihad Stadium
was not available next May due to building work, Press Association reports.
Coventry, which will host
semi-professional rugby league from 2015, was thought to be under consideration
but Super League bosses have opted for Newcastle United's St James' Park, which
will host three matches on Saturday, May 30 and three the following day, at its
52,404-capacity home.
Magic Weekend was first staged in
Cardiff in 2007 and has also been held in Edinburgh as well as Manchester,
which is favourite to regain the event from 2016 when it will have a new
capacity.
Super League general manager Blake
Solly said: "St James' Park is one of Britain's iconic sporting stadiums
and Newcastle is a fantastic destination city that will provide the perfect
backdrop to the First Utility Super League Magic Weekend.
"We did receive interest in
staging Magic Weekend from a number of other venues but none provided as good a
fit as Newcastle for many reasons, including its transport links, hotel and
accommodation options and opportunities for our fans to enjoy a weekend to
remember."
Super League was played in the
north-east in 1999 when Gateshead Thunder entered the competition after the
International Stadium had previously hosted an "on-the-road" match
between Leeds and Salford.
Thunder merged with Hull after only
12 months and moved to east Yorkshire but Gateshead re-formed as a Championship
club and, after being recently taken over by Newcastle Falcons, will stage a
play-off tie as part of a double-header with the rugby union club at Kingston
Park on Sunday.
Sean Bullick, chief executive of NE1
Ltd, said: "NE1 is delighted to be hosting Magic Weekend and to be
welcoming rugby league teams and fans to Newcastle.
"Large-scale events like this
do a fantastic job of promoting Newcastle and the wider region. I'm sure
visiting fans will have a fantastic time in the city and we hope this will be
the best Magic Weekend so far."
Councillor Nick Forbes, leader of
Newcastle City Council, said: “Newcastle has a proven track record of hosting
large-scale sporting events.
"With so much to do here and
our famous hospitality, visitors are guaranteed a fantastic experience and a
taste of Geordie Magic."
The league says the fixtures and kick-off times
will be confirmed in mid-November. There will be one fewer fixture than this
year due to the re-structuring and relegation of Bradford and London Broncos.
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