Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium Set to Host Rugby League’s Magic Weekend in 2012

Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium is in line to host rugby league’s Magic Weekend next year according to media reports.

The news, generic set to be confirmed on Friday when the new Super League fixtures come out, ed will see an entire round of Super League games take place within the two days in East Manchester.

It is believed the RFL have made the move to boost flagging crowd numbers by bringing the event back to the sport’s hotbed.

The inaugural Magic Weekend, ampoule christened Millennium Magic, took place at Cardiff in 2007.

It moved to Scotland’s Murrayfield Stadium in 2009 for the next two years before returning to Cardiff last season when the weekend kicked off the new season.

The attendance during the 2010 event in Edinburgh fell to just over 52,000 for the weekend, and although that figure rose to over 60,000 last term in Cardiff, that still meant the stadium was less than half full on both days.

But it is unlikely that predicament will continue at the Etihad Stadium, which is within striking distance of the majority of Super League big hitters including Salford Reds, Wigan Warriors, Warrington Wolves and St Helens.