Magic Weekend faces the axe

BY JOHN DAVIDSON

Super League executive chairman Robert Elstone admits Magic Weekend could be cancelled or the season cut short as the competition struggles to deal with the impact of the Coronavirus.

Magic Weekend it set to take place at Newcastle’s St James Park on May 23 and May 24. But with the season currently shutdown because of the global pandemic and no indication on when it will return, doubt is increasing that this year’s Magic event will be canned.

“It hasn’t been totally ruled out to date. We have a daily conference call among Super League executives and we spoke about it this morning,” Elstone said.

“We’re preparing for the fact that Magic may well be a casualty of this. Without making financial commitments, we’re trying to keep our options open. 

“The big quandary is how long is this going to last, and it would be unwise not to think about Magic at a later date in Newcastle or in a different format.. we don’t know. 

“Right now we haven’t ruled it out and fixture planning is looking at the possibility it might happen. You might look at the probability of it happening as diminishing all the time, though.”

Elstone says Super League are looking at all options, including possibly pushing the season back or having a reduced set of fixtures.

“There’s lots of work going on in terms of fixture planning and that involves pushing the season back, that’s one of the options we’re looking at,” he said. 

“Obviously Manchester United and other partners, we need support from. 

“Right now it’s impossible to know how long this suspension period will last, but we’re looking at a variety of scenarios that means when it does it get lifted, we’re in a good place to start quickly and fulfil as many of our seasonal obligations as we can.

“We have a Super League fixture list that involves Magic Weekend, loop fixtures and play-offs and all of these generate revenue for the clubs, the centre or both. 

“We’re doing all we can to protect that and one of the most material ways we can do that is by pushing back the end date of the season. 

“You’ve got Challenge Cup and Test football to consider too and the good news is everyone is working together to find a solution that works for everyone. 

“Extending the season may present an opportunity to play midweek football to a limited extent but we have to be conscious of player welfare. The longer it goes on the harder it will be to fulfil everything. 

“We then have to look collaboratively at how we make further adjustments to the season. 

“We’re working closely with the RFL and clubs and those plans are changing on a daily basis and there will be different iterations based on when we come out of this tough and challenging period.”

Elstone is not aware of any positive tests of Coronavirus from any Super League players.

“In terms of frontline issues around Government advice and health initiatives, the RFL has been terrific in leading that and they’re responding to Government advice,” he said. 

“In terms of positive diagnoses around the players, I’ve not heard of anything but we’re in period of extreme social distancing and ultimately players and staff are operating in isolation right now. 

“If we do that diligently then this period will come to an end in the not too distant future.”

Elstone said maintaining Super League’s contract with Sky, which is worth around £40 million per year, remains the competition’s number one priority.

“We have a good relationship with Sky, myself and Rhodri in particular stay exceptionally close with them almost every other day,” he said.

“We had a more formal meeting with them on the phone on Monday and we’re just pledging our support to them. They know that there are some real material limitations in what we can and can’t do right now. 

“Right now we’re unable to do anything in terms of meaningful content. But they’re a business that are reviewing the implications of this. 

“While we have a close relationship we have to respect that Sky are looking at what this means for them. Our intention is to ensure we honour that Sky contract and fulfil our obligations, it’s the most important thing we can do.”

Rugby League Live Scores