By STEVE MASCORD
IN confirming Magic Weekend is heading to Everton’s £750 million Hill Dickinson Stadium, Super League has promised to improve transport links and mark the field better.
Rugby League Commercial managing director Rhodri Jones on Tuesday announced 12 clubs would face off on July 4 and 5 at the venue of the second Ashes Test, with Catalans and Toulouse to play at a south-eastern France venue to be determined.
It’s a one-year deal at this stage. The Saturday games are: Huddersfield v York, Hull KR v Hull FC and Leigh v Warrington.
The Sunday schedule is: Wakefield v Castleford, Leeds v Bradford and Wigan v St Helens.
While the venue received rave reviews from fans on November 1, trouble getting to and from the ground and the poor line markings were widely identified as negatives.
“I can’t say I’ve got the solution right now but transport links into Liverpool is definitely on our list of things to look at,” Jones said.
“I think Everton will be in a better place. Liverpool generally will be in a better place once they’ve had match days, a number of events through the Hill Dickinson.
“I think it’s matter of us liaising through those local train operators. Northern are our partner, don’t forget, who definitely got caught out by the volume of people using public transport on that Saturday.
“It’s about trying to put as many solutions in there as possible, making people aware of park and ride schemes, alternative ways to get to Liverpool…”
There was also consternation by purists at the Second Test about the poor markings on the field.
“That was also on the list of key learnings from the Ashes. I think they will be much better on July 4th and 5th than perhaps they were for the Ashes game.”
Jones said there were a number of contributing factors to the problems, including the Premier League requirements and the unfamiliarity of ground staff with rugby league.
The 2026 fixtures mark a return to a focus on derbies at Magic, Jones said.
The French derby would be played at a time that would not clash with matches at Hill Dickinson, he explained. No kick-off times for Everton have yet been finalised so it can be ensured there is no overlap.
“This date enables us to have the event in the summer, a stand-alone fixture with its own breathing space, not close to any of the other events we’ve got on the calendar,” he said.
“To quote a club chief executive, Magic has lost its magic and we need to get it back and that’s one of our prime objectives for next year is to make it the best it can be, the best it’s ever been.
“We know the derbies sell the greatest number of tickets and then we’re looking at a revised commercial model to enable us to realise the opportunity – so we will sell all the tickets centrally for the first time.
“It’s a win for the fans, it’s a win for the broadcasters, it’s a win for our commercial partners and it will bring everyone together in the middle of the summer.
“It gave us the best opportunity to put the magic back into Magic.”
On the French Magic fixture, Jones said it may be part of a larger programme of matches with the French Federation considering the opportunity.
“The next part of the process is to work with those two clubs in terms of a neutral venue selection and there are meetings this week with a number of venues in the south-east corner of France which will provide us with some options to consider,” said Jones.
Other cities under consideration were Newcastle, Nottingham, Leeds and Cardiff.
Last year’s Magic venue, St James Park in Newcastle, was only available on one weekend, Jones said.
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