Magic Weekend 2025 destination revealed with RFL’s ‘preferred option’ disclosed

Reports have emerged that Magic Weekend could be on its way back to St James’ Park in 2025, despite Newcastle United’s Saudi Arabian leadership group not being convinced by the event’s ability to generate a commercial return for the football club.

The Magpies’ home has played host to Magic Weekend more than any other venue, with Super League clubs and supporters travelling up to the North East on seven occasions – 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022 and 2023.

This year however, United’s Saudi leaders declined the chance to host the event, which instead took place at Elland Road in Leeds over the weekend of August 17 and 18, coinciding with the opening weekend of the Premier League season.

The weekend prior, St James’ Park had hosted the SELA Cup, a pre-season event which involved hosts Newcastle, their women’s team, AC Milan’s women, French outfit Stade Brestois and Spanish side Girona.

Accordingly, concerns were raised by the leadership group about the potential damage to the St James’ Park pitch that Magic Weekend could do as well as the question mark surrounding how commercially viable it was for them as hosts.

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But reports in City A.M. now suggest that other figures within the football club, along with those in charge at Newcastle City Council and at the Rugby Football League, are all pushing for the event to make a return to the North East in 2025.

The London-based financial and business newspaper wrote: “The Saudi leadership at Newcastle is understood to have been concerned about potential damage to the pitch on what was the opening weekend of the Premier League season, as well as being unimpressed at the commercial return for the club.

“Others at Newcastle regard Magic Weekend as a great opportunity to market the city to non-football fans and attract tourists, a view that is also held at Newcastle City Council.

“The RFL has committed to holding a Magic Weekend, in which the 12 Super League sides all play each other in the same venue on successive days, again next year despite criticism of this year’s spectacle at Elland Road.

“Nottingham Forest’s City Ground is also being considered as a potential venue, although returning to Newcastle is the RFL’s preferred option.

“Despite the criticism of Elland Road attracting a modest two-day attendance of just over 50,000 spectators, the event was one of the best Magic Weekends in financial terms for the RFL due to lower costs and the high number of hospitality packages sold to Leeds-based fans, who did not have to travel.”

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