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Magic Weekend brings a divided sport together – for 48 hours at least

There are some weekends when Super League’s profile feels elevated and this is one of them. The 18th edition of Magic Weekend, with all 12 teams playing in the same venue over two days, returns to St James’ Park with the event being played out to a backdrop of excitement and uncertainty.

On the one hand, this has been an encouraging start to 2025. Attendances are up, viewing figures are trending the right way and there is the prospect of the best-attended Ashes series in a generation this autumn, with two of the three venues already sold out.

But this would not be rugby league without an asterisk of drama. It has always been fond of trying to let its governance undermine the exceptional on-field product and a strategic review being led by the former RFL chair Nigel Wood is causing division in the game.

The NRL – which is running its own Magic Round this weekend – is keen to buy a stake in Super League, but only if it is given full control of the competition. Leading clubs such as Wigan and Warrington are in favour, but some are less keen and are, perhaps unfathomably, keen to be led by Wood’s review. This despite him being paid more than £300,000 to leave the governing body less than a decade ago.

Meanwhile, IMG – which is almost three years into a 12-year strategic partnership with the sport – has also come under fire, with some clubs questioning if it brings value for money. The sport pays an annual fee of about £400,000 to the company, but it seems it worked for free for the first two years.

It was brought in to make wholesale changes and revolutionise the game’s prospects. Automatic promotion and relegation has been replaced with a gradings system, but further recommendations made by IMG have not been carried out. The reason? Money, or rather a distinct lack of it.

“There’s elements of those recommendations that haven’t been able to be implemented because the game is just not in a position at the moment to fund that,” says Matt Dwyer of IMG. Super League is essentially propped up by wealthy owners, it is not awash with cash.

The prospect of NRL investment could be revolutionary, not least financially. But IMG is trying to change that. It has introduced new six-figure revenue streams by securing fresh betting rights and generated close to £1m in cost savings through technological improvements, including a new ticketing software system.

Attendances are up more than 10% on this time last year, social media engagements are up 72% and digital impressions 93%. All of this sounds boring and unimportant to the fan on the street, but to the NRL, and indeed to potential broadcasters and sponsors, it is crucial. “Those foundations ultimately translate into your commercial improvement and your financial position because if you’re Sky, you want more subscribers watching,” Dwyer says. “If you’re a sponsor, you just want more people looking at your product.

“One of the first goals we had was for Super League to be a competition that washes its own face so we’re not reliant on owners. But that takes time. It’s why it’s a 12-year deal. We’re not even a quarter of the way there.”

Super League is nervously awaiting the outcome of its next broadcast deal in 2027 – whether that be with Sky Sports or someone else. Unlike other sports, rugby league’s TV rights have declined dramatically over the past decade, leading to a feeling of financial trepidation. That is where IMG will earn its money. The prospect of NRL involvement could aid that, with Dwyer open to the two competitions joining forces. “We work with the NRL already, they’re a client of ours in Australia,” he says.

“I was shocked there wasn’t more interaction between the NRL and Super League. Anything that leads to greater collaboration between the two leagues is a positive. A rising tide lifts all boats. I’m incredibly supportive of us all working together to grow the game.”

Wood’s review will question if the French clubs Catalans and Toulouse should be removed from the English game. In contrast, the NRL may include both in their plans should they get their way, cutting some traditional English clubs out. Hence the rebellion in some quarters.

Where does IMG sit on that? “The French clubs have a huge role to play,” Dwyer says. “But we can’t expect to have one team develop a whole market in isolation. We need to be able to support the growth of the French leagues, Catalans and everyone around it. They need central support.”

With clubs outside Super League wanting the top flight to go to 14 teams, the NRL wanting to reduce to 10 and IMG of the belief clubs cannot afford to have its financial distributions reduced further, it is not unreasonable to ponder whether there is a civil war of sorts looming.

Dwyer and IMG insist their path remains unchanged and point to the work done as proof of how they can deliver. This weekend, the Super League players will once again showcase their abilities to the public. The goal for everyone has to be to ensure that in the years ahead there is no repeat of this boardroom fiasco and that rugby league, perhaps under the NRL’s guise, can finally crack a mainstream audience.

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