Don’t forget about Sydney: The multi-venue pitch for Magic Round in NSW

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Venues NSW chairman Rod McGeoch has outlined a multi-venue pitch for Sydney to bring Magic Round south of the border as the NRL weighs up the economics of keeping the marquee event in rugby league’s heartland or taking it to new markets.

NRL CEO Andrew Abdo has confirmed plans to take Magic Round to market following “serious expressions of interest” from NSW, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia from 2025 and beyond, with its current contract with the Queensland government expiring next year.

Adding an NRLW Magic Round, either alongside the men’s edition or as a standalone entity, potentially as soon as next year, will also be considered after Abdo addressed the ARL commission last week on the event’s future.

No tangible offers from rival states have been put to the NRL at this stage and Queensland is also expected to fight hard to keep Magic Round given its estimated $28 million injection into the state’s economy.

With the NRL reporting a total of 147,095 fans in attendance this weekend and roughly 40 per cent of ticket holders travelling from interstate, McGeoch said ensuring a Sydney event could deliver similar numbers was the biggest question mark in a NSW bid to poach Magic Round.

“The argument against Sydney is that the majority of teams are already here and you have to ask whether you will get the travel from interstate fans because of that,” McGeoch, who also sits on the Destination NSW board, said.

Magic Round has become one of the must-do events on the rugby league calendar for fans.Credit: Getty

“But if you do it right and make it a real event as the NRL are talking and doing, we’ve got two world-class venues in CommBank Stadium at Parramatta and Allianz right near the CBD, and content for those stadiums at either end of the city, that’s absolutely paramount.

“Tony Shepherd [GWS Giants chair and McGeoch’s predecessor at Venues NSW] is desperate for an AFL [Gather] Round in Sydney to lift that code again in Sydney and take on rugby league again.

“Our key KPI is to triple the number of visitors to Sydney by 2030, so when the government goes after events, we have to prove that investment will come back. Absolutely a Magic Round in Sydney can do that and from my point of view NSW has got to have a go.”

State of Origin’s regular rotation through non-rugby league markets in Victoria, Western Australia and South Australia has raised the question of whether Magic Round should be treated as a similar vehicle to attract new fans to the game.

The Wests Tigers celebrate a Brandon Wakeham try during Sunday’s Magic Round win over the Dragons in Brisbane.Credit: Getty

The challenge of filling large interstate stadiums for three days, such as WA’s Optus Stadium (60,000 capacity) and the Adelaide Oval (53,500) — which are also not built for rugby league — is another consideration for the NRL.

So too is the ideology behind Magic Round in general, as well as potentially delivering the biggest event of the regular season to Sydney, the game’s biggest marketplace.

“Thinking about how you keep growing it, how you play it and when, you have to be strategic,” Abdo said.

“We know it’s about more than just our current fans, it’s about winning new fans too.

“We’ve invested quite heavily in the precinct area around the stadium and that’s how we have to do it to give a great experience for the fans.

“Clearly it works here in Brisbane … but we also have to think about what’s best for growing the game and also attracting a good investment that we can put back into the game.

“Credit to the Queensland government, they were prepared to take the risk and invest with us, so those discussions will continue too.”

While time zones and broadcast deals would likely scupper a New Zealand-based Magic Round, Warriors boss Cameron George has already proposed an NRLW event across the Tasman to reward Kiwi fans who went without top-flight rugby league during the pandemic.

Jillaroos captain Ali Brigginshaw has already suggested an NRLW Nines could kick off the expanding women’s’ competition, with Abdo enthusiastic about including the female game in future Magic Round events.

“It works for the NRL, so absolutely, why not for the NRLW too,” Abdo said.

“When you’re talking about new fans, it’s a very, very strong vehicle to attract new fans and we want to showcase a very, very fast-growing sport as much as possible.

“I can’t tell you when that could happen. We definitely don’t have to wait until the next broadcast cycle for that, we’ve got to do the work and execute it properly, but it’s definitely possible.”

Stream the NRL Premiership 2023 live and free on 9Now.

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