Magic Weekend is now under threat

SUPER League’s Magic Weekend is now under threat by the coronavirus pandemic.

The 2020 season is suspended indefinitely and an extension beyond the scheduled Grand Final date of October 10 is looking inevitable.

There is the issue of the availability of Old Trafford, and Super League officials are also looking at moving or cancelling the Magic Weekend, which is due to return to Newcastle on May 23-24.

“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,” Super League executive chairman Robert Elstone told an online media briefing.

“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.

“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 but the longer it goes on the harder it will be to fulfil everything.

“We’re preparing for the fact that

Magic may well be a casualty of this. 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.

“Right now we haven’t ruled it out. You might look at the probability of it happening as diminishing all the time.”

Elstone admits midweek fixtures could become inevitable for sides once the season restarts.