Date: 22/5/13
The North and South Stands behind the posts at the Etihad Stadium have been opened up to cope with the massive demand from Super League fans.for tickets for Magic Weekend 2013.
The last remaining unreserved tickets in the lower tier sold out earlier today, prompting Super League officials to put reserved tickets on sale in the previous closed sections of the areas behind both sets of posts.
The tickets are on sale now at the same price as unreserved seating and represent terrific value at just £30 for one day (£15 concessions) and £45 for the full weekend (£22.50 concessions).
Reserved tickets are still available in the other parts of the stadium but fans are advised to book early to get the best seats for this unique event.
Over 65,000 tickets have already been snapped up for the Magic Weekend, which features seven extraordinary Super League matches over two memorable days in the special surroundings of the Etihad Stadium, Manchester, on Saturday and Sunday, May 25 and 26.
Now in its seventh year, Super League’s seven-match extravaganza promises to be better than ever before in 2013 with a bumper schedule of entertainment for the whole family on the two days, both inside and outside the stadium.
The action kicks off on Saturday with Catalan Dragons v London Broncos at noon and continues with the West Yorkshire derby, Castleford Tigers v Wakefield Trinity Wildcats at 2.15pm.
From 4.30pm the unique and intense rivalry between Hull FC and Hull Kingston Rovers takes centre stage before the opening day concludes with the keenly anticipated clash between St Helens and Warrington Wolves at 7.30pm.
Sunday’s schedule commences with Salford City Reds v Widnes Vikings at 3.00pm followed by Bradford Bulls v Huddersfield Giants from 5.15pm and climaxes with a potentially epic contest between Leeds Rhinos and Wigan Warriors at 7.30pm.
Off the field, the activities are just as captivating with a wide range of attractions which are guaranteed to keep every member of the family busy and entertained across both days.
Super League’s official partners are offering an exciting range of fan activities both in the Fanzone outside the stadium and during the stadium entertainment programme.
In the stadium there will be a house band – Conquer Rio – who will entertain the crowd between matches. Before every game there will be the opportunity for fans to watch the game from the Heinz Soup-er seat – where they will watch the game from the comfort of a sofa and enjoy Heinz Big products and champagne. To be selected for this great opportunity fans will have to demonstrate their skill playing the bongos on the Heinz bongo cam.
The Fanzone will open from Saturday at 10.00am until 6.15pm and from Sunday at noon until 7.00pm.
The Rugby League World Cup trophy will be in attendance, in what is a huge year for the sport, with the 14-nation taking place in England and Wales this autumn, and fans will have the opportunity to have their picture taken with the sport’s most coveted piece of silverware.
Other activities will include:
• Foxy Bingo will have their special double decker bus, which will be fitted out with its own nail station for fans, as well as fun competitions to take part in;
• Heinz will be running the Big Soup passing challenge;
• Irn Bru will have a sumo wrestling and tackle game for fans to test themselves on;
• Brut are offering fans the chance to test out their skills like the Super League extraordinary players with a James Roby pull ups test, a Tom Briscoe passing speed challenge and the Sam Tompkins reactions and agility test;
• There will be a green screen photo opportunity where you can be captured lifting the Super League Trophy at The Grand Final;
• The RAF will be bringing their climbing wall along for people to test their head for heights.
Fans will again be able to send interactive messages of support to their team, fellow fans and to celebrate special events like birthdays. These messages will be displayed on digital boards in and around the stadium. Messages can be sent on the day but fans will also be able to prepare their messages in advance and have them pre-loaded onto the system via the RFL’s Facebook and Twitter using #magicweekend.
Many supporters will find access to The Magic Weekend even easier this year with the new Metrolink service to the stadium direct from central Manchester.
The new Etihad Campus link opened in February and goes from Bury via Piccadilly Station to the Etihad and on to Droylsden. Fans wishing to plan their journey in advance can see all the details as metrolink.co.uk/droylsden.
Tickets are selling strongly with unreserved seating for Saturday now sold out. A limited supply of unreserved Sunday tickets remain but fans are advised to book as soon as possible this week for both these and the reserved sections of the ground, which are still available for both Saturday and Sunday.
Magic Weekend represents fantastic value for top class sporting action and family entertainment, with tickets costing from just £30 adults and £15 concessions. Tickets for the whole weekend or either individual day are available from www.rugbyleaguetickets.co.uk or by calling 0844 8561133.
The 2013 Magic Weekend schedule in full is:
Saturday May 25
12.00 – Catalan Dragons v London Broncos
2.15 – Castleford Tigers v Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
4.30 – Hull FC v Hull Kingston Rovers
6.45 – St Helens v Warrington Wolves
Sunday May 26
3.00 – Salford City Reds v Widnes Vikings
5.15 – Bradford Bulls v Huddersfield Giants
7.30 – Leeds Rhinos v Wigan Warriors
