Nine is the RFL’s Magic number

THE MAGIC Weekend style event for the National Leagues will take the form of a stand alone nine-a-side event, the Chronicle understands.

The Super League equivalent, which has taken the form of an extra round of league matches in Cardiff for the past two seasons, is next year moving to Edinburgh.

But this NL mini-tournament is set to be held at Blackpool's Bloomfield Road, with the action taking place around the weekend of the Northern Rail Cup final in July, 2009.

With 20 sides set to be involved over two days, a 13-a-side competition was deemed impractical by the RFL and matches will be shorter than usual.

The hope is that supporters travelling to the seaside town for the event will help ensure the final is a sell-out, which would sit well with the live television coverage provided by Sky, who are also broadcasting group matches from next season.

These RFL proposals were unveiled at the meeting of club officials from the two divisions immediately below Super League last Wednesday.

Among other announcements, it was revealed that a total prize fund of £200,000 has been set aside for the National Leagues from next year, the winner of NL1 getting £100,000 and the NL2 equivalent receiving exactly half that amount.

Vague plans for a licensing system below Super League were also announced, along with a declared willingness to incorporate more new clubs from non-heartland areas in future seasons.

However, despite rumours to the contrary, nothing was mentioned regarding a possible move to bring in French club Toulouse to the National Leagues for the start of the 2010 season.