The Mad Stad[1] | |
 Aerial view of the stadium in 2025 | |
 Interactive map of Select Car Leasing Stadium | |
| Full name | Select Car Leasing Stadium |
|---|---|
| Location | Junction 11 M4 Reading Berkshire RG2 0FL |
| Coordinates | 51°25′20″N0°58′58″W / 51.42222°N 0.98278°W /51.42222; -0.98278 |
| Public transit |  Reading Green Park (1.5 km (0.9 mi)) |
| Owner | Redwood Holdings |
| Operator | Reading F.C. |
| Capacity | 24,161[2] |
| Record attendance | 24,184 (Reading v.Everton; 17 November 2012) 23,709 (London Irish v. London Wasps; 16 March 2008) |
| Field size | 105m x 68m (football)[3] |
| Surface | SIS Grass |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 22 August 1998 |
| Construction cost | £50m (£111m in 2023) |
| Tenants | |
| Football Reading (1998–present) Reading Women (2020–present) Rugby Union London Irish (2000–2020) Richmond (1998–1999) | |
TheMadejski Stadium (/məˈdeɪski/), currently known as theSelect Car Leasing Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is afootball stadium inReading,Berkshire, England. It is the home ofReading Football Club, who play inEFL League One. It also provides the finish for theReading Half Marathon. It is anall-seater bowl stadium with a capacity of 24,161 and is located close to theM4 motorway andReading Green Park railway station. The West Stand contains the Voco Reading Hotel.
The stadium was opened on 22 August 1998 and replacedElm Park as Reading's home ground. It was named afterJohn Madejski, who was chairman of Reading FC and provided most of the funding.
In January 1990, theTaylor Report made all-seater stadiums compulsory in the top two divisions of English football for the1994–95 season. Having played in the second tier of the English league several times before, Reading were champions ofDivision Two in 1994, and were promoted to Division One. Reading became subject to the Taylor requirements. ConvertingElm Park to an all-seater stadium was not practical, so a location in Smallmead (to the south of the town) was identified as the site for a new stadium.[4] The location of a closed landfill, the site was purchased for £1, on the condition that the club develop theA33 relief road.[5] Construction of the new stadium, which was undertaken byBirse Group,[6] was underway by 1997, and the last competitive match at Elm Park took place on 3 May 1998 againstNorwich City, with Reading losing 1–0, having already been relegated to Division Two.[7]
Reading began the1998–99 season at the Madejski Stadium.[4] It was opened on 22 August 1998 when Reading beatLuton Town 3–0, withGrant Brebner scoring the first goal at the stadium. Following the death of academy managerEamonn Dolan in 2016, the North Stand was renamed as a memorial to him.[8]
For the first time in its history, Reading Football Club participated in the Premier League in the2006–07 season. As a result of the sell-out crowds for their first few fixtures of the season, the club announced its intention, in October 2006,[9] to make a planning application to extend the ground to between 37,000 and 38,000 seats. The application was made on 24 January 2007, proposing initially the extension of the East Stand with a further 6,000 seats (raising capacity to around 30,000) and subsequently extension of the North and South Stands to reach the full proposed capacity.[10]
On 24 May 2007, it was announced that planning permission had been granted to extend the stadium to a capacity of 36,900.[11] The first phase will expand the East Stand by 6,600 seats. Work was set to start in mid-2008, after the initial plan of extending in 2007 was scrapped due to spectator seats being affected, during the work, already being sold to season ticket holders.
Reading's relegation from the Premier League in 2008 meant that all expansion plans were put on hold, but were revived when promotion was again achieved in 2012.[12]
Plans to expand the ground were again put on hold after Reading were relegated back to the Football League Championship at the end of the 2012–13 season after a goalless draw at home toQPR on 28 April 2013.
In July 2021, at the beginning of the 150th anniversary season, it was announced that the Madejski Stadium had been rebranded as the Select Car Leasing Stadium for the next ten years. In honour of Sir John Madejski, the East Stand was renamed asThe Sir John Madejski Stand.[13]
The stadium cost more than £50m to build and the pitch incorporates a system of synthetic fibres interwoven with natural grass, installed at a cost of more than £750,000.[3] It is built on the site of alandfill site and is surrounded bymethane vents.[citation needed]
The Eamonn Dolan Stand capacity is 4,946 including 25 spaces for wheelchairs.[14] Although in use for all Reading matches, the stand was normally closed for London Irish and only opened in exceptional circumstances where demand required.
The South Stand has a capacity of 4,350 including 29 wheelchair spaces and contains an area for visiting supporters. The initial allocation visiting teams received up until the 2022–23 season was 2,127 and is the half of the stand joining onto the West Stand. The other half of the South Stand is Club 1871, a home fans member area, which encourages safe standing to create a matchday atmosphere. Under the terms of their original lease, London Irish only utilised the South Stand for the most popular matches. However, with the original renegotiation and extension of the lease, the South Stand was used for all London Irish matches with an unreserved seating plan. London Irish sold season tickets for South Stand between2008 and2014–15. Since 2015, with falling attendance at London Irish, the South Stand remained closed for rugby and only opened if required.
The Sir John Madejski Stand (East) has a capacity of 7,286 including 18 spaces for wheelchairs.[14] The stand also contains the stadium's video screen which is located in the corner adjoining the South Stand. The stand was open for all London Irish fixtures only until the end of the2015–16 season and again for the2017–18 and2019–20 seasons.
The West Stand, the stadium's main stand, has a capacity of 7,579 including 15 wheelchair spaces and contains a lower and an upper tier. The upper level does not overhang the lower tier and the executive boxes are located between the two tiers. The tunnel anddugouts are located in this stand. During the2016–17 and2018–19 seasons, the West Stand was the only stand in regular use for London Irish home games. The outside of the stand contains the Voco Reading hotel, part ofInterContinental Hotels Group'sVoco chain. From the 2023–24 season the initial allocation for visiting fans will be located in the upper west corner.
The stadium has hosted fiveEngland under-21 internationals. These were as follows.
| Year | Date | Opponents | Result | Attendance | Part of |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 3 September |  Luxembourg | 5–0 | 18,094 | 2000 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification Group 5 |
| 2001 | 14 August |  Netherlands | 4–0 | 19,467 | International friendly |
| 2002 | 15 October |  Macedonia | 3–1 | 15,500 | 2004 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification Group 7 |
| 2006 | 28 February |  Norway | 2–2 | 15,022 | International friendly |
| 2013 | 5 September |  Moldova | 1–0 | 5,268 | 2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification Group 1 |
AnEngland B match was also held at the stadium.[15]
| Year | Date | Home | Result | Away | Attendance | Part of |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 25 May |  England | 1–2 |  Belarus | 22,032 | International Friendly |
Other international matches.
| Year | Date | Team 1 | Result | Team 2 | Attendance | Part of |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 7 September |  Australia | 2–1 |  Jamaica | 8,050 | International Friendly |
| 2013 | 7 September | Reading | 0–2 |  Oman | Club v Country Friendly |
Although a designated football stadium, the stadium was used regularly since opening forrugby union.Richmond were the first rugby team to become Reading's tenants, using the stadium from its opening season in1998 after outgrowing their original home ofRichmond Athletic Ground. This tenancy lasted only one season as Richmond went into administration and were nominally merged intoLondon Irish.
London Irish moved into the stadium in2000 after a year of ground sharing withHarlequins at theStoop Memorial Ground inTwickenham. On 11 January 2008, it was announced that London Irish had reached an agreement to continue playing home games at the stadium until 2026.[16] However, they were to leave after the2019–20 season.[17] London Irish played their last game at the stadium on1 March 2020 when they were defeated byWasps. TheCOVID-19 pandemic had disrupted the season causing a premature end to their tenancy and forcing them to return to the Stoop for the remainder of the elongated season.
Irish saw their average crowds grow to more than 11,100 after moving to Reading in 2000, holding the record for the biggest rugby unionPremiership attendance at a club ground, when 23,709 people saw Irish play Wasps (then London Wasps) on 16 March 2008.[18] This record stood until 19 September 2009, whenLeicester Tigers opened their new stand to increase capacity to 24,000.
In addition to London Irish home matches, the stadium has also hosted several knock out phases of European cup rugby where a neutral ground was required or where teams were required to play at a larger capacity ground.
| Year | Date | Home | Score | Away | Attendance | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 20 May | NEC Harlequins | 42–33 |  Narbonne | 11,211 | 2000–01 European Challenge Cup Final |
| 2003 | 25 May | Bath | 30–48 | London Wasps | 18,074 | 2002–03 Parker Pen Challenge Cup Final |
| 2004 | 22 May | Montferrand | 26–27 | NEC Harlequins | 13,123 | 2003–04 Parker Pen Challenge Cup Final |
| 2016 | 23 April | Saracens | 24–17 | Wasps | 16,820 | 2015–16 European Champions Cup Semi-final |
Besides football, the Madejski Stadium can be configured to hold other events, including concerts.
On 13 June 2004,Busted played at the Madejski Stadium, with an attendance of 20,000.[19][20]
On 26 May 2005,Elton John played at the Madejski Stadium in front of a crowd of 24,000.[21][22] Reading FC supporters were given priority, with tickets going on sale on the 9 December 2004 ahead of the general sale on 14 December.[23] This was followed by XS Madness on 6 June, attended by 9,000. The event featured multiple performers includingMcFly,Rachel Stevens,Charlotte Church,Bananarama andMelanie C.[24][25]
Luciano Pavarotti was due to perform the stadium on 1 July 2006, after being delayed from the 11 June due the singer's neck surgery to repair two vertebrae.[26] His final public performance was atopening ceremony of the2006 Winter Olympics inTurin, before his death in 2007 frompancreatic cancer. He underwent surgery in early July 2006, with all his remaining concerts being cancelled.[27]
On 3 July 2006, theRed Hot Chili Peppers played the Madejski Stadium as part of theirStadium Arcadium World Tour,[28] with a crowd of 28,000 turning up for the event.[29]
On 1 June 2013, the AllStarz Summer Party was held.JLS performed, with the headliner beingJessie J.[30]
The Madejski was selected as the venue for a charity friendly football match on 3 May 2006, featuring celebrities and football legends from England and Germany. The Match, namedEngland vs Germany: The Legends was held to raise money for the Bobby Moore Fund and theBritish Red Cross and to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of England winning the1966 World Cup. The German team won the match 4–2, in an exact reversal of the score from 1966, in front of a crowd of 20,000.[31]
The stadium is also the final venue for the Reading Senior Cup.[32]
Runners finishing theReading Half Marathon cross the finish line inside the stadium. The stadium is also used as a hub for pre- and post-event services e.g. public transport terminus and bag drop during the day of the event.
A match from the2000 Rugby League World Cup was also held here.
| Year | Date | Team 1 | Score | Team 2 | Attendance | Part of |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 2 November | New Zealand  | 84–10 |  Cook Islands | 3,982 | 2000 Rugby League World Cup Group 2 |
From February 2021 onwards, the stadium was used by theNHS as a mass vaccination centre as part of the nationwide vaccine rollout, at the height of theCOVID-19 pandemic.[33]
The highest attendance at the stadium was 24,184 (apparently exceeding the stadium's stated capacity) on 17 November 2012 for the Premier League game withEverton beating the previous record of 24,160 set on 16 September 2012 for the Premier League game withTottenham Hotspur. The highest attendance for a cup match at the stadium was 24,107 on 3 December 2003 for theFootball League Cup match withChelsea.[34]
| Opponent | Competition | Date | Attendance | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Everton | 2012–13 Premier League | 17 November 2012 | 24,184 | Stadium's stated capacity at the time was 24,242 |
| 2 | West Ham United | 2012–13 Premier League | 29 December 2012 | 24,183 | Stadium's stated capacity at the time was 24,242 |
| 3 | Tottenham Hotspur | 2012–13 Premier League | 16 September 2012 | 24,160 | |
| 4 | Manchester United | 2007–08 Premier League | 19 January 2008 | 24,134 | |
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur | 2007–08 Premier League | 3 May 2008 | 24,125 | |
| 6 | Aston Villa | 2006–07 Premier League | 10 February 2007 | 24,122 | |
| 7 | Liverpool | 2006–07 Premier League | 7 April 2007 | 24,121 | |
| 8 | Newcastle United | 2007–08 Premier League | 27 October 2007 | 24,119 | |
| 9 | Fulham | 2007–08 Premier League | 12 April 2008 | 24,112 | |
| 10 | Tottenham Hotspur | 2006–07 Premier League | 12 November 2006 | 24,110 | |
| 11 | Newcastle United | 2006–07 Premier League | 30 April 2007 | 24,109 | |
| 12 | Chelsea | 2003–04 Football League Cup | 3 December 2003 | 24,107 |
Notes
On Reading match days, the stadium is served by a network of special bus services provided byReading Buses andStagecoach Buses. Two of these (Reading Buses F1 and F2) provide regular shuttle services fromReading railway station and from a park and ride site at Shinfield Park respectively. Fourteen further Reading Bus services provide links from various Reading suburbs and nearby towns and villages, includingNewbury andHenley on Thames. Stagecoach services provide links fromBasingstoke,Farnborough,Wokingham andBracknell.[41][42]
When no matches are taking place, the stadium can be reached from Reading town centre using Reading BusesGreenwave services.[43][44]
The stadium is also close toReading Green Park railway station, which also serves the adjacentGreen Park Business Park. It is on theReading–Basingstoke line and opened in May 2023.[45] The new station is just under a 1-mile (1.6 km) walk from the stadium.
| History | |
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| Grounds |
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| People | |
| Related articles | |
