Reading are nicknamedThe Royals, due to Reading's location in theRoyal County of Berkshire, though they were previously known asThe Biscuitmen, due to the town's association with biscuit makerHuntley & Palmers. Established in 1871, the club is one of the oldest teams in England, but did not joinThe Football League until 1920, and first played in the top tier ofEnglish football league system in the2006–07 season. The club competed in the2012–13 Premier League season, having gained promotion at the end of the 2011–12 season after winning theChampionship, but were relegated after just one season back in the top flight.
Reading won the1987–88 Full Members' Cup and were one of only two Second Division clubs to lift the trophy, beatingLuton Town 4–1 in the final atWembley. The club's best performance in the FA Cup was reaching the semi-finals which they achieved twice: in1926–27 and2014–15.
The club played atElm Park for 102 years, from 1896 to 1998. In 1998, the club moved to the newMadejski Stadium, which was named after the club's former chairmanSir John Madejski. In 2021, the club announced that the ground would be known as the Select Car Leasing Stadium for the subsequent decade for sponsorship reasons.
The club holds the record for the number of successive league wins at the start of a season, with a total of 13 wins at the start of the1985–86 Third Division campaign and also the record for the highest number of points gained in a professional league season: 106 points in the2005–06 Football League Championship campaign. Reading then achieved their highest finish of eighth in the2006–07 Premier League, their first season as a top flight club.
Reading were formed on 25 December 1871, following a public meeting at the Bridge Street Rooms organised by Joseph Edward Sydenham, who would go on to be club secretary.[3][4] The early matches were played at Reading Recreation Ground, and later the club held fixtures at Reading Cricket Ground, Coley Park and Caversham Cricket Ground.[3] The switch to professionalism in 1895 resulted in the need for a bigger ground and, to this end, the club moved again, to the purpose-builtElm Park on 5 September 1896.[5] In 1913, Reading had a successful tour of Italy, prompting the leading sports newspaperCorriere della Sera to write, "Without doubt, Reading FC are the finest foreign team seen in Italy".[6]Attilio Fresia moved to Reading as a result of the tour, becoming the first Italian to play in English football.
The team from the 1926–27 season
Reading were elected to theFootball League Third Division South of theFootball League in 1920. The club were promoted to theSecond Division, following aThird Division South title win in1926. Reading's best performance in theFA Cup came in1926–27 when they lost to eventual winnersCardiff City at Wolverhampton in the semi-final, a placement the club would not match again until 2015, when they lost to holdersArsenal in the semi-final. The attendance at the 1–0 victory overBrentford in the fifth round set a new attendance record for Elm Park, at 33,042 people. This remains the highest attendance at a Reading home match. Reading lost their place inDivision Two in May 1931, and remained in Third Division South until the outbreak ofWorld War II. The club won the Southern Section Cup, beatingBristol City in the two-legged final in 1938, and when taking part in the regionalLondon War League andCup competitions, gained another honour by beating Brentford in theLondon War Cup Final of 1941 by 3–2 atStamford Bridge.
When League football resumed after the war, Reading quickly came to prominence once again. The club's record victory, 10–2 versusCrystal Palace, was recorded in September 1946, and Reading twice finished runners-up in the Third (South), in 1948–49 and 1951–52, but they were denied a return to Division Two as only the champions were promoted.[3] Reading were relegated to the fourth tier of English football for the first time in the1971–72 season. A return to the Third Division was achieved, following a third-placed finish in1975–76, but the club suffered immediate relegation. The1978–79 season saw Reading win the Fourth Division to win promotion back to the Third Division.
Relegation was suffered in1982–83. Towards the end of that season,Oxford United chairmanRobert Maxwell announced that he had completed a deal to merge Oxford and Reading into a single club –Thames Valley Royals. Maxwell claimed that both clubs were on the verge of bankruptcy and having a united team was required for the Thames Valley region to retain a Football League club. The proposed amalgamation was prevented by the actions of Roy Tranter, a Reading director, andRoger Smee, a former Reading player. Smee disputed the legitimacy of thecontrolling interest in Reading held by the three board members that supported the merger plan. Tranter launched a legal challenge to the sale of certain shares on 22 April 1983. The supporters of the plan allies resigned under pressure from the rest of the Reading board in May 1983. At an extraordinary shareholders' meeting in July, Smee took over the club to end the amalgamation plans.
The side's moment of cup glory came in 1988 when they won theSimod Cup, beating a number of top-flight sides en route to theirWembley win overLuton Town. Reading were promoted to the Second Division as champions in 1986 under the management ofIan Branfoot, but were relegated back to the Third Division in 1988.
The appointment ofMark McGhee as player-manager, shortly after the takeover byJohn Madejski, in 1991 saw Reading move forward.[7] They were crowned champions of the new Division Two in 1994. Thirty-five-year-old strikerJimmy Quinn was put in charge of the first team alongside midfielderMick Gooding and guided Reading to runners-up in the final Division One table – only to be denied automatic promotion because of the streamlining of the Premier League, from 22 teams to 20. In 1995, Reading had eased pastTranmere Rovers in theplay-off semi-finals and looked to have booked their place in thePremier League only to lose 4–3 againstBolton Wanderers in thefinal having been 2–0 up and missed a penalty at half-time. Quinn and Gooding's contracts were not renewed two years later after Reading had slid into the bottom half of Division One. Their successor,Terry Bullivant, lasted less than a season before being sacked in March 1998. Reading were relegated back to Division Two at the end of the 1997–98 season.
The last competitive match played atElm Park between Reading andNorwich City in May 1998
The year 1998 also saw Reading move into the new 24,200 all-seaterMadejski Stadium, named after chairman John Madejski.Tommy Burns had taken over from Terry Bullivant but lasted just 18 months before being replaced byAlan Pardew, who had previously been reserve team manager before being released. The club finished third in2000–01 qualifying for theplay-offs, losing 2–3 in thefinal againstWalsall at theMillennium Stadium in Cardiff.[8] Reading returned to Division One for2002–03 after finishing runners-up in Division Two. The following season, they finished fourth in Division One and qualified for theplay-offs, where they lost in the semi-final toWolverhampton Wanderers. Pardew moved toWest Ham United[9] the following October and was replaced bySteve Coppell.[10]
Rise to the Premier League and yo-yo years (2005–2013)
Reading won the2005–06 Championship with a league record 106 points, scoring 99 goals and losing only twice.[11] They were promoted to English football's top division for the first time in their history. The2006–07 season saw Reading make their first appearance in the top flight of English football. Reading defied pre-season predictions of relegation to finish the season in eighth place with 55 points.[12] Reading turned down the chance to play in theUEFA Intertoto Cup.[13] In the run up to their second season in the Premier League, Reading took part in the2007 Peace Cup in South Korea.[14] This second season was less successful, however, and Reading were relegated back to the Championship.[15]
Reading started the2008–09 season with a 15 match unbeaten home run. They finished fourth and qualify for theplay-offs,[16] where they lost toBurnley in the semi-final. Manager Steve Coppell resigned just hours after the game,[17] replaced byBrendan Rodgers.[18] Rodgers left the club by mutual consent on 16 December 2009 andBrian McDermott made caretaker manager the same day.[19] In the2010–11 FA Cup, Reading reached the quarter-final, where they lost 1–0 toManchester City atEtihad Stadium,[20] Reading eventually finished fifth in the Championship to qualify for the division'splay-offs.[21] After beating Cardiff City in the semi-finals, they lost 4–2 toSwansea City in thefinal atWembley.[22][23] In the2011–12 season, a streak of good form in the second half of the season, ensured promotion back to the Premier League on 17 April 2012 with 1–0 home win againstNottingham Forest.[24]
On 21 January 2012 it was reported that Madejski planned to relinquish control of the club by selling a 51% stake for £40 million to Thames Sports Investments, a Russian consortium headed byAnton Zingarevich.[25] As part of the deal, Madejski would continue as chairman before becoming honorary life president. Madejski's ownership of the club ended on 29 May 2012.[26]
McDermott led Reading to their first Premier League win of the2012–13 season on 17 November 2012 at their 11th attempt, defeatingEverton 2–1 at home.[27] On 11 March 2013, however, he left his position at Reading.[28]Nigel Adkins was then appointed as manager, though he was unable to save them from relegation after drawingQueens Park Rangers 0–0 on 28 April 2013 atLoftus Road.
The following season back in theChampionship saw Reading make two high-profile signings inWayne Bridge andRoyston Drenthe in hope of an immediate return to the Premier League. Reading, however, missed out on the playoffs because of a last minute winner fromBrighton & Hove Albion'sLeonardo Ulloa, which meant the Seagulls made the playoffs at Reading's expense.
The 2014–15 pre-season saw further arrivals ofJamie Mackie on loan,Oliver Norwood and the return ofSimon Cox. The club was under a high threat ofadministration, causing departures ofSean Morrison andAdam Le Fondre and a Thaiconsortium taking over the club.[29] A good start to Nigel Adkins' second season in charge was followed by a poor run of results that ended with his sacking after a 6–1 away defeat toBirmingham City withSteve Clarke taking over the next day in the hope of a promotion push. However, a lack of goals and some poor form in the league meant the club faced some fears of relegation to League One, but safety was secured with few games to spare. Nonetheless, during that time, the club embarked on a successful FA Cup journey, reaching the semi-final where they lost 2–1 to Arsenal at Wembley. Thefollowing season saw the club bring in many players in the hopes of gaining promotion, but the club finished 17th.
In the summer leading up to the2016–17 season the club announced the departure of Brian McDermott and eventually he was to be replaced by formerManchester United defenderJaap Stam.[30] Under Stam, Reading achieved their highest finish since relegation back to the Championship by finishing third and reaching the play-offs, where they beat Fulham on aggregate before facingHuddersfield Town in the final at Wembley where they lost on penalties following 0–0 draw after extra time. In 2017, Chinese investorsDai Yongge and Dai Xiu Li acquired the club.[31]
The team languished towards the bottom of the table for most of the2017–18 season. On 21 March 2018, Stam resigned as manager after a nine-game winless run.[32] Two days later, on 23 March 2018,Paul Clement was appointed as Reading's new manager; the club finished the season in 20th place, avoiding relegation by three points.[33]
Clement was sacked on 6 December 2018 after poor results left the club outside of the relegation zone only on goal difference.[34] He was replaced byJosé Gomes on 22 December, who steered the club away from relegation to finish 20th again.[35] However, after a slow start to the2019–20 season, Gomes was dismissed after less than a year in charge with the team in the relegation zone in October 2019.[36] Sporting directorMark Bowen was promoted to the role as his replacement a week later and led the team to finish 14th before departing the club in August 2020.[37]
Former Chicago Fire bossVeljko Paunović was appointed manager on 29 August 2020.[38] The team got off to an excellent start to the2020–21 season, winning seven of their first eight league games. However, the team's form faded after injuries to several key players and they eventually narrowly missed out of the play-offs, finishing seventh.
On 17 November 2021 it was confirmed Reading would be deducted six points due to breaching the EFL's profitability and sustainability rules.[39] Over five years, the club reported pre-tax losses of £146m, way beyond the EFL's limit of a £13m annual pre-tax loss. In 2021, the club spent 234% of its revenue on player wages.[40]
Following a 3–2 away victory overPreston North End in February 2022, manager Veljko Paunović left by mutual consent, withPaul Ince being placed in interim charge of the team alongside academy managerMichael Gilkes.[41] On 16 May, Ince became the team's permanent manager,[42] withMark Bowen returning as head of football operations.[43]
On 1 March 2023, the team was reported to be facing another six-point deduction for breaching profitability and sustainability rules.[44] The club accepted the penalty on 4 April 2023, enforced with immediate effect.[45] A week later, on 11 April, Ince left after a run of eight games without a win, leaving the club in 22nd place, one point from safety. Under-21 managerNoel Hunt was placed in interim charge until the end of the season.[46] The club was relegated from the Championship on 4 May 2023 after 10 years in thesecond tier.[47] Without the six point deduction, Reading would have finished on 50 points, escaping relegation.
League One struggles and club for sale (2023–present)
In June 2023, Reading were charged by the EFL with failing to pay their players on time and in full, in October and November 2022, and April 2023,[48] and with non-payment of taxes[49] - charges that meant Reading started their2023–24 League One season with a points deduction.[50] Following the EFL's action, Reading fans groups united to launch a campaign, Sell Before We Dai,[51] urging owner Dai Yongge to sell the club, calling his stewardship "an unmitigated disaster"[51] and citing the club's "excruciating financial losses".[52] On 28 July, the club was placed under another transfer embargo because of the unpaid taxes.[53] On 2 August, Dai Yongge was reported to be seeking new investors to bring financial stability to the club.[54]
Meanwhile, on 26 June 2023, Reading announced the provisional appointment ofRubén Sellés as their new manager,[55] confirmed on 14 July, after his visa application was successful.[56]
On 16 August 2023, after one win and two defeats in their opening three league fixtures, Reading had a point deducted (their third deduction in three consecutive seasons), and a further three-point deduction suspended, for its failures to pay players fully and on time during the2022–23 season. Dai Yongge was ordered to pay 125% of the club's forecast monthly wages into a designated account. Failure to comply, or not paying wages on time up to 30 June 2024, would activate the suspended penalty;[57] the three-point deduction was applied on 13 September,[58] and Dai Yongge faced a misconduct charge.[59]
On 13 January 2024, Reading's match againstPort Vale was abandoned after home fans invaded the pitch to protest about Yongge's ownership of the club.[60][61]
On 27 February 2024, Reading received their second points deduction of the season, being docked two more points by the EFL after failing to make HMRC payments within an 80-day limit. The deduction left the club three points above the relegation places. At the end of April 2024, the club finished the League One season in 17th position.[62] The ongoing financial difficulties caused the women's team to withdraw from the Women's Championship on 30 June.[63] An attempted takeover by former Wycombe Wanderers owner Rob Couhig collapsed in September 2024,[64] a bid by former Reading chairman Roger Smee ended in December 2024,[65] and negotiations over another (unnamed) takeover bid expired in February 2025.[66] In late February 2025, local MPYuan Yang backed a supporters' group petition calling for an inquiry into the club's governance since May 2012,[67][68] while the club entered into exclusive talks with another potential buyer.[69]
In March 2025, Yongge was given until 4 April 2025 to sell the club after the EFL disqualified him under its Owners' and Directors' Test.[70]
A change from 1965 to 1969 saw Reading wear sky blue.[71]
The first crest to appear on a Readingkit was in 1953, it featured just the letter "R". There was no crest seen again until 1981 when there was a crest featuring three elm trees and the riversThames andKennet; this only lasted two seasons. From 1987 to 1996 the crest used the new kit colours of yellow, sky blue, royal blue and white.[71] A brief return to a design based on the 1981 crest was reintroduced for the 1996–97 and 1997–98 seasons. Commenting on the need for a new crest to coincide with the move to the Madejski Stadium, as well as moving into the new millennium, Sir John Madejski said: "I know some traditionalists will say we should keep the old badge but they should bear in mind the need to move forward."[72] The current crest was first seen on the kits for the1998–99 season.[71] It is based on the club colours—blue and white—and includes a crown to represent the Royal County of Berkshire and theMaiwand Lion to represent Reading.[73]
The club's home kit for the2022–23 season sawUniversity of Reading'sEd Hawkins' stripe design included on the sleeves with the stripes representing the average temperature for a single year since Reading's foundation to raise awareness for climate change, the shirt itself being made of recycled plastic bottles.[74][75]
The club played at Reading Recreation Ground until 1878, before moving on to Reading Cricket Ground (1878–1882),Coley Park (1882–1889) andCaversham Cricket Ground (1889–1896).
Elm Park was Reading's stadium for 102 years, pictured here in 1981.
In 1889, Reading were unable to continue playing at Coley Park as W B Monck (the localsquire) no longer allowed football due to "rowdyism [by] the rougher elements".[76] With club membership exceeding 300 by the time the club went professional in 1895, Reading required a proper ground. A meeting the following year determined that funding would be difficult.[76] £20 was donated by J C Fidler, on the proviso that "no liquors were to be sold" on site.[76] The rest of the cost was financed through donations by wealthy supporters, as well as one large individual donation.[77] A formergravel pit inWest Reading was identified as the site.[78] The first game at Elm Park was held on 5 September 1896 between Reading andA Roston Bourke's XI. The visitors were ascratch team from Holloway College.[79] £44 was taken on the gate, with an attendance of approximately 2,500.[77]
In 1908, the club'sannual general meeting proposed moving to a new ground nearReading railway station. A board meeting the following year decided that the move would not be possible, as "there was no chance of a move to the ground near to theGWR railway stations due to the actions of the Great Western Railway".[79]
In 1994, theTaylor Report made anall-seater stadium compulsory in the top two divisions (the Premier League and the first division). Reading were champions of thesecond division in 1994, and were promoted to the first division. Reading became subject to the Taylor requirements, though converting Elm Park to an all-seater stadium would have been impractical.[79] Instead, a location in Smallmead (to the south of the town) was identified as the site for a new stadium.[79] The former council landfill site was bought for £1, with further conditions that the development of the stadium would include part-funding of theA33 relief road.[80] Expansion of the club's home would also allow alternative commercial ventures (particularly leisure facilities) and shared use with other teams (such asrugby union clubsRichmond andLondon Irish).[80] The last competitive match at Elm Park took place on 3 May 1998 againstNorwich City, with Reading losing 1–0.[81] Reading began the1998–99 season at theMadejski Stadium.[79] It was opened on 22 August 1998 whenLuton Town were beaten 3–0.[82] The stadium cost more than £50 million to build.[83] 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 their intention, in October 2006,[84] 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.[85] On 24 May 2007, it was announced that planning permission had been granted to extend the stadium to a capacity of 36,900.[86]
On 5 July 2016, at the end ofEamonn Dolan's funeral, Reading announced that the North Stand would be renamed the Eamonn Dolan Stand.[87]
During the 2019–20 season Reading moved to a new training ground at Bearwood Golf Club to replace Hogwood Park, their previous training facility.[88] In March 2024, owner Dai Yongge agreed to sell the Bearwood Park training ground to Wycombe Wanderers, claiming it was necessary to fund the club's short-term future while trying to sell the club.[89]
In July 2021, at the beginning of the club's 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.[90]
Since 2023, Graham Griffin has been acting as the Stadium Manager.[91]
In 1930, the Reading Football Supporters’ Club (RFSC) was formed to represent the interests of supporters of the club and to assist in raising funds for the football club. On 18 March 2002, the Supporters' Trust at Reading become the official successor to the RFSC.
In 2001, Reading became the first football club to register their fans as an official member of their squad, giving the "player" registered with squad number 13 as 'Reading Fans'.[92][93]
For the2015–16 season, Reading had 12,983 season ticket holders – ranked 10th in theChampionship and almost identical to formerleague championsLeeds United. The figure for that season was greater than the 12,552 recorded in the previous season, but down from the2013–14 Championship peak of 14,547.[94] The average attendance for the 2015–16 season was 17,570 – the 10th highest in the Championship.[95][96]
Before going out of business in 1992,Aldershot were Reading's biggest rivals.[97][98] Aldershot were, geographically, the closestFootball League club to Reading.[99] There was a strong rift between the two sets of fans, with fighting between fans occurring on several occasions. Strong feelings remain between fans of Reading and fans ofAldershot Town, the refounded club inAldershot. Aldershot Town were promoted into theFootball League in 2008, but the clubs haven't met in a competitive match since the demise of the original club. Aldershot were relegated out of the league in 2013, having entered administration, reducing the chances of a competitive meeting between the two sides in the near future.[100]
Since Aldershot's exile, Reading's main local rivalries have been withOxford United andSwindon Town. When the three teams had shared a division, their rivalry was referred to as the "Didcot Triangle".[101][102][103][104][105][106][107] However, the rivalry between Oxford and Swindon is stronger than between either of the two and Reading, largely due to them both spending their recent history in lower divisions than Reading, and spending their previous history in higher divisions than Reading.[108] In 2012, a small survey showed that Reading's main rivals were Aldershot Town, followed by Swindon Town andOxford United.[109]
During the2013–14 season and2014–15 season theMarussia F1 logo was on the back of the shirts as part of a sponsorship deal between former Russian ownerAnton Zingarevich and Russian ownedMarussia F1. This deal continued until the team entered administration in October 2014. The sponsorship deal ended despite the team surviving and racing in the2015 Formula One season. During the2015–16 season,Waitrose was on the back of the home shirt whilst Euro Cake was on the back of the away shirt, meanwhile Legend Alliance sponsored the shorts for the season.Waitrose and Euro Cake sponsored the home and away kits respectively again for the2016–17 season.Cherwell Software took sponsorship of the back of the home shirt for the2017–18 season while Euro Cake sponsored the back of the away shirt again for the third consecutive season. Reading confirmed Singaporean international financial technology firm and digital wallet specialist Rapidz as its ‘Back of Shirt’ sponsor for 2020–23.[117]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
The regular starting line-up of the 2005/06 Coca-Cola Championship winning team, who finished the season with a record 106 points.[129]
Reading hold the record for the number of successive league wins at the start of a season, with a total of 13 wins at the start of the1985–86 Third Division campaign[121] and also the record for the number of points gained in a professional league season with 106 points in the2005–06 Football League Championship campaign.[130] Reading finished champions of their division on both of these occasions.[121][131]
The club's largest win was a 10–2 victory overCrystal Palace on 4 September 1946 in the Football League Third Division South.[121] Reading's heaviest loss was an 18–0 defeat againstPreston North End in the FA Cup 1st round on 27 January 1894.[121] Reading have lost the two highest-scoring matches in the history of the Premier League;Portsmouth 7–4 Reading on 29 September 2007, andTottenham Hotspur 6–4 Reading on 29 December 2007, as well as losing the highest-scoring League Cup game, Reading 5–7 Arsenal on 30 October 2012.
The player with the most league appearances isMartin Hicks, with 500 from 1978 to 1991.[121] The most capped player to play for Reading is Chris Gunter, who has currently won 62 caps for Wales since being a Reading player since July 2012. The most league goals in total and in a season are held byRonnie Blackman with 158 from 1947 to 1954 and 39 in1951–52 respectively.[121] The player with the most league goals in a game isArthur Bacon with six againstStoke City in1930–31.[121] The first Reading-based player to play in theFIFA World Cup wasBobby Convey in 2006 with theUnited States.[121] The record time for a goalkeeper not conceding a goal is held bySteve Death at 1,103 minutes in1978–79, which is a former English league record in itself.[132]
Reading's highest attendance at Elm Park was in 1927, when 33,042 spectators watched Reading defeatBrentford 1–0.[133] The highest attendance at the Madejski Stadium is 24,184 for the Premier League game with Everton on 17 November 2012.
In May 2006, Reading launched theReading FC Women's team. They used to play in the FA Premier League Southern Division. From 2014, Reading FC Women played in theFA Women's Super League 2 until they won promotion to theFA Women's Super League 1 in 2015 after winning the league. In the2017–18 season, they finished fourth in the Women's Super League – their highest league position to date.[138] The team currently plays at theSelect Car Leasing Stadium.[139] It was announced Reading FC Women would switch to operating on a part-time basis ahead of the 2023–24 season.[140] On 30 June 2024, Reading FC Women withdrew from the Women's Championship due to financial difficulties, dropping to Tier 5 of the women's football pyramid.[141]
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