Reading Football Club
Reading Football Club are an association football club, based in the English town of Reading, in Berkshire. They currently play in the FA Premier League. When Reading gained promotion to the Premier League, on 25 March 2006, they achieved promotion to the top flight earlier in the season than any other post-war side. It was also the first time Reading had reached the top division in their history.
They are nicknamed the Royals, due to Reading's location in the Royal County of Berkshire. Reading's mascot is a lion called Kingsley Royal.
Reading supporters are represented by STAR, the Supporters Trust At Reading.
In the club's first Premiership game Reading found themselves down 2-0 inside the first twenty minutes to Middlesbrough, but in a stunning turnaround the Royals turned the game around and won 3-2. Striker Dave Kitson became the first player to score for Reading in the top flight of football.
While it is commonplace for teams who get promoted to the Premiership to experience a one-and-done season before being relegated, Reading have distanced themselves from that curse thus far, proving themselves more than worthy opposition for any team in the division. They notched up four wins and a draw from the opening nine fixtures including a draw against Manchester Utd and a narrow defeat to defending champions Chelsea, leading many commentators to change their opinion of the Premiership's newest member. They have since gone on to rise up the league even more and have beaten established teams, such as West Ham, Tottenham and Fulham. They are currently 8th in the premiership and Kevin Doyle is on fire in of goal, having already scored 7 goals this season.
| Posted by SiteAdmin | Fancy writing a match report for this page? Contact the admin team here
Ticket Infomation
All of Readings home games this season have been sell outs. Great for the clubs coffers not so great if you dont have a ticket. We have teamed up with My Ticket Market who will be able to offer tickets for home and away games. Click their link below for details.
Find Us
From the North join the M4 or take the A34 from Oxford. From all directions turn off the M4 at junction 11, and head along the A33 towards Reading.
If you're coming from the South then take the A33 which runs North into Reading. In the summer of 1999 the new A33 relief was, at last, completed - which means in a matter of minutes (well less than the hour it took when the stadium first opened) you'll find yourself driving straight towards the stadium. The A33 runs right past the ground so you can't go wrong.
If you're coming from the M4 direction just keep in the left hand lane and when you hit the ground take the first left up the hill if you're parking at the ground. Click on the map on the right for a bigger map. For available car parking information see below - the official car park at the stadium is usually sold out in advance.
By Train
Get the train to Reading Main station. Reading Station is on a large number of cross country routes, so it's easy enough. You're unlikely to, but make sure you don't get off at Reading West. Then catch the number 79 bus from the station to the ground. Buses go directly from the station from the bus stops diagonally opposite the main entrance. After the game there will be a large queue down the hill (town side) for the 79 shuttle bus back to town. You can book train tickets Here
By Bus
By Bus - After catching the train or finding yourself in the town centre for some reason your best bet is to catch the number 79 "Football Special" bus from outside the main railway station. If you walk out of the main entrance you'll see buses leaving from just along opposite the road entrance to the Three Guineas Station pub. Number 79 buses run every 15 minutes from a couple of hours before the kick-off and take roughly 15 minutes to get to the ground. The number 79 bus service is shared between home and away fans travelling to and from the ground from town. The return journey leaves frequently after the final whistle from the layby down the hill away from the North side of the ground.
By Taxi
By Taxi - If you're running a bit late for a bus then Taxis leave from immediately outside the main entrance of the station (opposite the Three Guineas pub) and will cost a bit short of a tenner to get you to the ground. Whatever, you'll need to make sure you're on your way out of the town centre at least half an hour before kick-off or you'll miss the start for certain!
Fixtures
Fixtures can be viewed on the BBC website here
Parking
Official Car Park
The official car park at the stadium is often sold out in advance of the game thanks to car park season tickets and pre-paid vouchers. Although it's possible to get a space - you're not likely to. It's best to avoid the official car park and head to one of the other sign-posted alternatives. £5.
Speedway track car park
The speedway/greyhound car park is right next to ground, nearer to town. If you're coming form the motorway junction then just drive past the ground and you'll see this on your immediate left. This car park is your best option if you've arrived with an hour or so to go before kick-off. However it fills up quickly! The car park is cunningly signposted "Reading Stadium". This is the official Reading Stadium as it was here years before the Madejski was built. £5. Best bet for early arrivals.
Foster Wheeler Park and Ride
There are 500 spaces if you don't mind parking and then catching a bus from outside the town. Follow the B3270 (signposted Earley from the Junction 11 roundabout). This car park isn't always open (ie. for the smaller midweek games) - you are advised to check with the club on 0118 968 1100 before heading off down this road. Fine if you don't want to chance the other car parks and have a bit of spare time. Cheap too.
Other Options
Most of the home fans will park in the surrounding area and walk anything up to half an hour to avoid getting stuck in the traffic. Fine if you know the spots but slightly trickier for away fans. Perhaps the best solution is to park somewhere in town (plenty of multi-storey car parks in the town centre) and get the number 79 bus from the station (see above). You can park at the railway station, or Gerrards Street car park in the town centre is also near the bus stop. The problem here is that town centre car parks are at least a pound an hour, so can be costly. It's also possible to park on the other side of the M4 (ie. not town side) if you don't mind a half hour walk. Our suggestion would be to find one of the pubs out this way and perhaps get some food and beer in exchange for a car park space. Finally, an alternative is to make a purchase from one of the big superstores on the surrounding industrial estates (B&Q is right next to the ground).
Travel information taken with kind permission from www.royals.org