The Early Days

Reading Football Club was formed in 1871, when the inaugural meeting of the club was held at the Bridge Street Rooms under the chairmanship of Mr JE Sydenham, who later became the first Honorary Secretary of the club.

The early matches were played at Reading Recreation Ground, and the club later fulfilled its fixtures at Reading Cricket Ground, Coley Park and Caversham Cricket Ground before moving to Elm Park on 5th September 1896 and then to the Madejski Stadium in 1998.

In those days the club played only friendly and cup matches. Reading were the first winners of the Berks and Bucks Senior Cup, defeating Marlow in the final of the 1877-78 competition.

They also appeared in the FA Cup competition, and the club's record defeat occurred as long ago as 1894, when they were beaten 18-0 by Preston North End in the first round.

That same year, 1894, Reading became founder members of the Southern League, formed to answer the demand for a regular fixture list, and in order to improve its playing standards, the club adopted professionalism in 1895.

Madejski Stadium

Madejski Stadium was opened on in August 1998 at a total cost of more than £50m.

The high-class Royal Berkshire Conference Centre and the Millennium Madejski Hotel, as well as the £1m Indoor Training Centre all add up to an impressive facility for Reading Football Club, a highly ambitious club headed by multi-millionaire Chairman John Madejski.

On the pitch, it didn't start as plain sailing and the Club's early days at Madejski Stadium were spent in Division Two. But since 1999, the Royals have enjoyed a dramatic upturn in fortunes - gaining promotion to Division One in 2002 and reaching the Premiership in 2006.

The magnificent playing arena has won high praise from sports fans all around the world, as has been named Europe's Best Mid-Sized Arena by American TV Sports Channel ESPN.

The stadium staged its first international sporting event in September 1999, when England's under 21 side gave minnows Luxembourg a 5-0 thumping in front of a crowd approaching 20,000. Since then, Reading has played host to more under 21 internationals as well as a memorable under 20 fixture against Germany in February, when local boy Nathan Tyson capped a memorable debut with two stunning strikes to give England victory.