Reading Football Club — 1871, the Royals, Select Car Leasing Stadium
Reading Football Club, founded on Christmas Day 1871, is one of the oldest football clubs in England. The Royals play at the Select Car Leasing Stadium (originally the Madejski Stadium) in Reading, Berkshire, and famously won the 2005-06 Championship with a record 106 points.
Reading Football Club — universally known as the Royals — was founded on 25 December 1871 in Reading, Berkshire. The 1871 founding makes Reading one of the oldest football clubs in England, predating the Football Association's foundation by only eight years. The club plays at the Select Car Leasing Stadium (capacity 24,161) — originally and still informally known as the Madejski Stadium after long-serving chairman Sir John Madejski. Reading's defining modern achievement is the 2005-06 Championship, won with a record 106 points that has never been bettered in second-tier English football.
Where is Reading Football Club
Reading play their home matches at the Select Car Leasing Stadium off Junction 11 of the M4 in Reading, Berkshire (RG2 0FL). The ground sits about three miles south of Reading town centre, accessible by shuttle bus from Reading railway station on match days.
The stadium opened in 1998 as the Madejski Stadium, named after the Sir John Madejski who chaired the club from 1990 to 2012 and funded the move from the historic Elm Park (Reading's home from 1896 to 1998). The naming rights changed to Select Car Leasing in 2021. Capacity is 24,161.
Select Car Leasing Stadium (formerly Madejski Stadium) · capacity 24,161 · opened 1998 · replaced Elm Park after 102 years.
A Christmas Day 1871 founding
Reading FC was founded on 25 December 1871 at a meeting at the Bridge Street Rooms in Reading, called by Joseph Edward Sydenham. The choice of Christmas Day — a public holiday for businessmen and clerks who wanted to formalise the club outside working hours — was unusual but not unique among Victorian English football clubs.
Reading is one of the oldest football clubs in England, predating the FA Cup (1871-72) by only a few months. The club joined the Southern League in 1894, won three Southern League titles, and was elected to the Football League's Third Division in 1920 as part of the same Southern League merger that brought Southampton and others into the Football League system.
The 2005-06 Championship — record 106 points
Reading's defining modern achievement is the 2005-06 Championship season. Under manager Steve Coppell, the Royals won 31 of 46 matches and accumulated 106 points — a record for second-tier English football that has never been bettered. Coppell's squad — Marcus Hahnemann, Ivar Ingimarsson, Glen Little, Steve Sidwell, Stephen Hunt, Dave Kitson, Kevin Doyle, Leroy Lita, Bobby Convey — won promotion to the Premier League for the first time in the club's history.
The 2005-06 record has special status because it was set with the modern 3-points-for-a-win scoring system across a 46-game Championship season. The previous benchmark — Sunderland's 105 points in 1998-99 — was the only other 100+ point Championship season at the time. Reading reached 106 on the second-to-last matchday, then beat QPR 1-0 on the final day for the historic round number.
The first Premier League season (2006-07) was equally remarkable: Reading finished 8th — at the time the highest-ever Premier League finish for a newly promoted club from outside the traditional top six.
Honours and notable history
Reading's major honours and distinctions:
- Football League Championship champions — 2005-06 (record 106 points).
- Football League Championship play-off winners — 2012.
- Football League First Division (Championship) champions — 1925-26 (under the old Third Division South structure, technically a tier-three title at the time).
- Football League Second Division champions — 1985-86 (under Ian Branfoot).
- Football League Third Division South champions — 1925-26.
- Simod Cup — 1: 1987-88.
- Highest Premier League finish — 8th (2006-07), the best-ever finish for a newly promoted club outside the traditional top six at the time.
- Founded on Christmas Day 1871 — one of the oldest football clubs in England.
- Steve Coppell era — manager 2003-2009, the most successful period in the club's history.
How to visit the Select Car Leasing Stadium
Three practical visit tips:
- Train + bus. Reading railway station is the closest mainline; match-day shuttle buses run from outside the station to the ground. Driving from M4 J11 is direct but match-day traffic is heavy.
- Match-day demand. Championship attendances run 12-18k typically; sell-outs are rare except for promotion-pushing fixtures. The South Stand is the supporter-singing block.
- Stadium tours. Self-guided and guided tours cover the home and away dressing rooms, the press conference room, and the John Madejski memorabilia display. Book via readingfc.co.uk.
Frequently asked questions
- Where is Reading Football Club based?
- Reading Football Club plays at the Select Car Leasing Stadium (formerly and still informally the Madejski Stadium) off Junction 11 of the M4 in Reading, Berkshire (RG2 0FL). The ground opened in 1998 and replaced the historic Elm Park, Reading's home from 1896 to 1998. Capacity is 24,161. The stadium is about three miles south of Reading town centre; match-day shuttle buses run from Reading railway station.
- When was Reading Football Club founded?
- Reading FC was founded on Christmas Day, 25 December 1871, at a meeting at the Bridge Street Rooms in Reading. Joseph Edward Sydenham called the founding meeting. The Christmas Day founding date is unusual — chosen because Christmas was a public holiday for the businessmen and clerks who wanted to formalise the club outside working hours. Reading is one of the oldest football clubs in England, predating the FA Cup competition by only a few months.
- Why is the Reading FC ground called the Madejski Stadium?
- The ground was originally named the Madejski Stadium after Sir John Madejski, who chaired Reading FC from 1990 to 2012. Madejski funded the move from the historic Elm Park to the new stadium in 1998 and was knighted in 2009 for services to publishing, charity, and sport. The naming rights changed to Select Car Leasing in 2021, but supporters still widely use the Madejski name. The address remains on Madejski Avenue.
- What is the 2005-06 Championship record?
- Reading won the 2005-06 Football League Championship with 106 points — a record for second-tier English football that has never been bettered. Under manager Steve Coppell, the Royals won 31 of 46 matches. The record stands under the modern 3-points-for-a-win system. The previous benchmark — Sunderland's 105 points in 1998-99 — was the only other 100+ point Championship season at the time. Reading reached 106 with a 1-0 win over QPR on the final day.
References
- Reading FC — Official Site — Reading FC
- EFL — Reading — EFL
- BBC Sport — Reading — BBC Sport
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