Club Profile
Reading
A fun day out from London or a good arrival-day trip from Heathrow, Reading is a pleasant town with an attractive downtown and a nice stadium. Shame about their club at the moment.
LOCATION: Thirty minutes west by train from Paddington station in London or about 45 minutes by bus from Heathrow Airport
CONTACT: readingfc.co.uk, 0118 968 1100, #ReadingFC
NICKNAMES: The Royals, because they are in the Royal County of Berkshire. Until the 1970s they were called the Biscuitmen because a famous biscuit (cookie) company was founded there. Sadly, they changed their nickname when the company moved away.
History
Here is a club that, from 1920 to the mid-1980s, spent all but a handful of seasons—and those were in the late ’20s—in the third tier. So the whole idea of Reading being a thing in English soccer is relatively new. In fact, they never made the top division until 2006, some 135 years after their founding. Their promotion season, 2005–06, is one…
You can learn more about the club's history, rivalries, women's team, songs and stadium, and get our best tips for seeing a game at Reading, by purchasing a one year Ultras membership. Find out more here.
Rivalries
They used to have a thing with nearby Aldershot Town, but that club went out of business, and the current phoenix version of that team is down in the National League, two levels below the Royals. Reading has had to settle for disliking Swindon Town, Wycombe Wanderers, and Oxford, the latter in part because of a bizarre plan the two sets of owners…
You can learn more about the club's history, rivalries, women's team, songs and stadium, and get our best tips for seeing a game at Reading, by purchasing a one year Ultras membership. Find out more here.
Women's Team
Reading FC Women are in the 2nd tier of women’s football, the Women’s Championship. They were relegated from the Women’s Super League after finishing the 2022-23 season in last place (12th). Home games are at Madejski Stadium, which they share with the men’s
You can learn more about the club's history, rivalries, women's team, songs and stadium, and get our best tips for seeing a game at Reading, by purchasing a one year Ultras membership. Find out more here.
Songs
They seem fond of “Sweet Caroline,” and they have a funny one that says: “We’re not Real Madrid / We’re not Barcelona / We are Reading FC / Madejski is our
You can learn more about the club's history, rivalries, women's team, songs and stadium, and get our best tips for seeing a game at Reading, by purchasing a one year Ultras membership. Find out more here.
Stadium
Madejski Stadium, Reading’s home since 1998, is named for a former owner, a local businessman who got them to the top division and largely paid for the construction. Here’s Wikipedia on what it’s like: “It is an all-seater bowl stadium with a capacity of 24,161 and is located close to the M4 motorway. It is built on the site of a former household…
You can learn more about the club's history, rivalries, women's team, songs and stadium, and get our best tips for seeing a game at Reading, by purchasing a one year Ultras membership. Find out more here.
Going to a Game at Reading
GETTING THERE: It’s three miles out from the train station, but there is a bus called the Football Express that runs to the stadium for £4 round trip. To find it, head right when you leave the station and walk across a big new courtyard to a turnaround where the buses line up. PUBS: As you might have guessed, there is nothing out by the stadium,…
You can learn more about the club's history, rivalries, women's team, songs and stadium, and get our best tips for seeing a game at Reading, by purchasing a one year Ultras membership. Find out more here.
Reading Tickets
Tickets range from £23 to £29 and, unless they draw somebody big in a Cup, can be bought on the day.
Photo Gallery
