Reading F.C. facts for kids
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| Full name | Reading Football Club | |||
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| Nickname(s) | The Royals The Ding The Biscuitmen (Historic) |
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| Founded | 25 December 1871 | |||
| Ground | Madejski Stadium | |||
| Capacity | 24,161 | |||
| Owner | Dai Yongge | |||
| Head coach | Rubén Sellés | |||
| League | Championship | |||
| 2018–19 | Championship, 20th of 24 | |||
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Reading Football Club is a professional football team from Reading, Berkshire, England. They play in EFL League One, which is the third level of English football. Their home stadium is called the Select Car Leasing Stadium.
Reading is known as The Royals because they are located in the Royal County of Berkshire. Before that, they were called The Biscuitmen because of the famous biscuit factory Huntley & Palmers in their town. The club started in 1871, making it one of England's oldest teams. However, they didn't join The Football League until 1920.
They first played in the top league in the 2006–07 season. Reading also played in the 2012–13 Premier League after winning the EFL Championship in 2011–12. But they were relegated after just one season.
Reading won the 1987–88 Full Members' Cup, beating Luton Town 4–1 at Wembley. Their best performance in the FA Cup was reaching the semi-finals twice, in 1926–27 and 2014–15.
The club played at Elm Park for 102 years, from 1896 to 1998. In 1998, they moved to the new Madejski Stadium, named after former chairman Sir John Madejski. In 2021, the stadium was renamed the Select Car Leasing Stadium for sponsorship reasons.
Reading holds a record for winning 13 league games in a row at the start of the 1985–86 season. They also hold the record for the most points in a professional league season, with 106 points in the 2005–06 Football League Championship season. Their highest finish ever was eighth place in the 2006–07 Premier League.
Contents
Club History: From Formation to Today
Early Years and Growth (1871–1991)
Reading Football Club was started on December 25, 1871. Joseph Edward Sydenham organized a public meeting to form the club. Early games were played at different local grounds. In 1895, the club became professional, meaning players were paid. This led to a need for a bigger stadium.
On September 5, 1896, Reading moved to their new, specially built stadium, Elm Park. In 1913, Reading had a successful trip to Italy. A big sports newspaper there, Corriere della Sera, called them "the finest foreign team seen in Italy."
Reading joined the Football League Third Division South in 1920. Their best FA Cup run happened in 1926–27. They lost to Cardiff City in the semi-final. They reached the semi-finals again in 2015, losing to Arsenal.
Reading was relegated from Division Two in 1931. They stayed in the Third Division South until World War II. The club won the Southern Section Cup in 1938. During the war, they also won the London War Cup in 1941.
After the war, Reading became strong again. In September 1946, they had their biggest win ever, beating Crystal Palace 10–2. They finished second in the Third (South) twice, but only the champions were promoted. In 1988, Reading won the Simod Cup at Wembley, beating Luton Town. They were promoted to the Second Division in 1986 but went back down in 1988.
Moving Up (1991–2005)
When John Madejski took over the club in 1991, things started to change. Mark McGhee became player-manager and helped the team improve. Reading became champions of the new Division Two in 1994.
In 1995, Reading almost made it to the Premier League. They beat Tranmere Rovers in the play-off semi-finals. But they lost 4–3 to Bolton Wanderers in the final, even after being 2–0 up.
In 1998, Reading moved to their new, modern stadium, the Madejski Stadium. This stadium has 24,200 seats. The club was relegated back to Division Two at the end of the 1997–98 season.
Under manager Alan Pardew, Reading finished third in 2000–01. They reached the play-off final but lost to Walsall. Reading returned to Division One in 2002–03. The next season, they finished fourth and made the play-offs again, but lost to Wolverhampton Wanderers. Steve Coppell became manager in 2004.
Reaching the Premier League (2005–2013)
Reading had an amazing season in 2005–06. They won the Championship with a record 106 points, scoring 99 goals and losing only twice. This meant they were promoted to England's top football division for the first time ever!
In their first top-flight season, 2006–07, Reading surprised everyone. They finished in eighth place, which was a great achievement. However, in their second Premier League season, they were relegated back to the Championship.
In the 2008–09 season, Reading had a 15-game unbeaten run at home. They finished fourth and reached the play-offs but lost to Burnley. Manager Steve Coppell resigned and Brendan Rodgers took over. Later, Brian McDermott became manager.
In the 2010–11 FA Cup, Reading reached the quarter-finals. They also made it to the Championship play-off final in 2011 but lost to Swansea City at Wembley. In the 2011–12 season, Reading had a fantastic run and were promoted back to the Premier League.
In 2012, Anton Zingarevich bought a majority stake in the club from Sir John Madejski. Reading won their first Premier League game of the 2012–13 season in November 2012. However, manager Brian McDermott left in March 2013. Nigel Adkins took over, but the team was relegated from the Premier League.
Back in the Championship and Recent Challenges (2013–Present)
After relegation, Reading tried to get back to the Premier League. They signed players like Wayne Bridge and Royston Drenthe. But they missed out on the play-offs in the last minute of the season.
In 2014, a group of Thai investors took over the club. Manager Nigel Adkins was replaced by Steve Clarke. Reading had a tough time in the league, but they had a great FA Cup run. They reached the semi-final again, losing to Arsenal at Wembley.
In 2016, Jaap Stam became manager. He led Reading to a third-place finish in the Championship. They reached the play-off final at Wembley but lost on penalties to Huddersfield Town. In 2017, Chinese investors Dai Yongge and Dai Xiu Li bought the club.
The team struggled in the 2017–18 season. Jaap Stam resigned and Paul Clement became manager. Reading avoided relegation by just three points. Clement was later replaced by José Gomes, who also helped the club avoid relegation.
In recent years, Reading has faced financial difficulties. In 2021, they were deducted six points for breaking the league's financial rules. This meant they had spent too much money compared to their income. Manager Veljko Paunović left in February 2022, and Paul Ince took over.
In March 2023, Reading faced another six-point deduction for financial rule breaches. This made it very hard for them to stay in the Championship. Paul Ince left, and Noel Hunt became interim manager. On May 4, 2023, Reading was relegated from the Championship after 10 years. Without the points deductions, they would have stayed up.
In June 2023, Reading was charged again for not paying players and taxes on time. Fans started a campaign called "Sell Before We Dai" to urge owner Dai Yongge to sell the club. Rubén Sellés was appointed as the new manager.
In August 2023, Reading had another point deducted, their third in three seasons. This was for not paying players fully and on time. In January 2024, a match against Port Vale was stopped because fans protested against the owner. In February 2024, Reading received two more points deductions. The club finished 17th in League One in April 2024. Due to financial problems, the women's team also had to stop playing in the Women's Championship.
Club Badge and Kit Colours
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The first badge on a Reading kit appeared in 1953, showing just the letter "R". A new badge in 1981 featured three elm trees and the rivers Thames and Kennet.
The current club badge was first used in the 1998–99 season. It uses the club's main colours, blue and white. It also includes a crown to show that Reading is in the Royal County of Berkshire. The Maiwand Lion is also on the badge, representing the town of Reading.
For the 2022–23 season, the club's home kit had special stripes on the sleeves. These stripes, designed by University of Reading's Ed Hawkins, showed the average temperature each year since the club started. This was to help raise awareness about climate change. The shirt itself was made from recycled plastic bottles.
Home Stadiums
Reading Football Club has played at several different grounds over the years. They started at Reading Recreation Ground. Then they moved to Reading Cricket Ground, Coley Park, and Caversham Cricket Ground.
In 1896, the club needed a proper home. They found a former gravel pit in West Reading and built Elm Park. The first game there was on September 5, 1896, with about 2,500 fans watching. Elm Park was Reading's home for 102 years.
In 1994, new rules meant that all stadiums in the top two divisions had to have seats for everyone. Converting Elm Park would have been too difficult. So, the club decided to build a new stadium in Smallmead, south of the town.
The last game at Elm Park was on May 3, 1998. Reading then moved to the Madejski Stadium for the 1998–99 season. The stadium opened on August 22, 1998, and cost over £50 million to build.
When Reading reached the Premier League in 2006–07, the stadium was often full. The club planned to expand it to hold between 37,000 and 38,000 seats. Planning permission was given in 2007 to expand to 36,900 seats.
In 2016, the North Stand was renamed the Eamonn Dolan Stand to honour a former coach. In July 2021, the Madejski Stadium was renamed the Select Car Leasing Stadium for ten years. The East Stand was renamed The Sir John Madejski Stand to honour the former chairman.
Club Supporters
The Reading Football Supporters’ Club (RFSC) was formed in 1930 to represent fans and help raise money for the club. In 2002, the Supporters' Trust at Reading took over this role.
In 2001, Reading became the first football club to register their fans as an official member of their squad. They gave the squad number 13 to 'Reading Fans'.
For the 2015–16 season, Reading had almost 13,000 season ticket holders. The average attendance for that season was over 17,500 fans.
Rival Teams
Before they went out of business in 1992, Aldershot used to be Reading's biggest rivals. There were often strong feelings between the fans. Even though the original Aldershot club no longer exists, there's still a rivalry with the new club, Aldershot Town.
Since then, Reading's main local rivals have been Oxford United and Swindon Town. When these three teams were in the same league, their rivalry was called the "Didcot Triangle." However, the rivalry between Oxford and Swindon is usually stronger than their rivalry with Reading.
Club Records and Achievements
Reading has achieved some impressive records throughout its history.
Team Records
- Highest League Finish: 8th in the Premier League, 2006–07 season.
- Best FA Cup Performance: Reached the Semi-finals twice, in 1926–27 and 2014–15.
- Biggest Win: 9–0 against Exeter City in 2023.
- Heaviest Defeat: 18–0 against Preston North End in 1894.
- Longest Winning Streak at Start of Season: 13 victories in 1985–86.
- Most Points in a Season: 106 points in 2005–06.
Player Records
- Most Appearances: Martin Hicks played 603 games for Reading from 1978 to 1991.
- Most Goals: Trevor Senior scored 191 goals for the club.
- Most Goals in a Season: Trevor Senior scored 41 goals in the 1983–84 season.
- Most League Goals: Ronnie Blackman scored 158 league goals from 1947 to 1954.
- Longest Time Without Conceding a Goal (Goalkeeper): Steve Death went 1,103 minutes without letting in a goal in 1978–79.
Notable Players
In 1999, fans voted for their 'Player of the Millennium'. Some of the top players included:
- Robin Friday
- Trevor Senior
- Steve Death
- Shaka Hislop
- Jimmy Quinn
Club Captains (21st Century)
- 2000–2003: Phil Parkinson
- 2003–2009: Graeme Murty
- 2009–2011: Ívar Ingimarsson
- 2011–2014: Jobi McAnuff
- 2014–2015: Jem Karacan
- 2015–2019: Paul McShane
- 2019–2022: Liam Moore
- 2022–Present: Andy Yiadom
Club Honours
Reading Football Club has won several trophies:
League Titles
- Second Division / Championship (Level 2)
- Champions: 2005–06, 2011–12
- Third Division South / Third Division / Second Division (Level 3)
- Champions: 1925–26, 1985–86, 1993–94
- Fourth Division (Level 4)
- Champions: 1978–79
Cup Wins
- Full Members' Cup
- Winners: 1987–88
- London War Cup
- Winners: 1941
- Third Division South Cup
- Winners: 1938
Reading FC Women's Team
In May 2006, Reading started a women's football team, Reading FC Women. They played in the FA Premier League Southern Division. From 2014, they played in the FA Women's Super League 2. In 2015, they won the league and were promoted to the top league, the FA Women's Super League 1.
In the 2017–18 season, they finished fourth in the Women's Super League, which was their highest position ever. The women's team also plays at the Select Car Leasing Stadium.
In 2023, it was announced that Reading FC Women would become a part-time team. On June 30, 2024, the team withdrew from the Women's Championship due to money problems. They now play in a lower division of women's football.
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See also
In Spanish: Reading Football Club para niños
