Address: Reading Football Club, Madejski Stadium, Reading, Berkshire, RG2 0FL
Telephone No: 0118 968 1100
Ticket Office No: 0118 968 1313 or ticketing@readingfc.co.uk
General Info
The Madejski Stadium, built in 1998, replaced Elm Park as Reading’s home ground and has been the home of the Royals ever since. As well as Reading FC, the stadium also plays host to rugby union side London Irish though this may change if and when Brentford can build their new stadium.
The name of the stadium comes from Reading’s chairman Sir John Madejski who oversaw the move and the West Stand of the stadium contains the Millennium Madejski Hotel.
The ground is rather unfortunately built on the site of a former waste dump and is surrounded by methane vents, something which does not help the overall feeling the stadium being without much atmosphere as a football venue.
The pitch at Reading is dot-on in terms of standard professional size; 105 metres by 68 metres. It is made up of a mixture of grass and fibres and is of 3G standard meaning it suffers little from wear and tear or bad weather. To compliment this, the ground employs undersoil heating to ensure the pitch does not freeze.
Capacity
At 24,100 the capacity at the Madejski is plenty to supply the demand for tickets at Reading home matches.
Stands
The Madejski is basically an oblong structure with its curved corners joining together the North, South, East and West Stands. The West Stand is the one housing the dressing rooms and tunnel and is the only one to feature two tiers.
Away Fans At The Madejski
Away fans at Reading tend to be housed in the South Stand of the Madejski Stadium behind the goal. The standard away allocation for the Championship is 2,100 though for cup games or those with a particularly high demand from visiting supporters this can be increased to 4,300, taking up the whole of the middle block with only the corners of the stand housing home support.
The South Stand is just a single tier and therefore lends itself fairly well to noise but, as a modern structure with a fairly lifeless design, is a lot like Bolton in that it seems to have been picked up and placed in a location not really lending itself to vociferous football supporters, though the kiosks inside the ground give plenty of options for food and drink.
Ticket Prices
Adult matchday prices for a single seat tend to range from £25 to £35 at the Madejski, with 65’s and over gaining access from as little as £16 and under-17’s from £8.
Hospitality
VIP Boxes, the Royal Suite and the Premier Suite all have inviting interiors, welcoming guests who wish to watch the games in style. Boxes are from £1,400 per game plus VAT for 10 guests, while the other suites range from £85 to £150 per person, per game plus tax.
How To Get To The Madejski Stadium
The stadium sits around 2½ miles away from Reading train station and the town centre to the south, about a 25-minute walk away.
Trains connect to Reading from London Paddington, a half hour journey, plus on matchdays specially chartered football buses run between Reading train station and the Madejski.
To reach Reading FC by car, take junction 11 of the M4 motorway and follow the A33 for Reading. Signs will appear at this point to guide you right to the stadium
Future Developments
Although a £500million development of homes and amenities around the stadium is planned, nothing as of yet in terms of redevelopment is planned for the stadium itself.