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CLUB HUB · Reading

Reading

A club whose identity runs from Biscuit Town and Elm Park to record-breaking promotion and, twice in living memory, supporters having to defend the very idea of Reading FC remaining Reading FC.

Est. 1871 Reading, Berkshire Select Car Leasing Stadium 31 researched sources
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OVERVIEW & IDENTITY

The club behind the badge

Identity & place

What this club is really about

Reading has repeatedly changed while defending its place in the town: Biscuitmen became Royals, 102 years at Elm Park gave way to a new stadium, and the Madejski era brought Premier League football. Supporters resisted the merger plan in 1983 and ownership failures in 2023-25. Those campaigns matter alongside the 106-point team, showing how strongly fans value a club that remains distinctly Reading.

Place, industry & identity
CLUB ARCHIVE

History Snapshot

  1. 1896–1998: Elm Park becomes the memory bank

    A ground that begins with a rain-abandoned 7-1 and ends 102 years later contains almost every pre-modern Reading story: promotion celebrations, huge FA Cup gates, terracing, Robin Friday and the…

  2. 1983: the club nearly becomes Thames Valley Royals

    Robert Maxwell proposed merging Reading and Oxford into a regional club. Fans objected to losing two town identities. Their opposition mattered, while legal action and failure to obtain Reading's shares…

  3. 1985–88: records, promotion and Wembley

    The 13-win start to 1985/86 and the Simod Cup triumph gave supporters a concentrated burst of success after the merger crisis. Michael Gilkes's deciding semi-final penalty and the 4-1 Wembley…

View full history
Living identity

Why that identity still matters

Deductions, embargoes, fears over assets and an abandoned match brought ownership arguments into matchdays. The 2025 takeover ended that period, while leaving supporters alert to the security of their badge, stadium, training base and separate identity.

Supporters & community
Terrace folklore

Robin Friday kisses a policeman

After scoring a late winner against Rochdale in 1975, Friday ran behind the goal and kissed a policeman. The surviving press photograph gives this story more substance than most cult-player folklore.

Explore Deep Cuts & Folklore
Official club links
31 Researched sources View sources →
  1. EFL League One accessed 2026-10-01
  2. History | The Story of Reading Football Club accessed 2026-10-01
  3. Biscuit town accessed 2026-10-01
  4. New Exhibition at Reading Museum Celebrates 150 Years of Reading Football Club accessed 2026-10-01
  5. About Us accessed 2026-10-01
  6. What STAR has achieved for Supporters accessed 2026-10-01
  7. 1983 – The Reading FC Merger Story accessed 2026-10-01
  8. Elm Park accessed 2026-10-01
  9. Record Breakers accessed 2026-10-01
  10. Robin Friday: an extraordinary Reading FC hero accessed 2026-10-01
  11. EFL play-offs: Relive some of the most memorable games accessed 2026-10-01
  12. Huddersfield Town 0-0 Reading (4-3 pens) accessed 2026-10-01
  13. Getting to know Bradford City accessed 2026-10-01
  14. Reading v Port Vale abandoned after pitch invasion protest accessed 2026-10-01
  15. Reading FC Stadium an Asset of Community Value accessed 2026-10-01
  16. Reading given suspended three-point deduction for abandonment caused by pitch invasion accessed 2026-10-01
  17. Reading training ground: Wycombe Wanderers in talks to buy Bearwood Park accessed 2026-10-01
  18. Reading Football Club under new ownership accessed 2026-10-01
  19. Reading FC: Rob Couhig completes takeover of League One club accessed 2026-10-01
  20. Madejski Stadium / Select Car Leasing Stadium – Reading FC accessed 2026-10-01
  21. From Club to Club 1871 – an open letter accessed 2026-10-01
  22. 150 Years: A Royal Review accessed 2026-10-01
  23. Reading Football Club learning resource accessed 2026-10-01
  24. Reading 0 Norwich City 1 – final Elm Park match supporter report accessed 2026-10-01
  25. Who do you consider to be a rival? accessed 2026-10-01
  26. Reading FC's club song: They Call Us the Royals – video accessed 2026-10-01
  27. The Dictionary Of Football Club Nicknames accessed 2026-10-01
  28. Club connections: 10 who have played for both accessed 2026-10-01
  29. Six Royals who have also wandered for Wolves accessed 2026-10-01
  30. Hall of Fame 1920s–1970s accessed 2026-10-01
  31. Reading release cringeworthy music video for terrible club song written by co-chairwoman accessed 2026-10-01
The Royals
“A club whose identity runs from Biscuit Town and Elm Park to record-breaking promotion and, twice…”
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