Madejski Stadium

The Madejski Stadium was opened in 1998, after spending 102 years at their former home of Elm Park. The stadium is of a fair size and is totally enclosed, with all four corners being occupied. Three sides are single tiered, whilst on one side the West (Main) Stand is two-tiered, including a row of executive boxes. This stand has a curve in its roof and the team dugouts are located in front.

Unlike the West Stand, the others stands have a more conventional look to their roofs, although there is a gap between the roofs and the back of the stands, that contains perspex, to allow more light to reach the pitch. The ground has been designed with the supporter in mind as the fans are housed very close to the pitch and the acoustics are very good.

The home end of the stadium on the north side is named the Eamonn Dolan Stand, after their former Youth Academy Manager. The stadium also has a video screen in the South East corner. The stadium, named after Reading’s chairman John Madejski is shared with London Irish Rugby Club.

General information

Official website: https://www.readingfc.co.uk/club/madejski-stadium/

Arena capacity: 24,161 spectators

Address: Junction 11, M4, Reading RG2 0FL, UK

GPS coordinates for the navigator: 51°25′20″N 0°58′58″W

Year of construction: 22 August 1998

Construction cost: 50 million pounds

Field: SIS grass with dimensions of 105 by 68 metres (football), 106 by 68 metres (rugby union)

Seating plan

Home Supporters

The West Stand is the main stand at the stadium and is at the side of the pitch behind the home & away dugouts. The stand include hospitality entrances, Conference Centre, administration offices, Megastore, main ticket office, players entrance and concourse bars. Seating at Ground and Upper Levels. Entry at Turnstile Gates 1-4.

The Eamonn Dolan Stand is behind the goal and includes the matchday shirt printing office and concourse bars. It is also home to our family area. Entry at Turnstile Gates 5 & 6. The Fun Zone is also situated directly behind the Eamonn Dolan Stand which provides plenty of pre-match entertainment for our young supporters.

The East Stand is at the side of the pitch opposite the dug outs and is where a lot of the atmosphere is created on a matchday. The stand also includes entrance to the Jazz Café, East Stand Ticket Office (matchday’s only) & concourse bars. Entry at Turnstile Gates 7 & 8.

The South Stand Gate 10 is for Club 1871, a supporter-led section of the stadium which aims ‘to add another focus to improve the atmosphere and get fully behind the team, by using both old and new Reading chants to make home games feel like the best away games.’  All supporters in this area must be Members or Season Ticket holders.

Visiting Supporters

Away fans are located in one end of the stadium, in the South Stand, where up to 4,300 can be accommodated (although the normal allocation is 2,327). The facilities in this stand are good with plenty of leg room and the views of the pitch are superb, as there is good height between rows and the stand is pretty steep. Away fans can really make some noise in this stand, so make the most of it.

The atmosphere is also boosted by a drummer in the home section. Entrance to the stadium is by ticket only and if tickets are still available for away supporters then they can purchase them on the day at the South Stand ticket office located between gates 9 & 10. You enter the stadium by inserting your ticket into a ticket reader which scans the barcode on the ticket and illuminates a green light to go in.

The Madejski Stadium is a functional ground and has been well maintained over the years, so it still seems to have a newish feel about it. However, like a number of other modern stadiums it lacks character and coupled with the fact that there are few facilities around the stadium such as pubs for away fans, then there is not a lot to ‘write home about’.

Food on offer inside the stadium includes; Cheeseburgers (£4.70), Burgers (£4.50), Hot Dogs (£4.20), Steak and Local Ale Pies (£3.90), Chicken Balti Pies (£3.90) and Vegetarian Pies (£3.90).

Disabled Supporters Information

A total of 73 wheelchairs spaces are available in all stands. Entry is at ground level and the places are set well back from the pitch, offering excellent viewing and weather protection.

The Club has 12 fixed positions in the south west corner for visually impaired supporters, each with an assistant/carer if required. Match commentary is provided by Hospital Radio.

Families

Great rates in Blocks B16, B17 & B18 of the Eamonn Dolan Stand are offered to encourage more families and youngsters to experience a matchday at the Madejski Stadium!  These rates are available as long as there is at least one child ticket purchased in the transaction.  This is applicable for Season Tickets and individual match tickets.

Family prices are only available in these blocks. However a family atmosphere is encouraged in all areas of the stadium with the West and Eamonn Dolan Stands being most suitable.

Smoking policy

The seated bowl, concourses, staircases, toilets and hospitality areas are all smoke free, and there are designated smoking areas as follows.

1. West & North Stand. Smokers are permitted to leave by way of reversible turnstiles at Gates 1-6, five minutes prior to half time. A steward will issue a pass-out ticket stating the gate number and date. Spectators will be able to return through the correct turnstile by giving up the voucher to the turnstile operator. The turnstiles will be closed five minutes after the start of the second half. No further re-admission will be permitted.
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2. East Stand. Smokers are permitted to smoke outside Gates 7 and 8, within the secured compound, at a period of time after kick off as determined by the Safety Officer. This would normally be about 15 minutes after kick off.
3. South Stand. Visiting Supporters are permitted to smoke outside gate 9, within a secured compound. Gates will be opened 5 minutes prior to half time and closed again 5 minutes after the start of the second half. No further re-admission will be permitted.
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4. Hospitality guests. Outside main reception.

Where to buy tickets?

Tickets for Reading FC matches can be bought online, by phone +44 (0) 118 968 1313, or at the Madejski Stadium Ticket Office.

If tickets remain available, these can get bought at the ticket office until half-time. Whereas Reading sold out regularly in the Premier League, they rarely tend to do so in the Championship.

Home Fans*

1. West Stand (Upper): Adults £35 Over 65’s £23 Under 25’s £17, Under 18’s £14.
2. West Stand (Lower): Adults £28 Over 65’s £18 Under 25’s £13, Under 18’s £10, Under 13’s £8.
3. East Stand (Lower): Adults £28 Over 65’s £18 Under 25’s £13, Under 18’s £10, Under 13’s £8.
4. Eamonn Dolan Stand: Adults £25 Over 65’s £16 Under 25’s £13, Under 18’s £8, Under 13’s £7.
5. South Stand: Adults £25 Over 65’s £16 Under 25’s £13, Under 18’s £8.

Away Fans**

South Stand: Adults £25 Over 65’s £16 Under 25’s £13, Under 18’s £8.

* Home fans who become club members can get up to a £5 discount on the price of a home ticket.
** Away fans who are Season Ticket Holders at their Club or are Club members can get up to a £5 discount on the adult ticket price and £3 of a concession price.

How to get there?

If you are travelling along the M4 from the west you can see the stadium on your left. Leave the M4 at Junction 11, bear left on to the A33 relief road which leads you directly to the stadium. The Madejski Complex is well signposted from Junction 11.

Please note that as a recent visitor to Reading it is worth advising away fans that getting off the M4 at Junction 11, westbound can be a bit of a pain. On match days a long tail back can start on the motorway as far as one mile away from this junction. This should be approached with caution and patience. As kick off approaches it can take 40 minutes to complete the journey from the back of the Junction 11 queue to the designated parking sites. So allow extra time for your journey.

Car Parking

There is some limited parking available at the stadium itself for a cost of £10, but it can be a bit of lengthy process to get out of the car park at the end of the game. You can also park on the site of the now demolished greyhound track, close to the stadium. From the M4 at Junction 11 take the A33 towards Reading town centre. Follow the dual carriageway past the stadium and McDonalds, KFC and Pizza Hut outlets, then look for the ‘Alternative Parking’ signs ahead.

On the left you will reach a small slip road into the parking site (which incidentally is an official stadium car park). It has 500 spaces and costs £10 to park there. It is stewarded and has the advantage of a quick post-match exit either back to J11 or towards Reading. The car park is a 5-10 minute walk away from the ground.

There are also a number of unofficial car parks in the area sited at local businesses. There is a warehouse car park located on Acre Road at a cost of £5. Passing the Madejski on your left, follow the A33 for about half a mile, then turn back on yourself, passing Bennet Road on your left, and then take the next left into Acre Road.

You will see sign “match parking”, where there is a large warehouse on the left. It is gated with security. It is then only a short walk to the ground from here. We also spotted another matchday car park in Bennet Road but this cost £10. There is also the option of renting a private driveway near the Madejski Stadium via YourParkingSpace.co.uk.

Don’t park in the nearby Business Park, unless there is an individual unit charging for matchday parking. You may find yourself with a parking ticket if you do.

Park & Ride

Alternatively, there is a Park and Ride facility at Mereoak (post code RG7 1PB) near to Junction 11 of the M4, which has buses running to Reading town centre via the Madejski Stadium. From Junction 11 of the M4, take the A33 towards Basingstoke and the Park & Ride is signposted. Parking is free but the bus costs for a return ticket; Adults £3.50, Under 19’s £1.70, or there is a group ticket available at £7 (for up to 4 people).

Post Code for SAT NAV: RG2 0FL.

By train

Reading Railway Station is situated just over three miles away from the Madejski Stadium. Probably the easiest way to get to the ground is to catch the F1 ‘Football Special’ bus, which leaves just down from the Railway Station on Station Hill (as you exit the station from the main entrance turn right and head down the steps, the buses line up on the left hand side). The bus service starts at 1pm for Saturday afternoon games.

It’s recommended getting in the bus queue no later than 45 minutes before kick off as all football traffic goes down the same dual carriageway to the stadium. The fare is £4 return (or £3.50 single) for adults and £2.50 return (£2 single) for children and normally takes about fifteen minutes to get to the ground. Please also have the correct fare in hand as the drivers do not give out change.

The Football Special bus drops you at the opposite end of the stadium to the away end, but it is only a five minute walk around the stadium to the away entrance. After the game has ended it is a different issue. Due to the police/stewards closing gates preventing fans from walking back around the stadium. you instead have to go down to the main road and follow this all the way back around to the pick up point, which is a about a 15 minute walk. However the bus service is frequent, and I have never experienced any problems using it.

The bus from the station is good provided that away fans do not cause any trouble. If you do then the buses (quite rightly, editor) refuse to pick you up after the game.

The ground is about three miles away from Reading Station, and that unless you walk quite quickly, the journey could take over an hour: Leaving the station, head straight up the road in front of you, crossing over Friar Street onto Queen Victoria Street and heading towards the town centre. Upon reaching Broad Street, you will find yourself opposite the John Lewis store.

Cross and head down a narrow passageway (Chain Street) which runs down the right hand side of John Lewis. Soon, you reach a churchyard, which you can cross, bearing right, to the corner of Gun Street and Bridge Street. Cross to the other side of Bridge Street and continue down, turning right into Fobney Street. At the end here, you will soon encounter a couple of blue footpath/cyclepath signs, which point the way to the Madejski Stadium. These will lead you down the left hand footpath alongside the busy A329, which becomes the A33 after about 1200 yards.

Keep following this road and eventually you will come to a roundabout. Take the road ahead and continue walking along the roadside. You will briefly walk along a dirt track by the roadside as the A33 crosses a waterway, before walking down the bank to the towpath. The towpath now continues straight ahead towards the stadium, still following the blue cycle path signs. You can’t miss it from here, but it is still at least a further 15 minutes walk away.

Booking train tickets in advance will normally save you money! Find train times, prices and book tickets with Trainline. Visit the Trainline website below to see how much you can save on the price of your tickets.

By bus

There are a number of buses from Reading and surrounding areas that run direct to Madejski Stadium.

1. Buses from the greater Reading area, Reading town centre and Newbury are run by Reading Buses.
2. Services from Basingstoke, Farnborough, Wokingham and Bracknell are subsidised by Reading FC and run by Stagecoach Buses.

Full details for all services are below.

Reading Buses

F1 Reading Station Shuttle Service runs from outside Reading Station. The Service commences 2 hours before kick-off and a minimum of 12 buses run a frequent shuttle service up to 1 hour 45 minutes after the final whistle.

The F1 fares which Reading Football Club subsidise are:

• £2 per journey single or return;
• £1 per journey single or return for 65 and overs.

Please note: F1 bus stop has now been relocated to central bus stop, in between car park 1 and 2 on the stadium map.

Urban Services – New Bus Terminus at Stadium in Car Park 1:

• F2 Shinfield Park (Park & Ride Shuttle);
• F10 Sonning Common;
• F11 Emmer Green;
• F12 Emmer Green & Caversham;
• F13 Caversham Park;
• F14 Henley-on-Thames;
• F20 Newbury;
• F21 Norcot;
• F22 Tilehurst Circular;
• F23 Theale & Pangbourne;
• F24 Purley;
• F30 Tywford;
• F31 Woodley Airfield;
• F32 Woodley;
• F33 Lower Earley;
• F60 Mereoak (Junction 11/A33) Park and Ride Shuttle.

Fare prices. Reading Urban services excluding F1, F2 and F60 (within the Greater Reading Urban Area):

• Reading Zone – Adult return £5, Under 19s £3;
• Network Zone – Adult return £6, Under 19s £3.50;
• Concessionary pass holders can get a single journey for £1.

Services F2:

• Single – Adult £2, Under 19s £1.30;
• Return – £4, Under 19s £2.

Stagecoach buses

New Bus Terminus at Stadium in Car Park 1.

• 951 Basingstoke – Tadley – Burghfield Common;
• 952 Farnborough – Yateley – Sandhurst – Crowthorne;
• 953 Wokingham – Emmbrook – Winnersh;
• 954 Bracknell.

Return ticket prices:

• Adult £6.50;
• Child £3.50;
• Family ticket (up to 2 adults + up to 3 children) £15;
• Concessionary Pass Holders can travel for £1 per journey.

General bus info

Travelcards, day & group tickets are not valid. Drivers do not carry change so please have exact fares prepared.

Kick off changes

The timetables published have details for games with 3pm kick off times When a fixture is moved, the timetable will move by the same amount of time, eg. for a 1pm kick off, buses simply run two hours earlier than the 3pm kick off time.

Taxi rank

After the full time whistle, a taxi rank is situated in Northern Way.

Facilities

The views from pretty much everywhere in the ground are superb, with excellent legroom also on offer for all. The ground does lack a little bit of personality but it’s functional and you’ll have access to everything you’d expect on the concourses. There are kiosks where you can buy programmes, drinks and food before and during the game.

Hospitality

There are a number of different lounges at The Madjeski Stadium that offer hospitality, with each one promising its own individual experience. Here we’ll outline some of the most exciting ones and what you can expect to get from them:

• The Royal Suite. Here you’ll receive private table dining, a three-course meal with half a bottle of wine, refreshments at both half-time and full-time plus a private bar facility and a reserved car parking space.
• The Premier Suite. This is a pitch-facing lounge that offers a two-course meal before the game, half-time refreshments, access to a bar and padded seats in The South Stand.
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• The Trophy Room. Why not dine in the exciting surroundings of the club’s trophy room? You’ll sit on a shared table whilst you enjoy a two-course carvery meal, half-time and full-time refreshments, a dedicated host and premier seating near to the Director’s Box.
• The 1871 Suite. This is more like a standard pub rather than an executive lounge, though you don’t have to put up with the drunken bore in the corner. Well, maybe not. You’ll get a pub dinner, access to a bar and a VIP seat in The North Stand.
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Pubs & Bars Near Madjeski Stadium

There are a couple of mobile bar units located outside the East Stand, which form a small Fan Zone, that normally both home and away fans can use. Otherwise there no pubs as such close to the stadium.

However Holiday Inn (Reading South) which is around a 15 minute walk away can be located. The hotel has a small bar inside it, but then attached has a larger Irish themed separate bar area, called Callaghans. This bar has Sky Television, but as you would expect is very crowded with away fans and serves drinks at what you can only term as ‘hotel prices’.

Across the road from the hotel is a very good fish & chip shop. To find this hotel, leave the M4 at Junction 11 and take the A33 towards Reading, turn right at the first roundabout into Imperial Way. Go down this road and you will come to the hotel on your left. You can also park there at a cost of £7 per car. There is also street parking to be found in this area.

It should be noticed that the Holiday Inn was mobbed, so you probably have to do a search of another pub. Passing the Holiday Inn on your left you turn left onto Basingstoke Road and walk up over a hill to find a pub on the right called ‘The World Turned Upside Down.’ This chain pub has a mixture of home and away fans and also is popular for food. From the pub it is around a 15 minute walk to the stadium.

If you arrive early, then you could drive to Three Mile Cross where there are a couple of good pubs to be found. Come off the motorway at J11 and head away from the stadium (signposted A33 Basingstoke). After 200 yards take the first exit at the roundabout into Three Mile Cross.

Next to the ground on a Retail Park are the following food outlets; McDonalds, KFC & Pizza Hut. Otherwise, it may be an idea, especially if you are making the journey by train, to drink in the centre of Reading before the game.

The Three Guineas which is attached to the station has been designated as an away fans pub. It offers a range of eight real ales and is listed in the CAMRA good beer guide, plus it does food and has televised sport. There is also the Greyfriar on Greyfriar Road which is also listed in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide and normally has a mixture of home and away fans. The majority of bars near to Reading station have doormen on them, and unless you had ID to prove you are local you will not be admitted.

You can stumble across the Walkabout which admits visiting supporters. It has BT and Sky Sports and offers food. To find this bar then as you come out of the station walk straight ahead from the station in the direction of John Lewis, along Station Road. When you get to the crossroads and the beginning of the pedestrainised area, turn left into Friar Street. In the distance on the left you will see a Yates Bar (home fans only) but just before this on the left is a strange looking alleyway, if you walk down here then you’ll find the Walkabout.

Alcohol is available inside the stadium to away fans, where you can get pints of Heineken (£4.70), Guinness (£4.70), Amstel (£4.30), Theakstons Bitter (£4.30) & Symonds Cider (£4.30), plus Red or White Wine (£4.70 for a small bottle).

Madjeski Stadium Hotels

If you are particularly keen to get away from the bright lights of London then that’s fine, Reading has plenty to offer all of its own. Here are some of our favourite hotels for you to consider.

1. The Reading Lake Hotel – £60+. Address: Stadium Pingewood, Reading, RG30 3UN. A little further afield than the other two hotels at just under four miles from The Madjeski is this member of the Best Western chain of hotels. It has both a business centre and a fitness centre as well as a restaurant and a bar. There’s also a conference space and free parking, which is just as well as it’s a bit of a drive to the ground.
2. Best Western Plus Reading Moat House Hotel – £80+. Address: Mill Lane, Sindlesham, Wokingham, RG41 5DF. A little further afield than the other two hotels at just under four miles from The Madjeski is this member of the Best Western chain of hotels. It has both a business centre and a fitness centre as well as a restaurant and a bar. There’s also a conference space and free parking, which is just as well as it’s a bit of a drive to the ground.
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3. Millennium Madejski Hotel Reading – £100+. Address: Madejski Stadium, Reading, RG2 0FL. Based at the stadium itself this quality hotel promises a restaurant, a bar, a full-service spa and an indoor pool. There’s always a conference centre, a health club and free-parking for those of you that want to drive.

Facts & figures

1. The Stadium’s highest attendance to date was 24,134 for the Premier League game with Manchester United in January 2008.
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2. The first game staged here was a 3-0 victory against Luton Town on 22nd August 1998, played in front of 18,108 supporters.
3. The Stadium houses 28 Executive Suites, all with excellent views overlooking the pitch.
4. The four-star deluxe Millennium Madejski Hotel is operated by the Millennium Copthorne group.
5. The metallic posts topped with cylindrical discs surrounding the stadium are methane gas vents, built to accommodate the underground build-up of gases – the stadium was built on the site of a household waste dump!
6. There are long-term plans to build a rail link from the town centre to nearby business centre Green Park.
7. The pitch incorporates a complicated system of synthetic fibres interwoven with the natural grass – the renowned ‘Desso’ system, installed at a substantial cost.
8. The Royal Berkshire Conference Centre boasts one room with a capacity of 700, and four accommodating 100.
9. The Stadium’s East Stand houses the Jazz Café, a fashionable live music venue.