Madejski Stadium

Ground Information

The Madejski Stadium has an all seated capacity in excess of 24,000. There are no bad views within the stadium and having only been built in 1998 it takes on a very familiar shape to a lot of other newish stadiums. A bowl-shaped arena with three single tiered sides and an extra tier on the main stand. 

As is the case with the majority of new build stadiums, The Madjeski is built in a ‘Bowl Style’, as opposed to the more common ‘English Style’ of four individual stands. There are still four individual sections to the ground, though, and here’s a little bit of detail on each:

The Eamon Dolan Stand - This single-tiered structure can house just shy of 5000 supporters and houses the club’s ‘Fun Zone’. It is named after the Irish ex-footballer who managed Readings academy.

The South Stand - This is another single-tiered stand and it normally houses the away fans.

The East Stand - This is the final single-tiered stand and runs along the side of the pitch.

The West Stand - The only two-tiered structure in the ground, this is considered to be the main stand at The Madjeski. It houses the dugouts, hospitality boxes and the player’s tunnel.

Away fans

Visiting supporters are situated in the Fosters Lager South Stand in behind one of the goals. A maximum allocation of 4,300 is available but rarely taken and the usual number is somewhere in the region of 2,250. The views from here are fantastic and facilities are very good as you'd expect from a relatively new stadium. Food is ok and priced reasonably whilst leg room is rather spacious.

Away pubs

Post House, is about a 10 minute walk from the stadium, situated on the old Basingstoke Road, and is signposted from the second roundabout off the M4. You can also park there for £3 which goes to the Sports Foundation charity. Both home and away fans are welcomed and this makes for a lively atmosphere.

The town centre has a variety of eating and drinking places. Overlooking the river in The Oracle are mostly restaurants and designer bars, whilst Friar Street has the usual range of Wetherspoons-type pubs. Fast food joint are scattered around the town centre in various places.

Walkabout Reading - You can’t go too far wrong with a Walkabout if you’re looking for somewhere to find a bit of sport. They serve standard pub grub, good drink options and promise good banter all around.

Yates Reading - Located smack bang in the town centre, Reading’s branch of Yates promises food, drink and plenty of TVs to watch all of the sport you can handle.

Car Parks & Public transport

Parking is available in the local area, though you'll need to be very early to take advantage of any street parking in the surrounding roads. The private car parks on the industrial estate are the preferred choice of many supporters with prices ranging from £5 up to £10 so it's worth looking around before deciding on one.