Reading Football Club

Reading Football Club's story is one of extraordinary highs and devastating lows. Founded in 1871, the Royals spent over a century as a lower-league club before Steve Coppell's side produced one of the most remarkable seasons in English football history in 2005-06: winning the Championship with 106 points, the highest total ever recorded in the second tier. That team — built around players like Steve Sidwell, Kevin Doyle, and Leroy Lita — went on to finish eighth in the Premier League in their debut top-flight season, coming agonisingly close to European qualification.

The Madejski Stadium, opened in 1998 and now known as the Select Car Leasing Stadium, was built as a statement of ambition by then-chairman John Madejski. For a time, it looked like Reading had found their place among England's elite. The club had two spells in the Premier League (2006-08 and 2012-13) and several seasons as Championship contenders. But the sale of the club to Thai businessman Khunying Sasima Srivikorn's consortium in 2014, and the subsequent involvement of Chinese owner Dai Yongge, set in motion a catastrophic decline.

Under Dai's ownership, Reading haemorrhaged money, were hit with multiple points deductions for breaching EFL financial regulations, and suffered back-to-back relegations. The club dropped from the Championship to League One in 2023, and the spectre of a further points deduction hung over the 2023-24 season. For a fanbase that remembers the glory of 106 points and Premier League football, League One is a painful reality — but it has also galvanised supporters, who have rallied around the club and demanded better stewardship. The hope is that new ownership can stabilise the club and begin the long road back.