Reading Football Club is an association football club, based in the English town of Reading, in Berkshire, who play in the The Championship. Formed in 1871, the club is one of the oldest teams in England, but did not join the Football League until 1920, and never played in the top tier of English football until the 2006–07 season.
The club holds the record for the number of successive league wins at the start of a season (13 wins at the start of the 1985-86 Third Division campaign) and also the record for the number of points gained in a professional league season (106 points in the 2005-06 Football League Championship campaign). Reading finished champions of their division on both of these occasions.
Since 1998 they have played at the Madejski Stadium, on the outskirts of Reading. Prior to this they played at Elm Park for 102 years. They are nicknamed The Royals, due to Reading's location in the Royal County of Berkshire, though they were previously known as The Biscuitmen, due to the town's association with Huntley & Palmers. The crest design is based on the club colours, blue and white, a crown representing royal sovereignty for the County of Berkshire and an image of Reading's most famous landmark, the Maiwand Lion.
The club is chaired by John Madejski (who bought the club in 1991). The current manager is ex-chief scout and physio Brian McDermott, who was appointed as manager on 27 January 2010 after taking over as caretaker manager following the sacking of Brendan Rodgers on 16 December 2009.
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