Exhibition celebrating 150 Years of Reading FC features rare memorabilia

An exhibition celebrating the 150th anniversary of Reading FC opens at the Sir John Madejski Art Gallery in Reading Museum today (Saturday).

Entry to COLLECTED: 150 Years of Reading Football Club is free. Visitors will be able to view a once-in-a-lifetime gathering of unique pictures, objects and fans’ and players’ memorabilia collected since 1871.

The exhibition forms part of Reading FC’s wider programme of 150th-anniversary celebrations.

Through the collection of images, ephemera and mementoes, the exhibition tells the incredible story of Reading Football Club’s historic journey from a group of young townsmen playing on King’s Meadow to the heights of the national game.

It also includes results of recent picture research into the early history of the women’s game in Reading, as well as pinpointing some of the key historical moments of the emergence of people of colour in the professional game

With expert interpretation provided by the club’s community of historians, it is designed to appeal to fans both old and new, as Reading marks the 150th anniversary of its football club, making it one of the oldest surviving clubs in the Football League.

Objects from STAR (Supporters Trust at Reading) bring this history to life, including never-before-seen photographs from the club’s history, loans from iconic players such as a shirt worn by all-time fan’s favourite Robin Friday, and a range of items from the personal collection of former Reading FC chairman Sir John Madejski.

The exhibition reflects the important ways the club contributes to the life of the town, with an account of the vital work its Community Trust does in Reading today.

Visit the museum’s website www.readingmuseum.org.uk to find out more.

Sir John Madejski said he was very proud of the part that he played in Reading Football Club’s long and illustrious history. “I recognise that the club’s identity and character have been shaped by all the fans and all of those who have been involved throughout its history, from players to backroom and technical staff, and it is excellent to see these shared memories brought together in Reading Museum’s latest exhibition,” he said.

“I’m delighted to be associated with Reading Football Club’s 150th anniversary, and I feel very honoured to have been able to make a contribution to the club from 1990 to 2016. I am enormously proud of being instrumental in providing the Madejski Stadium, and I will always cherish the wonderful moments on the field of play that we have witnessed there.

“Most especially perhaps, I treasure my memories of being part of the club when we first reached the Premier League, the top echelon.

“I look forward to many happy seasons ahead, roaring for the Royals to score at least one more goal than the opposition on the park, contributing to the cultural life of Reading off the pitch, and once again being back in the Premier League where we always belong.”

‘COLLECTED: 150 Years of Reading FC’ is free to view and runs to August 6, 2022, in the Sir John Madejski Gallery, Reading Museum. www.readingmuseum.org.uk

• Families are encouraged to bring the kids along this February half-term, kicking off with the Big Football Hunt and Bertie the Badger’s Football Nickname Trail, with crafty activities to take home and colour in. For more details visit www.readingmuseum.org.uk/holiday-fun-reading-museum

History of Reading FC

The story of Reading’s home team charts back to late 1871, when a group of young men formed Reading Football Club and began playing matches against local rivals including Maidenhead, Henley, and Marlow.

Success soon followed both for the Club and its players. In 1877, the club entered the FA Cup for the very first time. Two years later, they won their first trophy –the Berks and Bucks Cup. And it wasn’t long before team captain Brownlow Haygarth was selected to play for England.

Reading flourished around 1880 and at the turn of the century but only achieved national status in 1926 when the Club joined the Football League Division 2, which resulted in major clubs like Everton and Manchester City coming to our town. A highlight of the 1920s was reaching the FA Cup semi-final in 1927. The Club became known to fans everywhere as the Biscuitmen, after the world-famous Huntley & Palmer’s biscuit factory in the town.

The Club endured a slow decline from the 1930s, spending all its time in the third division. In 1971, the Club’s centenary season, Reading was relegated to the fourth division, the bottom of the Football League. At this time the Club had only a very small staff and playing squad, which had to deal with a changing and sometimes dangerous football culture. Nevertheless, characterful players like Robin Friday and Steve Death became hugely popular and are fondly remembered by fans to this day.

The 1970s marked a period of immense change both on the pitch and across the town. Football was all over the television, with hooliganism in the news. Andy Alleyne became the first black player to make his debut for Reading. A Reading women’s football team revived after a long impasse. And finally, after 50 years waiting Reading won promotion in 1976! The club nickname became the ‘Royals’.

These years of triumph and turmoil continued into the 1980s. In 1983, the Club nearly ceased to exist when the disreputable businessman Robert Maxwell attempted to merge it with archrivals Oxford United into an entity dubbed Thames Valley Royals. The threat was only overcome by the combined resistance of both sets of supporters and investment from local businessman, and former, player Roger Smee, who, as new chairman took the Club in a dramatically new and successful direction. Two promotions and a Wembley triumph quickly followed before financial turmoil returned.

The arrival of Sir John Madejski as chairman in 1990 marked the beginning of a radical change in the Club’s fortunes and another exciting era in its history. In 1998, the move to the Madejski Stadium (now Select Car Leasing Stadium) was a hugely empowering one. The Club has enjoyed two Championship titles and three historic seasons in the Premier League. Today, players are recruited from all over the world, and there has been a huge growth in the support. Over 200 young players are coached at the new Bearwood Park Training Facility in the Category 1 Academy. The women’s team competes in the WSL, the highest level of women’s football. And the Club’s Community Trust reaches out to thousands of people every week.