Elm Park

Elm Park was a football stadium in the West Reading district of Reading, Berkshire, England. The stadium was the home of Reading Football Club from 1896 to 1998, when the club moved to the new Madejski Stadium. In 1889, Reading were unable to continue playing at Coley Park as W.B. Monck, the local squire, no longer allowed football due to rowdyism by the rougher elements. With club membership exceeding 300 by the time the club went professional in 1895, Reading required a proper ground. A former gravel pit in West Reading was identified as the site and the area was leased from Councillor Jesse. The first game at Elm Park was held on 5 September 1896 between Reading and the A. Roston Bourke XI. The match was abandoned due to torrential weather when Reading were leading 7 to 1. After the match, Reading were fined and suspended for playing against an unregistered team. In 1908, the club's annual general meeting proposed moving to a new ground near Reading railway station, but a board meeting the following year decided that the move would not be possible due to the actions of the Great Western Railway. The ground was redeveloped following the club's promotion to the Second Division in 1926. A new grandstand, holding around 4,000 people, was opened on 13 November 1926 and remained until the ground's demolition. The Town End terrace was improved in 1931 as a result of Supporters' Club's one shilling scheme, whilst the central section of the South Bank was roofed in 1936. A public address system was installed in 1946 and in the same year a twenty thousand shilling fund was set up to completely cover the South Bank. This was completed in two stages in 1949 and 1956. In 1949, club chairman William Lee commissioned a firm of architects to redesign the ground. The club built new turnstiles, access routes, dressing rooms, office space and bathing facilities. Plans to cover the Town End and building a new double-decker stand over the South Bank never progressed due to the post-World War II regulations restricting the club's ability to obtain building materials. The club installed floodlights which were first used on 6 October 1954 against Racing Club de Paris in a friendly match. The last competitive match played at Elm Park was between Reading and Norwich City in May 1998. The stadium was demolished in 1998 and the site was redeveloped for housing.

Elm Park was a football stadium in the West Reading district of Reading, Berkshire, England. The stadium was the home of Reading Football Club from 1896 to 1998, when the club moved to the new Madejski Stadium. The first game at Elm Park was held on 5 September 1896 between Reading and the A. Roston Bourke XI, named after honorary secretary of the Referees' Association Arthur Roston Bourke. The visitors were a scratch team from Holloway College and thus not registered with the Football Association. The match was abandoned due to torrential weather when Reading were leading 7 to 1. After the match, Reading were fined and suspended for playing against an unregistered team. The stadium had a record attendance of 33,042 and a final capacity of 14,800. The last competitive match played at Elm Park was between Reading and Norwich City in May 1998. The ground was redeveloped following the club's promotion to the Second Division in 1926. A new grandstand, holding around 4,000 people, was opened on 13 November 1926 and remained until the ground's demolition. The Town End terrace was improved in 1931 as a result of Supporters' Club's one shilling scheme, whilst the central section of the South Bank was roofed in 1936. A public address system was installed in 1946 and in the same year a twenty thousand shilling fund was set up to completely cover the South Bank. This was completed in two stages in 1949 and 1956. The club installed floodlights which were first used on 6 October 1954 against Racing Club de Paris in a friendly match. The stadium was demolished in 1998 and the site was redeveloped for housing.