Elm Park (stadium)
Elm Park in 1981
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| Location | Reading, Berkshire, England |
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| Coordinates | 51°27′12″N 1°00′09″W / 51.4534°N 1.0026°WCoordinates: 51°27′12″N 1°00′09″W / 51.4534°N 1.0026°W |
| Owner | Reading |
| Operator | Reading F.C. |
| Capacity | ~33,000 (historically) 14,800 (final) |
| Record attendance | 33,042 |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1896 |
| Closed | 1998 |
| Demolished | 1998 |
| Tenants | |
| Reading (1896–1998) | |
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. In 1998 they 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 meeting the following year determined that funding would be difficult. £20 was donated by J C Fidler, on the proviso that "no liquors were to be sold" on site. The rest of the cost was financed through donations by wealthy supporters, as well as one large individual donation. 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 A Roston Bourke's XI. The visitors were a scratch team from Holloway College and thus not registered with the Football Association. Reading were later fined £5 and suspended for playing against an unregistered team. The away team was named after Arthur Roston Bourke, honorary secretary of the Referees' Association. The match was abandoned due to torrential weather; Reading were leading 7–1 when the match ended. £44 was taken on the gate, with an attendance of approximately 2,500.
In 1908, the club's annual general meeting proposed moving to a new ground near Reading railway station. A board meeting the following year decided that the move would not be possible, as "there was no chance of a move to the ground near to the GWR railway stations due to the actions of the Great Western Railway".
As a result of Reading's relegation to Division Four after the 1982–83 season, the club was threatened with a merger with Oxford United – a move which would have seen the closure of Elm Park. The teams' merger and closure of the stadium was subsequently averted, and the following season saw Reading's promotion back to Division Three under the guidance of Ian Branfoot.
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