In August the Club published a new book, 'A Decade Of Dreams', to celebrate our first ten years at Madejski Stadium - and every week here at readingfc.co.uk we are exclusively serialising extracts.
Today's excerpt is taken from Chapter Eight, which provides a detailed account of the Club's behind-the-scenes preparations for their first ever season in the top flight in the summer of 2006.
The 256-page fully illustrated hardback book is available now in the Madejski Stadium Megastore, by mail order on 0118 907 0372 and in our online shop here.
Chapter Eight - Into The Big Time
The pitch was relaid and grass regrown, North and South Stand concourse refreshment kiosks were extended to accommodate for full houses, and the previously red ash-coloured running track circling the pitch was recoated in royal blue. The dugouts housed brand new Recaro seats and the players' tunnel was adorned with a new photo montage celebrating the Royals' achievements of the previous season. The RFC crest was also written into the floor for the players to step onto before running out under a new extendable tunnel canopy.
Wage bills almost tripled as bonuses and promotion clauses kicked in but, after becoming part of the worldwide television rights deal sold by the Premier League, the club's finances were able to cope and more structural changes to a now non-smoking Madejski Stadium included a grand brand new reception area. Further plans included a renovation of the previously fairly basic Hogwood Park training ground - a gymnasium was installed in a marquee, dressing rooms were rejuvenated, a press portakabin appeared for pre-match press conferences, landscaping of the grounds began, a dining facility was upgraded, and plans were actioned to relocate some of the Club's football-based administration staff to permanent offices at the training ground. An automatic blue entrance gate was also erected, with every player given key fobs that would 'open sesame' upon arrival every morning.
Elsewhere, the matchday programme added 50p to its price tag by growing to 84 pages, and the press gantry grew too - provision for more seats was made at the top of the Upper West stand and overflow seating was allocated to account for the increased interest in Reading's football and footballers. Mini-video screens were installed to play replays in the gantry, ensuring no journalist had any excuse for misidentifying a goalscorer or wrongly reporting an assist. A new Media Suite was created at ground level, while photographers' movements were restricted as two layers of perimeter advertising took priority in view of the TV cameras.
A section was set aside for the erection of a temporary Sky Sports studio next to the video screen in the South Stand, and a full time press officer, Simon Heggie, was added to the staff, helping the Club's media department to cope with the heightened global media interest and a sudden but seemingly endless influx of interview requests for our previously little-known players.
To capitalise on the Club's growth a new women's team was launched and, with the Princess Suite upgraded and most of the hospitality areas re-carpeted and re-decorated, a new hospitality suite was born - the 106 Club named after the record-breaking number of points the Royals had amassed in 2005/6.
It was all becoming very real. Suddenly you could pick Reading players in your Fantasy League and sticker book collections. Reading's name moved into the Premier League category on Ceefax and the BBC's website, while the badge soon appeared alongside the others in all the Premier League branding. A newly re-modelled ticket office soon sold out of their full allocation of season-long seats as the maximum quota of 18,000 season tickets was fast snapped up. A change in emphasis tried to persuade more fans to buy their tickets online and the Royalty Points system continued to control the obvious demand for tickets.
Meanwhile, security was being tightened: the players were allocated a special secure parking compound in Car Park 3; matchday wristbands were given only to staff who needed tunnel access, and matchday hospitality guests were introduced to a new swipe-in system. A Premier League requirement led to a secure coach compound for visiting teams being introduced outside the players' entrance and solid panels were put in place to discourage crowds from building up and avoid overspill into the roads. Kitchens were upgraded and extended, an 'urban traffic control' system was installed in the control room to aid traffic management on the A33 and new matchday bus services were introduced. Most poignantly perhaps - the trophy cabinet had to be made bigger!
No wonder that Stadium Manager Ray Booth recalls, "I remember being a bit busy!"
Read the full story in 'A Decade Of Dreams', available now in the Madejski Stadium Megastore, by mail order on 0118 907 0372 and in our online shop here.
