Key facts
| Address | Reading, Berkshire, England |
| Capacity | 14,800 seats |
| Build Date | 1896 |
| Demolished | 1998 |
| Record Attendance | 33,042 |
Description
It used to be located in Reading, the UK. From 1896 for more than one hundred years, it was Reading’s home ground. In 1998, the club, finally, moved to the newly built stadium.
The very first sports event took place on the ground in 1896. It was a match between the local team and a former football club A. Roston Bourke’s XI. It had to be stopped due to bad weather conditions. However, the home team was winning with the score of 7–1 when the match had to be interrupted. The match was visited by about 2,500 people.
The record attendance of about 33,000 people was noted in 1927 during the games of Brentford against the home team, which resulted in the victory of Reading with a score of 1–0.
In the 1980s, the venue was under the risk of demolishing due to the possible merger of the home team with another club. However, this did not happen.
The stadium had four stands. Both the North and South stand featured a roof, but the first one had only seats while the other one featured only standing places. The other two stands were terraces with no roofs. Away supports could use the East Stand. Several places were also dedicated for them at the North stand.
After the club’s promotion in 1994, Elm Park had to be rebuilt to an all-seater venue to match the requirements of the Taylor Report. However, it was decided to build a new stadium instead, and the town of Smallmead was chosen for this purpose. In 1998, the last game was played at the stadium. It was a match between the home team and Norwich City.
FAQ
Elm Park was opened in 1896 as the home ground of Reading Football Club.
The stadium was named after Elm Park Road, which ran alongside the ground.
Reading FC used Elm Park as their home ground for 102 years, from 1896 until 1998.
At its peak, Elm Park could hold around 33,000 spectators. However, by the time it closed, the capacity had been reduced to approximately 15,000 due to safety regulations.
Reading FC left Elm Park in 1998 because the stadium was becoming outdated and couldn’t be expanded or modernized to meet the club’s ambitions. They moved to the newly built Madejski Stadium.
After Reading FC moved out, Elm Park was demolished in 2000. The site was later redeveloped for housing.
