Sponsoring something (or someone) is the act of supporting an event, activity, person, or organization financially or through the provision of products or services. The individual or group that provides the support, similar to a benefactor , is known as the sponsor .
91-814: The English Football League Championship , known simply as the Championship in England and for sponsorship purposes as Sky Bet Championship , is the highest division of the English Football League (EFL) and second-highest overall in the English football league system , after the Premier League , and is currently contested by 24 clubs. Introduced for the 2004–05 season as the Football League Championship ,
182-543: A 1–0 victory over Preston North End at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. The 2004–05 season saw the division announce a total attendance (including postseason) of 9.8 million, the fourth-highest total attendance for a European football division, behind the Premier League (12.88 million), Spain's La Liga (11.57 million) and Germany's Bundesliga (10.92 million). Additionally, Millwall , competing in
273-502: A cross-border league. Each season, the two top-finishing teams in the Championship are automatically promoted to the Premier League . The teams that finish the season in 3rd to 6th place enter a playoff tournament, with the winner also gaining promotion to the Premier League . The three lowest-finishing teams in the Championship are relegated to League One . The Championship is the wealthiest non-top-flight football division in
364-415: A much wider range of business objectives. For example, a sponsor buying the rights to a sports team or competition could achieve increased brand awareness through high profile signage, but might also use hospitality tickets for staff motivation programs or to host key trade customers. On-pack promotions could be linked to the sports property to create a much more compelling consumer proposition and to associate
455-454: A nine-game winless run. Two days later, on 23 March 2018, Paul Clement was appointed as Reading's new manager; the club finished the season in 20th place, avoiding relegation by three points. Clement was sacked on 6 December 2018 after poor results left the club outside of the relegation zone only on goal difference. He was replaced by José Gomes on 22 December, who steered the club away from relegation to finish 20th again. However, after
546-530: A planning application to extend the ground to between 37,000 and 38,000 seats. The application was made on 24 January 2007, proposing initially the extension of the East Stand with a further 6,000 seats (raising capacity to around 30,000) and subsequently extension of the North and South Stands to reach the full proposed capacity. On 24 May 2007, it was announced that planning permission had been granted to extend
637-506: A points deduction. Following the EFL's action, Reading fans groups united to launch a campaign, Sell Before We Dai, urging owner Dai Yongge to sell the club, calling his stewardship "an unmitigated disaster" and citing the club's "excruciating financial losses". On 28 July, the club was placed under another transfer embargo because of the unpaid taxes. On 2 August, Dai Yongge was reported to be seeking new investors to bring financial stability to
728-429: A poor run of results that ended with his sacking after a 6–1 away defeat to Birmingham City with Steve Clarke taking over the next day in the hope of a promotion push. However, a lack of goals and some poor form in the league meant the club faced some fears of relegation to League One, but safety was secured with few games to spare. Nonetheless, during that time, the club embarked on a successful FA Cup journey, reaching
819-545: A slow start to the 2019–20 season , Gomes was dismissed after less than a year in charge with the team in the relegation zone in October 2019. Sporting director Mark Bowen was promoted to the role as his replacement a week later and led the team to finish 14th before departing the club in August 2020. Former Chicago Fire boss Veljko Paunović was appointed manager on 29 August 2020. The team got off to an excellent start to
910-515: A sports event. Work by Cornwell and colleagues however, has shown that brands that don't have a logical match can still benefit, at least in terms of memory effects, if the sponsor articulates some rationale for the sponsorship to the audience. All sponsorship should be based on contractual obligations between the sponsor and the sponsored party. Sponsors and sponsored parties should set out clear terms and conditions with all other partners involved, to define their expectations regarding all aspects of
1001-403: A win, one for a draw, and zero for a loss. The teams are ranked in the league table by points gained, then goal difference, then goals scored, and then their head-to-head record for that season (including away goals record). If two or more teams finish the season equal in all these respects, then teams are separated by alphabetical order, unless a promotion, relegation, or play-off place (see below)
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#17327660692641092-449: A year and sellers report spending anywhere between 1–5 hours researching each company that is viewed as a potential prospect for sponsorship. These are the terms used by many sponsorship professionals, which refer to how a sponsor uses the benefits they are allocated under the terms of a sponsorship agreement. Leveraging has been defined by Weeks, Cornwell and Drennan (2008) as "the act of using collateral marketing communications to exploit
1183-444: Is a cash and/or in-kind fee paid to a property (typically in sports, arts, entertainment or causes) in return for access to the exploitable commercial potential associated with that property. While the sponsoree (property being sponsored) may be nonprofit, unlike philanthropy, sponsorship is done with the expectation of a commercial return. While sponsorship can deliver increased awareness, brand building and propensity to purchase, it
1274-509: Is a multibillion-pound industry. For example, Adidas became the sponsor and supplier of Manchester United's kit for ten seasons, in a 2014 deal with a guaranteed minimum value of £750 million (more than US$ 1.1 billion). As it has in most years over the past two-plus decades, sponsorship's growth rate will be ahead of the pace experienced by advertising and sales promotion, according to IEG. Reading F.C. Reading Football Club ( / ˈ r ɛ d ɪ ŋ / RED -ing )
1365-736: Is a professional football club based in Reading, Berkshire , England. They compete in EFL League One , the third level of the English football league system . They play their home matches at the Select Car Leasing Stadium . Reading are nicknamed The Royals , due to Reading's location in the Royal County of Berkshire , though they were previously known as The Biscuitmen , due to the town's association with biscuit maker Huntley & Palmers . Established in 1871,
1456-416: Is at stake, when the teams are separated by a play-off game, though this improbable situation has never arisen in all the years the rule has existed. At the end of the season, the top two teams and the winner of the Championship play-offs are promoted to the Premier League and the bottom three teams are relegated to EFL League One . The Football League Championship play-offs is a knock-out competition for
1547-463: Is different from advertising. Unlike advertising, sponsorship can not communicate specific product attributes. Nor can it stand alone, as sponsorship requires support elements. Proponents of sponsorship would, however, point to its unique position in the marketing mix. A sponsorship program can include all other marketing elements including advertising, promotions, merchandise, hospitality, PR and social media. This allows sponsorship to be used to address
1638-683: Is the largest source of sponsorship spending, with €26.44 million (US$ 29 million) in just the EU member states in 2014, followed by North America, the Asia Pacific region. Growth in Central and South America during 2010 did not materialize to the extent projected—3.8 percent versus a forecast of 5.7 percent—despite the FIFA World Cup and Olympic Games in Brazil in 2014 and 2016, respectively. With
1729-605: Is the second most-watched second-tier domestic sports league in the World, behind the German 2. Bundesliga (29,081), with an average of 23,048 spectators per game in the 2023–24 season. The Championship is the fifth most watched league in Europe. The highest average league attendance was in 2023–24 season, when 12.7 million fans attended Championship matches, at an average of 23,048 per game. The lowest average league attendance came in
1820-456: The 1987–88 Full Members' Cup and were one of only two Second Division clubs to lift the trophy, beating Luton Town 4–1 in the final at Wembley . The club's best performance in the FA Cup was reaching the semi-finals which they achieved twice: in 1926–27 and 2014–15 . The club played at Elm Park for 102 years, from 1896 to 1998. In 1998, the club moved to the new Madejski Stadium , which
1911-559: The 1998–99 season at the Madejski Stadium . It was opened on 22 August 1998 when Luton Town were beaten 3–0. The stadium cost more than £50 million to build. For the first time in its history, Reading Football Club participated in the Premier League in the 2006–07 season. As a result of the sell-out crowds for their first few fixtures of the season, the club announced their intention, in October 2006, to make
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#17327660692642002-478: The 2013–14 season and 2014–15 season the Marussia F1 logo was on the back of the shirts as part of a sponsorship deal between former Russian owner Anton Zingarevich and Russian owned Marussia F1 . This deal continued until the team entered administration in October 2014. The sponsorship deal ended despite the team surviving and racing in the 2015 Formula One season . During the 2015–16 season , Waitrose
2093-437: The 2020–21 season , winning seven of their first eight league games. However, the team's form faded after injuries to several key players and they eventually narrowly missed out of the play-offs, finishing seventh. On 17 November 2021 it was confirmed Reading would be deducted six points due to breaching the EFL's profitability and sustainability rules. Over five years, the club reported pre-tax losses of £146m, way beyond
2184-582: The 2022 FIFA World Cup held in Qatar . The league comprises 24 teams. Over the course of a season, which runs annually from August to the following May (in 2022, the year of a World Cup break in November and December, the league started in July), each team plays twice against the others in the league, once at 'home' and once 'away', resulting in each team competing in 46 games in total. Three points are awarded for
2275-421: The 2022–23 season . Dai Yongge was ordered to pay 125% of the club's forecast monthly wages into a designated account. Failure to comply, or not paying wages on time up to 30 June 2024, would activate the suspended penalty; the three-point deduction was applied on 13 September, and Dai Yongge faced a misconduct charge. On 13 January 2024, Reading's match against Port Vale was abandoned after home fans invaded
2366-567: The Premier League and the Championship play-off trophy. When Norwich City gained promotion to the Premier League they were the first team to be relegated to, relegated from, promoted to and promoted from the Championship. When Ipswich Town were promoted with 96 points they set a record for the most points for a second-placed team; beating a tie at 93 points between Burnley and Brighton & Hove Albion. For past winners at this level before 2004, see List of winners of English Football League Championship and predecessors The EFL Championship
2457-436: The play-offs , where they lost to Burnley in the semi-final. Manager Steve Coppell resigned just hours after the game, replaced by Brendan Rodgers . Rodgers left the club by mutual consent on 16 December 2009 and Brian McDermott made caretaker manager the same day. In the 2010–11 FA Cup , Reading reached the quarter-final, where they lost 1–0 to Manchester City at Etihad Stadium , Reading eventually finished fifth in
2548-533: The play-offs , losing 2–3 in the final against Walsall at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. Reading returned to Division One for 2002–03 after finishing runners-up in Division Two. The following season, they finished fourth in Division One and qualified for the play-offs , where they lost in the semi-final to Wolverhampton Wanderers . Pardew moved to West Ham United the following October and
2639-409: The "player" registered with squad number 13 as 'Reading Fans'. For the 2015–16 season , Reading had 12,983 season ticket holders – ranked 10th in the Championship and almost identical to former league champions Leeds United . The figure for that season was greater than the 12,552 recorded in the previous season, but down from the 2013–14 Championship peak of 14,547. The average attendance for
2730-554: The 2010 World Cup concluded, sponsorship activity should begin to heat up, thus the region is projected to be the fastest-growing source of sponsorship dollars outside North America, with a forecast growth rate of 5.6 percent for 2011. Relaxed television industry legislation surrounding product placement has led to a small but increasing rise in TV programming sponsorship in the UK. However, commercial sponsorship of British sports teams and players
2821-403: The 2013–14 season, when 9.1 million spectators watched at an average of 16,605 per game. The highest seasonal average for a club was 51,106 for Newcastle United in the 2016–17 season. Since the restructuring into the Championship in 2004, 57 teams have spent at least one season in the division, including 13 of the 20 teams in the 2024–25 Premier League . Cardiff City have spent the longest in
EFL Championship - Misplaced Pages Continue
2912-426: The 2015–16 season was 17,570 – the 10th highest in the Championship. Before going out of business in 1992, Aldershot were Reading's biggest rivals. Aldershot were, geographically, the closest Football League club to Reading. There was a strong rift between the two sets of fans, with fighting between fans occurring on several occasions. Strong feelings remain between fans of Reading and fans of Aldershot Town ,
3003-435: The Championship by finishing third and reaching the play-offs, where they beat Fulham on aggregate before facing Huddersfield Town in the final at Wembley where they lost on penalties following 0–0 draw after extra time. In 2017, Chinese investors Dai Yongge and Dai Xiu Li acquired the club. The team languished towards the bottom of the table for most of the 2017–18 season . On 21 March 2018, Stam resigned as manager after
3094-747: The Championship play-off final between Derby County and Queens Park Rangers saw the highest crowd for any Championship fixture – 87,348 witnessed a Bobby Zamora stoppage time winner for QPR to win promotion for the London club. For the 2016–17 season , the Football League was rebranded as the English Football League. The league had a cumulative attendance of more than 11 million – excluding play-off matches – with more than two million watching Newcastle United and Aston Villa home fixtures alone, both of whom had been relegated from
3185-474: The Championship that season, and would lose to fifth-place Blackpool in the play-off. Wigan Athletic became the second club to participate in the Europa League group stage after winning the 2013 FA Cup, only to accumulate one win and lose their last three group matches. On 18 July 2013, UK bookmaker Sky Bet announced that they had signed a five-year agreement to sponsor the league. On 24 May 2014,
3276-445: The Championship the most times on five occasions, with Wigan Athletic having been relegated the second-most times on four occasions and two teams ( Barnsley and Charlton Athletic ) having been relegated on three occasions. 14 teams have been both promoted out of and relegated from the Championship. Key [REDACTED] Media related to Football League Championship at Wikimedia Commons Sponsor (commercial) Sponsorship
3367-445: The Championship to qualify for the division's play-offs . After beating Cardiff City in the semi-finals, they lost 4–2 to Swansea City in the final at Wembley . In the 2011–12 season , a streak of good form in the second half of the season, ensured promotion back to the Premier League on 17 April 2012 with 1–0 home win against Nottingham Forest . On 21 January 2012 it was reported that Madejski planned to relinquish control of
3458-583: The Championship; the most of any team. There have been 13 different winners of the EFL Championship, with seven teams ( Burnley , Leicester City , Newcastle United , Norwich City, Reading , Sunderland and Wolverhampton Wanderers ) having won it twice. Burnley and Norwich City have been promoted out of the Championship on four occasions, with five teams ( Fulham , Hull City , Sheffield United, Watford , West Brom ) having been promoted on three occasions. Rotherham United have been relegated from
3549-525: The EFL's limit of a £13m annual pre-tax loss. In 2021, the club spent 234% of its revenue on player wages. Following a 3–2 away victory over Preston North End in February 2022, manager Veljko Paunović left by mutual consent, with Paul Ince being placed in interim charge of the team alongside academy manager Michael Gilkes . On 16 May, Ince became the team's permanent manager, with Mark Bowen returning as head of football operations. On 1 March 2023,
3640-454: The Premier League in the previous season. This was included in the highest crowds for the second to fourth tier in England since the 1958–59 season . Newcastle won the title in 2016–17, while Aston Villa finished 13th, eventually returning to the Premier League in 2019. On 13 March 2020, Championship play was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic , with a suspension lasting until 4 April. It
3731-459: The Seagulls made the playoffs at Reading's expense. The 2014–15 pre-season saw further arrivals of Jamie Mackie on loan, Oliver Norwood and the return of Simon Cox . The club was under a high threat of administration , causing departures of Sean Morrison and Adam Le Fondre and a Thai consortium taking over the club. A good start to Nigel Adkins' second season in charge was followed by
EFL Championship - Misplaced Pages Continue
3822-658: The Stadium Manager. In 1930, the Reading Football Supporters’ Club (RFSC) was formed to represent the interests of supporters of the club and to assist in raising funds for the football club. On 18 March 2002, the Supporters' Trust at Reading become the official successor to the RFSC. In 2001, Reading became the first football club to register their fans as an official member of their squad, giving
3913-871: The Taylor requirements, though converting Elm Park to an all-seater stadium would have been impractical. Instead, a location in Smallmead (to the south of the town) was identified as the site for a new stadium. The former council landfill site was bought for £1, with further conditions that the development of the stadium would include part-funding of the A33 relief road . Expansion of the club's home would also allow alternative commercial ventures (particularly leisure facilities) and shared use with other teams (such as rugby union clubs Richmond and London Irish ). The last competitive match at Elm Park took place on 3 May 1998 against Norwich City , with Reading losing 1–0. Reading began
4004-498: The average temperature for a single year since Reading's foundation to raise awareness for climate change, the shirt itself being made of recycled plastic bottles. The club played at Reading Recreation Ground until 1878, before moving on to Reading Cricket Ground (1878–1882), Coley Park (1882–1889) and Caversham Cricket Ground (1889–1896). 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]
4095-620: The bottom half of Division One. Their successor, Terry Bullivant , lasted less than a season before being sacked in March 1998. Reading were relegated back to Division Two at the end of the 1997–98 season. The year 1998 also saw Reading move into the new 24,200 all-seater Madejski Stadium , named after chairman John Madejski. Tommy Burns had taken over from Terry Bullivant but lasted just 18 months before being replaced by Alan Pardew , who had previously been reserve team manager before being released. The club finished third in 2000–01 qualifying for
4186-415: The brand can evoke these associations, influencing consumer perceptions and behaviors. Cornwell, Weeks and Roy (2005) have published an extensive review of the theories so far used to explain commercial sponsorship effects. One of the most pervasive findings in sponsorship is that the best effects are achieved where there is a logical match between the sponsor and sponsoree, such as a sports brand sponsoring
4277-474: The brand directly with a sports property which has much greater image attributes than the sponsoring brand. Various psychological and communication theories have been employed to elucidate the mechanisms by which commercial sponsorship influences consumer audiences. Many theories posit that sponsorship creates a cognitive link between a brand (sponsor) and an event (sponsoree), leading to the formation of event-linked associations in memory. Consequently, thinking of
4368-518: The club by selling a 51% stake for £40 million to Thames Sports Investments, a Russian consortium headed by Anton Zingarevich . As part of the deal, Madejski would continue as chairman before becoming honorary life president. Madejski's ownership of the club ended on 29 May 2012. McDermott led Reading to their first Premier League win of the 2012–13 season on 17 November 2012 at their 11th attempt, defeating Everton 2–1 at home. On 11 March 2013, however, he left his position at Reading. Nigel Adkins
4459-417: The club held fixtures at Reading Cricket Ground, Coley Park and Caversham Cricket Ground. The switch to professionalism in 1895 resulted in the need for a bigger ground and, to this end, the club moved again, to the purpose-built Elm Park on 5 September 1896. In 1913, Reading had a successful tour of Italy, prompting the leading sports newspaper Corriere della Sera to write, "Without doubt, Reading FC are
4550-490: The club is one of the oldest teams in England, but did not join The Football League until 1920, and first played in the top tier of English football league system in the 2006–07 season . The club competed in the 2012–13 Premier League season, having gained promotion at the end of the 2011–12 season after winning the Championship , but were relegated after just one season back in the top flight. Reading won
4641-471: The club. Meanwhile, on 26 June 2023, Reading announced the provisional appointment of Rubén Sellés as their new manager, confirmed on 14 July, after his visa application was successful. On 16 August 2023, after one win and two defeats in their opening three league fixtures, Reading had a point deducted (their third deduction in three consecutive seasons), and a further three-point deduction suspended, for its failures to pay players fully and on time during
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#17327660692644732-650: The commercial potential of the association between a sponsor and sponsee" while activation has been defined as those "communications that promote the engagement, involvement, or participation of the sponsorship audience with the sponsor." Money spent on activation is over and above the rights fee paid to the sponsored property and is often far greater than the cost of the rights fee." IEG projects spending on sponsorship globally to grow 4.5 percent in 2018 to $ 65.8 billion, including $ 24.2 billion in North America alone (a 4.5% increase from $ 24.1 billion in 2017). Europe
4823-503: The crest used the new kit colours of yellow, sky blue, royal blue and white. A brief return to a design based on the 1981 crest was reintroduced for the 1996–97 and 1997–98 seasons. Commenting on the need for a new crest to coincide with the move to the Madejski Stadium, as well as moving into the new millennium, Sir John Madejski said: "I know some traditionalists will say we should keep the old badge but they should bear in mind
4914-582: The division is a rebrand of the former Football League First Division , which itself is a rebrand of the now-defunct Football League Second Division prior to the 1992 launch of the Premier League . The winning club of this division each season receives the EFL Championship trophy, which was the previous trophy awarded to the winners of the English top-flight prior to the launch of the Premier League. As with other divisions of professional English football, Welsh clubs can be part of this division, thus making it
5005-700: The end of the 2012–13 season, the Football League Championship was known as the Npower Championship . Crystal Palace became the second Championship club to enter administration in 2010. After winning the 2011 League Cup final , Birmingham City became the first Championship club to compete in the group stage of the UEFA Cup/Europa League , finishing third in the group, only one point behind Portuguese club Braga . Birmingham City eventually finished fourth in
5096-486: The final Division One table – only to be denied automatic promotion because of the streamlining of the Premier League, from 22 teams to 20. In 1995, Reading had eased past Tranmere Rovers in the play-off semi-finals and looked to have booked their place in the Premier League only to lose 4–3 against Bolton Wanderers in the final having been 2–0 up and missed a penalty at half-time . Quinn and Gooding's contracts were not renewed two years later after Reading had slid into
5187-940: The finest foreign team seen in Italy". Reading were elected to the Football League Third Division South of the Football League in 1920. Reading's best performance in the FA Cup came in 1926–27 when they lost to eventual winners Cardiff City at Wolverhampton in the semi-final, a placement the club would not match again until 2015, when they lost to holders Arsenal in the semi-final. Reading lost their place in Division Two in May 1931, and remained in Third Division South until
5278-577: The highest number of points gained in a professional league season: 106 points in the 2005–06 Football League Championship campaign. Reading then achieved their highest finish of eighth in the 2006–07 Premier League , their first season as a top flight club. Reading were formed on 25 December 1871, following a public meeting at the Bridge Street Rooms organised by Joseph Edward Sydenham, who would go on to be club secretary. The early matches were played at Reading Recreation Ground, and later
5369-458: The inaugural Championship season, qualified for the UEFA Cup , only to lose in the first qualifying round. In the 2005–06 season , Reading broke the Football League points record for a season, finishing with 106 points, exceeding the record of 105 set by Sunderland in 1999. Sunderland won their second Championship title in the 2006–07 season , after being relegated from the top division
5460-449: The league are Leicester City . Sunderland won the league in the first season since rebranding, with Wigan Athletic finishing second to win promotion to the top flight of English football for the first time in their history. They had only been elected to the Football League in 1978 playing in the fourth tier as recently as 1994 before their promotion. West Ham United won the first Championship play-off final that season, following
5551-403: The league with 19 seasons. The 15-season spell for Ipswich Town between 2004 and 2019 is the longest consecutive spell of any team in the division. The teams with the current longest tenure are Bristol City , Preston North End and Queens Park Rangers , who will each have their tenth consecutive season as a Championship team in the 2024–25 season . Norwich City has had six separate spells in
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#17327660692645642-457: The longest tenure in this division, having last been absent in the 2014–15 season . Barnsley became the first club to attain 1,000 wins in second-tier English league football with a 2–1 home victory over Coventry City on 3 January 2011. They also became the first club to play 3,000 games in second-level English league football following another 2–1 home victory, this time against Brighton & Hove Albion on 12 March 2013 The current champions of
5733-500: The management of Ian Branfoot , but were relegated back to the Third Division in 1988. The appointment of Mark McGhee as player-manager, shortly after the takeover by John Madejski , in 1991 saw Reading move forward. They were crowned champions of the new Division Two in 1994. Thirty-five-year-old striker Jimmy Quinn was put in charge of the first team alongside midfielder Mick Gooding and guided Reading to runners-up in
5824-613: 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". In 1994, the Taylor Report made an all-seater stadium compulsory in the top two divisions (the Premier League and the first division). Reading were champions of the second division in 1994, and were promoted to the first division. Reading became subject to
5915-536: The need to move forward." The current crest was first seen on the kits for the 1998–99 season . It is based on the club colours—blue and white—and includes a crown to represent the Royal County of Berkshire and the Maiwand Lion to represent Reading. The club's home kit for the 2022–23 season saw University of Reading 's Ed Hawkins' stripe design included on the sleeves with the stripes representing
6006-501: The newly branded Premier League , last being in the Football League First Division in 1976. On 30 September 2009, Coca-Cola announced they would end their sponsorship deal with the Football League, which began in 2004, at the end of the 2009–10 season . On 16 March 2010, npower were announced as the new title sponsors of the Football League, and from the start of the 2010–11 Football League season until
6097-610: The outbreak of World War II . The club won the Southern Section Cup, beating Bristol City in the two-legged final in 1938, and when taking part in the regional London War League and Cup competitions, gained another honour by beating Brentford in the London War Cup Final of 1941 by 3–2 at Stamford Bridge . When League football resumed after the war, Reading quickly came to prominence once again. The club's record victory, 10–2 versus Crystal Palace ,
6188-501: The pitch to protest about Yongge's ownership of the club. On 27 February 2024, Reading received their second points deduction of the season, being docked two more points by the EFL after failing to make HMRC payments within an 80-day limit. The deduction left the club three points above the relegation places. At the end of April 2024, the club finished the League One season in 17th position. The ongoing financial difficulties caused
6279-451: The play-off to Fulham the previous year. On 29 May 2022, Nottingham Forest , having been in the Championship for 14 consecutive seasons, ended their 23-year absence from the top flight by beating Huddersfield Town in the play-off final, after being last in the league as late as round 8 of the 2021–22 season. The EFL Championship took a unique four-week break in November and December 2022 to allow for players to join their national teams at
6370-507: The previous season. On 4 May 2007, Leeds United became the first side since the re-branding of the division to enter administration; they were deducted 10 points and were relegated as a result. On 28 May 2007, Derby County won the first Championship play-off final at the new Wembley Stadium , beating West Bromwich Albion 1–0. West Brom would go on to win the Championship in the following season. Burnley , who finished fifth in 2009, defeated Sheffield United to earn their first season in
6461-529: The refounded club in Aldershot . Aldershot Town were promoted into the Football League in 2008, but the clubs haven't met in a competitive match since the demise of the original club. Aldershot were relegated out of the league in 2013, having entered administration, reducing the chances of a competitive meeting between the two sides in the near future. Since Aldershot's exile, Reading's main local rivalries have been with Oxford United and Swindon Town . When
6552-521: 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
6643-573: The season in eighth place with 55 points. Reading turned down the chance to play in the UEFA Intertoto Cup . In the run up to their second season in the Premier League, Reading took part in the 2007 Peace Cup in South Korea. This second season was less successful, however, and Reading were relegated back to the Championship. Reading started the 2008–09 season with a 15 match unbeaten home run. They finished fourth and qualify for
6734-462: The season. The club was relegated from the Championship on 4 May 2023 after 10 years in the second tier . Without the six point deduction, Reading would have finished on 50 points, escaping relegation. In June 2023, Reading were charged by the EFL with failing to pay their players on time and in full, in October and November 2022, and April 2023, and with non-payment of taxes - charges that meant Reading started their 2023–24 League One season with
6825-446: The semi-final where they lost 2–1 to Arsenal at Wembley. The following season saw the club bring in many players in the hopes of gaining promotion, but the club finished 17th. In the summer leading up to the 2016–17 season the club announced the departure of Brian McDermott and eventually he was to be replaced by former Manchester United defender Jaap Stam . Under Stam, Reading achieved their highest finish since relegation back to
6916-402: The sponsorship deal. Sponsorship should be recognisable as such. The terms and conduct of sponsorship should be based upon the principle of good faith between all parties to the sponsorship. There should be clarity regarding the specific rights being sold and confirmation that these are available for sponsorship from the rights holder. Sponsored parties should have the absolute right to decide on
7007-632: The stadium to a capacity of 36,900. On 5 July 2016, at the end of Eamonn Dolan 's funeral, Reading announced that the North Stand would be renamed the Eamonn Dolan Stand. During the 2019–20 season Reading moved to a new training ground at Bearwood Golf Club to replace Hogwood Park, their previous training facility. In March 2024, owner Dai Yongge agreed to sell the Bearwood Park training ground to Wycombe Wanderers, claiming it
7098-406: The team was reported to be facing another six-point deduction for breaching profitability and sustainability rules. The club accepted the penalty on 4 April 2023, enforced with immediate effect. A week later, on 11 April, Ince left after a run of eight games without a win, leaving the club in 22nd place, one point from safety. Under-21 manager Noel Hunt was placed in interim charge until the end of
7189-407: The teams finishing the season in third to sixth place with the winner being promoted to the Premier League. In the play-offs, the third-placed team plays against the sixth-placed team and the fourth-placed team plays against the fifth-placed team in two-legged semi-finals (home and away). The winners of each semi-final then compete in a single match at Wembley Stadium with the prize being promotion to
7280-500: The three teams had shared a division, their rivalry was referred to as the "Didcot Triangle". However, the rivalry between Oxford and Swindon is stronger than between either of the two and Reading, largely due to them both spending their recent history in lower divisions than Reading, and spending their previous history in higher divisions than Reading. In 2012, a small survey showed that Reading's main rivals were Aldershot Town, followed by Swindon Town and Oxford United . During
7371-450: The value of the sponsorship rights that they are offering and the appropriateness of the sponsor with whom they contract. The sales cycle for selling sponsors is often a lengthy process that consists of researching prospects, creating tailored proposals based on a company's business objectives, finding the right contacts at a company, getting buy-in from multiple constituencies and finally negotiating benefits/price. Some sales can take up to
7462-547: The women's team to withdraw from the Women's Championship on 30 June. An attempted takeover by former Wycombe Wanderers owner Rob Couhig collapsed in September 2024. The first crest to appear on a Reading kit was in 1953, it featured just the letter "R". There was no crest seen again until 1981 when there was a crest featuring three elm trees and the rivers Thames and Kennet ; this only lasted two seasons. From 1987 to 1996
7553-488: The world, the ninth-richest division in Europe , and the 12th best-attended division in world football (with the second highest per-match attendance of any secondary league – after the German 2.Bundesliga ). Its average match attendance for the 2022–23 season was 18,787. Cardiff City have spent more seasons in this division than any other team, and Bristol City , Preston North End and Queens Park Rangers currently hold
7644-417: Was identified as the site. 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. £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
7735-484: Was named after the club's former chairman Sir John Madejski . In 2021, the club announced that the ground would be known as the Select Car Leasing Stadium for the subsequent decade for sponsorship reasons. The club holds the record for the number of successive league wins at the start of a season, with a total of 13 wins at the start of the 1985–86 Third Division campaign and also the record for
7826-418: Was necessary to fund the club's short-term future while trying to sell the club. In July 2021, at the beginning of the club's 150th anniversary season, it was announced that the Madejski Stadium had been rebranded as the Select Car Leasing Stadium for the next ten years. In honour of Sir John Madejski, the East Stand was renamed as The Sir John Madejski Stand . Since 2023, Graham Griffin has been acting as
7917-406: Was on the back of the home shirt whilst Euro Cake was on the back of the away shirt, meanwhile Legend Alliance sponsored the shorts for the season. Waitrose and Euro Cake sponsored the home and away kits respectively again for the 2016–17 season . Cherwell Software took sponsorship of the back of the home shirt for the 2017–18 season while Euro Cake sponsored the back of the away shirt again for
8008-607: Was recorded in September 1946, and Reading twice finished runners-up in the Third (South), in 1948–49 and 1951–52, but they were denied a return to Division Two as only the champions were promoted. The side's moment of cup glory came in 1988 when they won the Simod Cup , beating a number of top-flight sides en route to their Wembley win over Luton Town . Reading were promoted to the Second Division as champions in 1986 under
8099-401: Was replaced by Steve Coppell . Reading won the 2005–06 Championship with a league record 106 points, scoring 99 goals and losing only twice. They were promoted to English football's top division for the first time in their history. The 2006–07 season saw Reading make their first appearance in the top flight of English football. Reading defied pre-season predictions of relegation to finish
8190-545: Was then appointed as manager, though he was unable to save them from relegation after drawing Queens Park Rangers 0–0 on 28 April 2013 at Loftus Road . The following season back in the Championship saw Reading make two high-profile signings in Wayne Bridge and Royston Drenthe in hope of an immediate return to the Premier League. Reading, however, missed out on the playoffs because of a last minute winner from Brighton & Hove Albion's Leonardo Ulloa , which meant
8281-480: Was then extended to the end of April, with the league eventually restarting on 20 June. Leeds United were confirmed as champions on 17 July 2020, being promoted to the Premier League for the first time in 16 years. Brentford , having been in League Two in 2009 and gaining promotion to the Championship five years later, were promoted following a play-off victory against Swansea City on 29 May 2021, after losing
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