📣 The fans are back! How you can be here to back the boys and make some noise!

Read how you can purchase your ticket for next weekend’s clash against Nottingham Forest…

When we host Nottingham Forest on Saturday 5th December, we can welcome 2,000 supporters into the stands. It’s not going to be quite the same…for sure. But football without fans has been tough for everyone, so we’re delighted to be able to welcome some of you back.

Demand for tickets will outweigh the number we are able to sell. So below we have set out the selling criteria and timescales for our meeting with Forest, as well as some of the other details about the protocol which will be in place and how the Madejski Stadium matchday experience will differ to what our fans are used to.

Our capacity 🏟️

Following our region falling into Tier 2 of the government’s COVID-19 level of restrictions categorisation, we will be able to sell a maximum of 2,000 tickets to our home fixture against Nottingham Forest on Saturday 5^th December, 12.30pm, and for both men’s and women’s home fixtures going forward.

Madejski Stadium will open. Although it will not open all four of its stands to supporters. Instead, we will open the East Stand to our fans while numbers are restricted to a total of 2,000.

How priority status will work for limited-capacity matches 🧣

For limited-capacity matches, demand for tickets will significantly outweigh the number of tickets available. As we communicated when we went on sale with Season Ticket retainers, tickets for these fixtures will go on sale to supporters in an order of priority.

Firstly, renewing Season Ticket holders from 2019-20 who paid their 2020-21 retainer deposit before the initial 2^nd October deadline.

Then, in the unlikely event that any remaining tickets are still be available to purchase, those who renewed their Season Tickets by paying their retainer deposit after the initial 2^nd October 2nd deadline will be able to purchase tickets.

And finally, any new Season Ticket holders who signed up for the 2020-21 campaign would then be eligible to purchase a ticket.

All tickets for these games will be priced at the pro-rata East Stand rate relating to the age category of the Season Ticket holder.

With capacity so significantly reduced at the start of the return of supporters, on-sale timings for priority groups will be subdivided dependent on number of Loyalty Points accrued (see below).

How you can buy a ticket for Nottingham Forest (h) on  Saturday 5th December, 12.30pm 🌳

All tickets will go on sale on a loyalty point basis, rewarding our most loyal supporters as a priority.

Therefore, tickets for the Nottingham Forest (h) game on Saturday 5th December, 12.30pm will go on sale as follows:

• Tuesday 1st December, 10am: Renewing ST holders who paid their deposit by Oct 2nd deadline, with 4,100+ points
• Wednesday 2nd December, 10am: Renewing ST holders who paid their deposit by Oct 2nd deadline, with 3,000+ points
• Wednesday 2nd December, 2pm: All renewing ST holders who paid their deposit by Oct 2nd deadline

Ticket prices 😍

Supporters who are successful in purchasing a ticket for these matches will be charged the pro rata East Stand price according to their age category.

Remember, your ‘retainer fee’ paid as part of your renewal process earlier this season will be discounted from the remaining balance that is calculated when full capacity is once again possible. But in paying that retainer fee, it not only makes you eligible to purchase tickets for these limited-capacity matches, but tickets can be purchased at the discounted East Stand Season Ticket Holder pro rata price.

So, for example, an Adult East Stand Season Ticket Holder will be eligible to buy a ticket for these games for £16.30 per match. A South Stand fan aged between 18-24 who paid the fee to retain his/her Season Ticket meanwhile, will be eligible to purchase a ticket for our meeting with Nottingham Forest for the East Stand ST rate of just £5.65.

Supporters who applied for a credit on their 2019-20 Season Ticket can use any remaining balance to pay for their tickets.

The following three home fixtures in December 📆

Subject to any change in the government guidance or any alteration in the tiering system for the town of Reading, we will also be going on sale with tickets for our next home game against Birmingham City this week.

These tickets will be made available on the following criteria:

Birmingham City (h) | Wednesday 9th December | Kick-off 7.45pm 🔵

• Thursday 3rd December, 10am: Renewing ST holders who paid their deposit by Oct 2nd deadline and who did not purchase a ticket for the Nottingham Forest fixture
  
  
• Friday 4th December, 10am: Renewing ST holders who paid their deposit by Oct 2nd deadline and who did purchase a ticket for the Nottingham Forest fixture

It is unlikely that there will be sufficient tickets under Tier 2 restrictions to make available to Season Ticket holders who renewed after the October 2nd deadline or who made a deposit on a new Season Ticket for 2020-21.

Norwich City (h) | Wednesday 16th December | Kick-off 7.45pm 💛
Tickets will be sold to supporters based on a review of the process following the first two fixtures and may differ depending on the local area’s COVID-19 tiering. More information will follow in due course.

Luton Town (h) | Boxing Day | Kick-off 3pm 🎩
Tickets will be sold to supporters based on a review of the process following the first two fixtures and may differ depending on the local area’s COVID-19 tiering. More information will follow in due course.

You can also purchase tickets to watch Reading FC Women… 🏃‍♀️

Kelly Chambers’ side play at Madejski Stadium twice in December and both FAWSL games will be sold to fans on a first come, first served basis.

These tickets are available on general sale, however each supporter ID will be limited to one ticket per person.

Bristol City Women (h) | Sunday 6^th December | 2pm 🔴
Tickets for this fixture will be on general sale from 10am on Tuesday 1st December.

Manchester United (h) | Sunday 13^th December | 12.30pm 😈
Tickets for this fixture will also be on sale soon with selling criteria still to be confirmed.

Our Under-18s are also due to host Aston Villa at Madejski Stadium in the FA Youth Cup on Friday 11^th December. However, we are not intending to open the stadium to supporters for this one-off fixture. We will aim to provide a free live stream of the cup tie for all our supporters to watch via the club’s YouTube channel.

How to buy 🖱️

The quickest and easiest way of purchasing your ticket for these games is online. You can access your Royals Account at any time by visiting ticketing.readingfc.co.uk where the matches will be available to purchase when they go on sale from Tuesday.

If you are not signed up for a Royals Account, we would strongly encourage you to do so…it is the most convenient way of purchasing tickets for matches, whether that be in the current limited-capacity situation or ahead of a full capacity matchday at the Madejski.

Our Ticket Office phone line (via 0118 968 1313) will be open from 10am-5pm, Monday to Friday. However, we would like to encourage as many supporters to purchase online as these lines will be largely reserved for any disabled supporter tickets and for those fans who need assistance in accessing their Royals  Account.

There will be no ‘in person’ sales at Madejski Stadium. If you have any queries relating to how to purchase your ticket, please contact sales@readingfc.co.uk.

How you will physically get your ticket 🎟️

Loading match tickets onto fans’ Season Ticket cards will not be possible for these fixtures. So you will need to come to the stadium with a physical ticket in your hand.

When you have purchased your ticket, we would recommend supporters choose the ‘Print at Home’ option. This will mean you have your ticket instantly and you will not need to pay a booking fee to cover postage costs.

Alternatively, we can issue paper tickets to supporters and post them to your home address. As mentioned, this method will incur a £1.50 booking fee per transaction, so ‘Print at Home’ is the most convenient and cost-effective option.

There will be no ticket collections available in advance nor on the day of the game.

Not a Season Ticket Holder? 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

You can be. All fans are still able to sign up for a 2020-21 Season Ticket by paying a retainer fee which will be discounted from your Season Ticket price when full maximum capacity is again permissible and Season Tickets become valid.

It is important to note that supporters who retained their Season Ticket before the initial October deadline will receive priority for tickets during this period of limited-capacity fixtures.

However, by retaining your Season Ticket you become eligible for tickets as and when the permitted capacities within stadia is increased and the restrictions are relaxed by the government.

Car parking and travel 🚗

In line with government guidelines, we would like to encourage as many of our supporters to travel to the game by car.

Parking will not be available to purchase on the day, so supporters who wish to park at the Stadium should purchase their parking at the time of booking their tickets. Parking permits will be sent to supporters in advance of the match.

Upon arrival at Madejski Stadium, drivers will be required to show their parking permit to a socially distanced steward to be admitted to the car park.

There will be no designated football bus service nor Park and Ride options for this weekend’s game against Nottingham Forest.

The nearest public transport options are Service 6 and 6a from Reading Town Centre, followed by a 17-minute walk via Bennett Road to Madejski Stadium or Service 50 from Green Park to/from Central Reading, followed by a 14-minute walk from Lime Square to Madejski Stadium. It as worth noting that all bus services are running at a maximum of 50% capacity. Therefore, we would still encourage all supporters to travel by car if possible.

Other important information about your ticket 📝

Unfortunately, you won’t necessarily be able to sit in your normal seat for these limited-attendance fixtures. The seating plan within the East Stand is being designed to adhere to social distancing guidelines – so every supporter will sit a minimum of 1m apart with every other seat sold in any single row, to create a chess board-like chequered pattern across the stand. 

Tickets will be sold one per person to those who qualify based on our sales criteria. There will be no bubble restrictions in place as every seat will be distanced a minimum of 1m apart from another.

Disabled supporters who qualify for a ticket and require a personal assistant ticket will need to phone 0118 968 1313 and select option 2.

Tickets purchased are strictly non-transferrable and no age category upgrades will be possible. And, once purchased, tickets are not refundable.

Supporters should expect random ID checks at the turnstiles to ensure the name on ticket is in possession of the correct supporter. So please be patient, understanding, and accommodating of this process – it is important that we know who has been admitted to the stadium bowl for track and trace purposes.

When purchasing your ticket, all supporters will be asked to read and confirm they have understood a code of conduct.

Although group ticket purchases do not need to be restricted to your social or family bubble, we would encourage it where possible and you should adhere to government guidance and avoid travelling in the same car with supporters outside of your bubble. We also strongly advise that any supporter, who qualifies for a ticket within the selling criteria but who lives in an area currently under Tier 3 restrictions should not purchase a ticket to the match.

There will be no sales on the day of the game. 

Any questions? Perhaps we have answered them on our updated Frequently Asked Questions section on the website? Take a look.