Reading’s home since 1998 still feels like the Madejski to most travelling fans, even after the Select Car Leasing naming deal. It sits just off Junction 11 of the M4 at Bennett Road, RG2 0FL — a modern bowl of 24,161 seats with three single-tier sides and a two-tier West Stand. Views are generally good; the stand is fairly steep, so you sit above the action rather than peering through heads.
Away supporters are housed in the South Stand, behind the goal nearest the West Stand. The usual blocks are R30–R32, entered via Gate 10. Typical allocation is a little over 2,000; for bigger games it can stretch towards the full 4,350 of the South Stand, and extra tickets sometimes go into the upper West corner (GU1–GU3, Gate 11). Wheelchair bays and companion seats for visitors sit in R30–R32, with accessible entry at Gate 10. There is a family pocket in the visiting end if you ask your club for those tickets — adults without children are not placed there.
Turnstiles usually open 90 minutes before kick-off. Tickets are scanned at the reader; if a gate sticks, look for the blue-jacketed fan support staff rather than forcing it. Cash is not taken anywhere on the campus — cards and contactless only, including Apple Pay and Google Pay. Kiosks on the visiting concourse open with the gates and shut after half-time. Expect the usual pies, burgers and hot drinks; lowered serving hatches help wheelchair users. Programmes are no longer sold on the day; the team sheet goes up on readingfc.co.uk about an hour before kick-off.
The stadium is all-seated and you are expected to stay in your seat. Stewards will help if you need to move because of a sightline or accessibility issue. Commentary headsets for visually impaired supporters can be booked in advance via [email protected]. Smoking is banned inside; if you step out at half-time, allow time to get back through security.
Getting there is straightforward by car but parking on site is limited and aimed first at disabled supporters and families with young children. Sat-nav RG2 0FL. The Holiday Inn on Basingstoke Road and The World Turned Upside Down a little further along are the nearest pubs that regularly welcome away fans. There is no dedicated away boozer in the town centre, which is a few miles north. Matchday buses run from Reading station; allow extra time after the final whistle. The Fan Zone outside the Sir John Madejski (East) Stand opens 90 minutes before kick-off and is usually open to both sets of supporters — Heineken and local ale Good Old Boy, plus a big screen for the early kick-off.
The West Stand is the main stand: dugouts, tunnel, hospitality boxes between the tiers, and the Voco hotel wrapped around the outside. Opposite, the East Stand is where much of the home noise lives and where the video screen sits in the south-east corner, so away fans have it in their eyeline. The Eamonn Dolan Stand behind the far goal is the family end, with a Fun Zone outside Gate 6. Club 1871 occupies the home half of the South Stand next to you and is allowed a safe-standing feel on that side.
Treat it as a functional, well-run new-build rather than a pub crawl ground. Arrive early if you want food before the rush, keep tickets on your phone ready, and follow the block signs once you are through Gate 10. The Royals’ staff are used to visiting crowds and the bowl itself is compact enough that even a modest away following can be heard.