{"id":4780,"date":"2012-03-23T04:55:57","date_gmt":"2012-03-23T04:55:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.stadiumguide.com\/?p=4780"},"modified":"2017-04-14T16:25:50","modified_gmt":"2017-04-14T16:25:50","slug":"madejski","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stadiumguide.com\/madejski\/","title":{"rendered":"Madejski Stadium"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Madejski<\/p>\n

Key facts<\/h3>\n

Club: Reading FC | Opening: 1998 | Capacity: 24,161 seats<\/p>\n

History and description<\/h3>\n

Madejski Stadium replaced Reading\u2019s previous ground Elm Park. It came at a cost of \u00a350 million. The stadium\u00a0opened on 22 August 1998 with a match between Reading and Luton Town (3-0), though the official opening was a few weeks later.<\/p>\n

Madejski\u00a0Stadium is named after chairman of the club John Madejski. It got built on the site of a household waste dump, and as a result one can find many metallic posts around the stadium that let off the underground methane gases.<\/p>\n

In the mid 2000s, plans were made for the expansion of Madejski Stadium to a capacity of potentially 37,000 seats, however these plans were abandoned after Reading relegated to the Championship in 2008.<\/p>\n

Madejski Stadium is also the home of rugby club London Irish.<\/p>\n

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